By Jennie Gropper Biggs, MD
As printed in Around Town Publishing, November 2006
What type of safety seats are best for my 3 children (ages 9 months, 5 years, and 12 years)?
As the holiday season approaches, many of us are preparing to pack up the kids and hit the road for a holiday vacation. Before taking off on that road trip, be sure that you have the appropriate type of safety seat for each child, and be sure each seat is properly installed in your car.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a series of recommendations for keeping children safe in the car. All babies under one year of age should be seated in the backseat in a rear-facing car seat. If possible, that seat should be placed in the middle of the backseat. They should only be switched to a forward-facing position when they turn one year old and weigh more than 20 pounds. Children ages one and up, who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, should be facing forward in a five-point harness car seat. Each car seat has different weight and height parameters, so be sure to check the side of your car seat for specific guidelines.
All children weighing between 40 and 80 pounds and shorter than 4 foot 8 inches tall, should be seated in the backseat in a booster seat. Booster seats are used with the car’s own shoulder seatbelts to assure that the belt is positioned properly. The safest place for the lap portion of the seatbelt to be positioned is over the boney part of the hips, rather than over the soft belly. Only children taller than 4 foot 8 inches tall, on whom the seatbelt hits the hips, should sit in the back seat without a booster.
Though you may have the proper seat for your child, if the equipment is not properly attached to your car, it is useless. While all safety seats come with instructions on installation, the task of installing a car seat can be quite complicated. It is wise to visit your local fire department to have your car seat checked to be sure it is properly attached.
As our children grow into teens, they may often request to move up to the front seat. It is important to remember that the safest place for all children is the backseat. No one under the age of thirteen should sit in the front seat. Even older teens may be safer if they remain in the back. Most cars are now equipped with air bags to increase our safety in an accident. But these airbags are designed to protect adult passengers. The airbags themselves can actually pose significant danger to a smaller front seat passenger.
Once you’ve taken the time to be sure that all of your children are seated in the safest possible positions, buckle up and enjoy your holiday adventures!
The full American Academy of Pediatrics car safety guidelines can be found online at www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm