With school well underway, Stillman and Friedland want to remind you that child restraint are essential! But it is just as important to have the right car seat, booster or seat belt for your child—and this includes kids of all ages.
How do you know which restraint is right for your child, and how do you choose the right one for your kids? In this post, we want to promote awareness and give you the legal guidelines for child restraints.
The National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) is gearing up for a national Twitter conversation on Wednesday, September 20th. With the hashtag #therightseat you can join the chat, get more information and help spread the message through your social media connections. If child safety is important to you, make it known! The NHTSA has graphics you can find here, including this flyer that you can tweet:
Let’s review the basics—there are four types of restraints you must use when transporting children; always use the manufacturer’s guide to each car seat to determine suitability and safety:
- Infant rear-facing car seat: suitable from birth until the age and weight indicated by the manufacturer. Keep in mind that the latest recommendations are to keep your smallest passengers in a rear-facing seat as long as possible for maximum safety. Check out ratings for convertible seats that accommodate kids up to 45 pounds here.
- Forward-facing car seats: When the rear-facing seat is no longer suitable until about age 4.
- Booster seats: The next stage, generally from age 4 through to the maximum height and weight. Children should use boosters until ages 8-10. Ollie Otter is on Twitter to remind Tennesseans that “Under 4’9” – It’s Booster Time!”
- Shoulder restraint seat belts: These must fit snugly, low and tight across the hips. Up until at least age 13, children must ride in the back seat. Remember that airbags can seriously injure children—another reason to keep kids in the back seat. Our tip: keeping tweens in the back seat is less distracting for the driver.
Until everyone is buckled, no one goes anywhere!
Car accidents are a leading cause of fatalities for children under age 13. Stillman and Friedland cannot urge you strongly enough to follow safety guidelines and do your best to keep your kids safe. Because we care!
