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TheAmerican Academy of Pediatricshas modified its recommendations surrounding rear-facing car seats — namely, to extend the practice for “as long as possible.”
Parents may recall the AAP’s previous recommendation for parents to have their children in rear-facing car seats until age 2, but lead policy-statement authorBenjamin Hoffman, MD, FAAP, points out that“car seat manufacturers have created seats that allow children to remain rear-facing until they weigh 40 pounds or more.”
This “means most children can remain rear-facing past their second birthday,” Dr. Hoffman adds.
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Says Dr. Hoffman, who also serves as chair of the AAP Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention, “It’s best to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. This is still the safest way for children to ride.”
The AAP advises that whenchildren reach the upper weightor height limit for rear-facing seats, they “should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 ft 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.”
After that, when kids can use a seat belt without an additional seat, “they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection,” and, “All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.”
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source: people.com
