Little kids could now be in rear-facing car seats well past their second birthday if parents follow the latest safety recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Cynthia Dennis with Safe Kids Northeast Florida told WJCT News a child’s age should no longer be a consideration when deciding whether to switch to front-facing car seats.
“Before they were mentioning the age of two and now they’re saying look at the labels on the box or the seat and follow those guidelines. Don’t turn the child forward facing until they have reached either the maximum weight or height for rear facing,” said Dennis.
Dennis urges parents to make sure their child is properly buckled into the seat and the seats are properly secured in the car..
“Some of the big mistakes are using the wrong seat for that child, the seat’s not installed tight enough into the car. A lot of times we see the harnesses themselves on the child that are way too loose.”
She said parents should think twice before using add-ons like cushioned head supports, mirrors for checking on rear-facing babies and car upholstery protectors because they could actually make kids less safe.
Parents and caregivers who want to make sure they’re doing it right can get car seats inspected by Safe Kids Northeast Florida.
The Safe Kids’ Ultimate Car Seat Guide is chock full of helpful advice and tips for buying and installing child car seats.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
Photo used under Creative Commons license.
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