Car Seat Guidelines

You may have heard that the American Academy of Pediatrics revamped its recommendations of when children should begin facing forward in their seats and when they can lose the booster as they get older. Parents have thought for years that their babies could be turned to face forward in their car seats at age 1 or when they hit 20 pounds. It's a big milestone when baby can turn and face mom and dad, have her toes tickled or at least is easier to check up on in the rearview mirror. But pediatricians now say it's safer to leave children facing backward until their second birthday. The lead author of the latest policy statement, Dr. Dennis Durbin, said, "The first recommendation [is] that all infants and toddlers remain in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they outgrow the height and weight limits of the seat." The last recommendation was issued in 2002. "There has been some evidence that's come out since the last recommendations were issued that suggest that kids up to age 2 who stay rear-facing are at a significant lower risk of injury in a variety of crashes," Durbin said.