Navigating Car Seat Safety

I remember distinctly the day we switched my daughter's car seat from rear- to front-facing.  

She was days from being 1-year-old and was super-cranky in the car.  I always thought that it must be incredibly boring to just stare at the back of the seat all the time.  When we turned her around, it was like the heavens opened and all the angels sang!  Traveling became instantly wonderful.

I also was quick to switch my kids into booster seats...much too quick. With my youngest, after moving him from a 5-pt. harness to a booster, he would often unbuckle himself or slide down in his seat.  

I look back and regret the number of times I had to pull over to fix his seat but yet I continued on the same path.  For me, car seat safety was an issue that I simply didn't take the time to educate myself about.  I was well-versed in many other parenting issues, but strapped my children into their seats without much thought.

Fortunately, a friend encouraged me to think critically about what would happen to my children were we to be in an accident--an accident that happened just a few short weeks later.  Though very minor, it did make me sit up, take notice and make some changes.  We decided at that point to keep out children in 5-pt. harnesses as long as possible and purchased the best seats on the market that would allow for that (our children are TALL).  All three of our children went from booster seats back into 5-pt. harnesses.

Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued an update to their recommendations about child safety seats.  The AAP now suggests children stay in a rear-facing position until age 2 (or until they reach the maximum weight/height for their seat).  They also recommend that children stay in a belt-positioning booster seat until they reach 4' 9" (between the ages of 8 and 12 for most children).  

These recommendations (though slightly different from Maryland's current safety seat laws won't change much about the way we buckle our children, since we've already decided to keep them in car seats as long as possible. But, for many of my mommy friends, it encourages them to reconsider the way they buckle-in.

What do you think about the AAP's new car seat recommendations?

 Will it change the way your children are restrained in your vehicle?

 Do you think that the new recommendations are necessary? 

Do you have an suggestions for helping your children to be comfortable and safe at the same time?

Amber McCann is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and owner of Nourish Breastfeeding Support, which serves breastfeeding moms in Howard County and Laurel, MD.  More importantly, she is the mother of three incredible children and very involved in the Laurel, MD community.  She can be reached at amber@ambermccann.com or on her website www.ambermccann.com.