David Meuler, MD Pediatrics Cedar Mills Medical Group

March 19, 2009

Today’s parents do an excellent job of following car seat laws. Almost all parents have infants and children buckled in to the required seats, and we are seeing fewer serious injuries and accident-related deaths as a result. Car seats make a big difference. But the laws provide a minimum requirement. For optimum safety, parents should go beyond what is required.

Most parents follow the guidelines with infants up to one year old in rear-facing car seats and toddlers up to four years old in toddler seats. Most move their four year olds into booster seats and some continue in boosters as they should until their child is eight. To make your child safer, I encourage parents to:

• Secure your infant seat so that it will not move more than one inch in any direction
• Use rear-facing infant seats as long as your baby fits properly
• Use a five-point harness
• Tighten the harness to a snug fit
• Keep your child in each car seat as long as your child fits, regardless of meeting the age and size requirements to move to the next level
• Use a high-back booster
• Insist that children sit in the back seat
• Do not use standard seat belts for your child until he or she is at least 4 feet and 9 inches tall (some children may be as old as 11 before reaching that height)
• Never use a car seat purchased second-hand, as you can’t be sure of its condition
• Secure loose items, like sports equipment, umbrellas, etc., so they won’t fly free in a collision

As children get older, it can be very challenging to enforce car seat rules, especially when participating in carpool. Some newer cars have built-in car seats, making it easier. But stay strong; it will help your child be as safe as possible in case of a collision.