If you are a parent, you know just how important it is to keep your child safe. From the moment they were born, parents have done everything to make sure they are not harmed. This is not just done inside the home, where many parents take a lot of safety measure to make sure that their homes are baby proofed.

The same measures are taken when the child is inside the car and traveling with his or per parents. Just recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their policy statement on “Child Passenger Safety” and have given new recommendations regarding the car seats of children.

While the full report including the technical report will be published in Pediatrics; November 2018 issue, here are some things that parents should know about the new policies.

1.Most of the old policies still stand – most of what you know about car seats still stands. First, of course, you need to make sure that the car seats you choose will be utilized properly.

Car Seat Guidelines Developed by AAP | Photo Credit: Pixabay (KateCox)

Many parents think that they do not need to read the manual anymore. Also, check to see that you are using the proper one. If your child has already exceeded the weight and height of the limits of your car seat, it is wise to invest in a convertible car seat.

2. All children under 13 must be seated at the back – one of the biggest changes is that the AAP is now saying that anyone below 13 should always be seated at the back. It’s not only the AAP who has stated this, as this is also backed up with an agreement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As the statistics show, the back seat is the safest place if ever a collision will happen, so better tell your tweens that they can only call shotgun when they turn 13.

3. Children should be seated in the car seat for as long as possible – another thing that has changed is the length of time the child should be on a car seat.

For many parents, as soon as they have outgrown the rear-facing car seats, they already allow their kids to use boosters and not the car seats anymore. this can be as early as 3 or even 4 years old. But now, the AAP has said that it is safer to keep them in the car seat for as long as you can. When they have outgrown the rear-facing seats, just use forward-facing car seats instead.

4. Children should be rear-facing as long as possible – in the past, having the children be seated rear-facing was recommended until about 2 years old. But now, after years of research, the AAP recommends that parents should only switch to forward-facing car seats once the children have reached the limits of the rear-facing car seats when it comes to height and weight. Most car seats have a limit of 50 pounds and up, so until the child weighs more than that, it is still safer to keep them in the rear-facing car seat.

The post 4 Things you Should Know about the New AAP Car Seat Guidelines appeared first on Celebrity Baby Scoop.