Car Seat Recommendations for 2011 from American Academy of Pediatrics

One of our biggest concerns when traveling by car is keeping the kids as safe as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration updated their recommendations on rear facing car seats and a few other things. They now recommend that all children should stay rear-facing until the age of 2 or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. There are 3 types of rear-facing car safety seats: infant-only seats, convertible seats, and 3-in-1 seats. Always check the manual that came with your car seat to see the height and weight requirements as each one varies.

We recently moved our youngest into a booster seat and out of her 5 point harness car seat which made me nervous but so far so good. I made sure to get a booster that I could tether into the car and I found a wonderful Britax seat that adds an extra anchor point that most boosters don’t have. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children should stay in booster seats until they are between the ages of 8-12 years old and/or reach 4 feet 9 inches tall or until the seat belt fits them properly. Another major update is the recommendation that no child should be allowed to ride in the front seat until they are 13 years old. Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Lets do our part in keep the kids as safe as possible while traveling in a car.

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