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Dr. Mom: Don't hurry to 'graduate' your child out of his car seat

29.11.11

When you find out you're expecting, one of the first items you put on a gift registry is a car seat.

It's a big and important decision. You've likely done a little research and some comparison shopping before deciding on "the one."

There's a reason you put so much thought and effort into picking out this one single item: You want your precious newborn bundle to be safe.

So, when the new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on car seats came out in March, I was surprised to hear that many parents were less than thrilled with the new findings and recommendations.

The academy noted, for instance, that children younger than 2 who ride in a rear-facing car seat are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a major motor vehicle accident. They revealed that car crashes remain a leading cause of death in children ages 4 and older.

Even without taking a hard look at the statistics, all we need to do is to take a look at what we do most of the day. We drive. We drive our kids to school, to day-care, to preschool, to soccer practice, to swimming lessons and on and on.

Source: Sacramento Bee