Child Safety Seats

NOTE: There have been recent law changes around child safety seats and that this video does not have the must up to date information. Below are the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics which came out in the Spring of 2011.

• • Recommendation 1: All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
  • Recommendation 2: All children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car seat, should use a forward-facing car seat with harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight and height allowed by the car seat manufacturer. 
  • Recommendation 3: All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car seat should use a belt positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap-and-should seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.  
  • Recommendation 4:  When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use the lap-and-shoulder seat belts for optimal protection. 
  • Recommendation 5: All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of the vehicles for optimal protection
  Recommendation 1: All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
• Recommendation 2: All children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car seat, should use a forward-facing car seat with harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight and height allowed by the car seat manufacturer. 
• Recommendation 3: All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car seat should use a belt positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap-and-should seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.  
• Recommendation 4: When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use the lap-and-shoulder seat belts for optimal protection. 
• Recommendation 5: All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of the vehicles for optimal protection