Child Car Safety Tips
Your child should remain rear-facing until he reaches the maximum weight for his car seat, as long as the top of his head is below the top of the child safety seat back. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should remain rear-facing as long as possible. For information on how to properly install your car seat, carefully read your safety seat manual as well as your vehicle owner’s manual.
- Always put your infant in a rear-facing car seat from birth until he is at least 1 year old and weighs at least 20 pounds.
- Keep small babies who reach age 1 but weigh less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing child safety seat until they reach at least 20 pounds.
- Larger babies whose weight or height exceeds the limits of the child safety seat before they reach age 1 should use a convertible seat with a higher rear-facing weight and height limit. Keep the seat facing the rear until your child reaches at least 1 year of age.
- Premature and very small infants may need to ride in a car bed rather than a traditional car seat.
- Always install a rear-facing seat and all car seats in the back seat of your vehicle.
- Adjust the angle of rear-facing seats to no more than 45 degrees from vertical.
- Install the safety seat tightly Put your knee in the car seat and push down on it while you tighten the seat belt.
- Make sure the harness straps are in harness slots that are at or below your infant’s shoulders
- Position the harness retainer clip so that the top of the clip is level with your infant’s armpit.