Fact Friday :Many parents switch child safety seats too soon

75% of 500 parents started placing their child in a front-facing car seat before age 2 and 30% of parents switched their child to the front-facing seat before age 1. The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines for the use of car seats in April, recommending that children stay in rear-facing car seats until age 2. A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body. Thank you Dr Jopling for bringing this article to our attention. Click here for the full article and also read a past blog entry reminder about the new recommendations.

Utah has Child Safety Seat Inspection Stations in every community throughout Utah that work to educate families about the proper use of child safety seats.  Many of these Inspection Stations offer child safety seats and booster seats at a reduced cost to low-income families. To find the nearest location, call the Primary Children's Car Seat Hot Line 801-662-CARS or visit these informative web sites:

• Safe Kids Utah
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Utah Department of Public Safety
• Keeping Kids Safe During Crashes

We know you want to keep your children safe and we want to help. If you have any questions please ask your pediatrician or visit one of these great websites.
Info from-AAP and
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-x-1005-car-seat-guidelines-20111005,0,50595.story

New Boost Til 8 Website!!

Announcing a new website that you MUST check out http://www.boosttil8.org/ It is a new website for Utah children that helps explain the new "boost until 8" law protecting kids. More children ages 6 to 14 die from traffic crashes than from anything else. But even more startling is the fact that over half of the 4- to 7-year-olds who die in crashes are buckled in seat belts. The truth is that these younger children are not safe in seat belts alone. They are not adequately protected by seat belts alone.

In Utah, children up to age 8 (through age 7) must be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat when traveling in a passenger vehicle. There is an exception to the law that states that children younger than eight are not required to be in a booster seat if they are at least 57 inches tall (4'9"). At that point, they should use the vehicle's lap and shoulder belt without a booster.

We HIGHLY recommend you checking out this website. It has a very powerful short video that will hopefully make you look at your own child's safety seat. It also has so many resources including, booster basics, list of fitting stations, and a question and answer section that answers so many questions.

It takes just a few minutes to check out this website and all of our doctors at Willow Creek Pediatrics think it is a great reminder to buckle up with a booster, and the correct way.

www.boosttil8.org

**Info from the boosttil8.org

Updated Car Seat Safety Recommendations

As you may know, car seat safety is always a question on parents' minds!  We always want to try to be as clear and concise and up-to-date as we can with these recommendations as we know that it is an important issue for all parents!  The AAP has recently released updated recommendations for car seat safety.

The following is a quick view of the current recommendations (as of March, 2011) from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

1. Infant-only seats
• Are used for infants up to 22 to 35 pounds, depending on the model.
• Are small and have carrying handles (and sometimes come as part of a stroller system).
• May come with a base that can be left in the car. The seat clicks into and out of the base so you don’t have to install the seat each time you use it. Parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles.
• Are used only for travel (not for positioning outside the vehicle).
2. Convertible seats (used rear-facing)
• Can be used rear-facing, then “converted” to forward-facing for older children. This means the seat can be used longer by your child. They are bulkier than infant seats, however, and do not come with carrying handles or separate bases.
• May have higher rear-facing weight (30–40 pounds) and height limits than infant-only seats, which make them ideal for bigger babies.
• Usually have a 5-point harness that attaches at the shoulders, at the hips, and between the legs. Older convertible seats may have an overhead shield—a padded tray-like shield that swings down over the child.
3. 3-in-1 seats (used rear-facing)
• Can be used rear-facing, forward-facing, or as a belt-positioning booster. This means the seat may be used longer by your child.
• Are often bigger in size so adequate space within the vehicle when rear-facing should be determined.
• Do not have the convenience of a carrying handle or a separate base; however, they may have higher rear-facing weight (35–40 pounds) and height limits than infant-only seats, which make them ideal for bigger babies.

You can view the article in its entirety here.

If you ever have any questions regarding car seat safety, please feel free to call our office.  Primary Children's is also another great source for car seat safety information.  The car seat safety hotline is 801-662-CARS (2277).