By law in all 50 states your child up to 18 months of age must be properly restrained in a car seat, and most have laws requiring car seats until a child is at least 3 years old. A number of states (including California, Oregon, and New Jersey, among others) now require children to ride in booster seats until they weigh 60 lbs. or even more, depending on the state. In 2000, 248,000 kids in the United States were injured in auto accidents and 1,668 children died. This can only mean that most were not properly restrained. Statistics state that 75% of car accidents happen within 25 miles of home, and 60% of them happen on streets where the speed limit is 40 mph or less.
The safest car seat, therefore, is the one that best fits your child and your car and is easiest for you to use. Eventually most parents move their child from a rear-facing to a forward-facing position when he/she reaches 12 months and 20 pounds, which is the minimum age and weight requirement for facing forward. Experts have stated that the longer you keep your child in a rear-facing position, the safer he'll be (because in a frontal collision, the stress on a forward-facing child's neck can injure his spine).
Baby (or infant-only) car seats: These face the rear of the car and have a 20-lb. weight limit.
Convertible (or infant-toddler) car seats: These function as both rear-facing infant seats and forward-facing seats. Many new ones are designed to hold a child of up to 70 lbs. forward-facing or 40 lbs. facing the rear of the car.
Belt-positioning booster seats: These seats are for kids who are at least 3 and weigh at least 40 pounds. They use the regular in-car shoulder belts to secure the child. Backless boosters are fine when used with a seat that provides head support.
Best Car Seats 2011
Britax Car Seats
Cosco Car Seat
Eddie Bauer Car Seats
No comments:
Post a Comment