Child safety comes with some inconveniences on the road. Will you comply with new recommendations?
New car seat guidelines: What do you think?
The American Academy of Pediatrics is reversing long-standing recommendations on car seat safety. Will you make the switch?
Child safety comes with some inconveniences on the road. Will you comply with new recommendations?
In a report released earlier this week, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced some big changes to their recommendations for child safety in the car.
They advise that toddlers should sit in rear-facing car seats until age 2 (previously age 1 was standard), that kids should sit in belt-positioning booster seats until they are at least 4’ 9” tall, and that older kids should sit in the backseat at least until age 13.
These recommendations are backed by recent studies and crash tests which have shown that belt-positioning booster seats and rear-facing car seats are the safest for kids in an accident.
Nevertheless, some parents are not so eager to make the switch, as was evidenced in a recent Chicago Tribune article on local parents’ responses to the car seat recommendation updates. Some parents argue that toddlers get antsy sitting backward in the seat after a certain age, and that is it hard to check on them if they are rear-facing. Others say that they will have to balance the new recommendations with what already seems to work for them and their kids. Others still lament the idea of dealing with a junior high student forced to sit in the back seat.
What do you think, parents?
Will you make the switch right away?
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Comments (1)
My daughter recently turned two so I guess this doesn't really apply to me, but if she were younger I would absolutely follow the recommendations. If the kids fuss for a week or so with the transition back to rear-facing, it's better to know that they are safer than forward-facing. After all, I'm used to my daughter throwing the occasional fit when something doesn't go the way she wanted it to - why would I risk her safety?
March 24, 2011 - 1:28pm