03/2011
Dear Parents,
Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced new safety recommendations for car seats.
As of April 2011 all infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. Afterwards all children should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicles seat belt fits properly (approximately at 4 feet 9 inches and between 8 and 12 years old.) Finally, children younger than 13 should ride in the back seats of a car.
The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday.
More detailed information can be found at www.healthychildren.org.
Your children’s safety is always on our mind.
Be safe,
Great Beginnings
