Child Safety Seat Guidelines Change…Again

Once again the child safety seat guidelines have changed and many parents (myself included) may want to make some changes.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics children should now remain in rear-facing car seats until they reach 40 pounds. Which for many kids could mean staying rear facing until they are nearly four-years-old.

That drastically changes the previous guidelines of keeping car seats rear facing up until two. And honestly as a parent, that felt too long sometimes.

The reasoning for the change is new findings in safety seat testing.

Head and neck injuries after a crash are less likely and less severe when a child is in a rear facing seat. Until recently the age of two was given as the turn around point, but more recent car seat tests show staying rear facing for much longer is actually much safer.

Now all parents need is for car seat manufacturers to catch up to these guidelines.

As a parent of a three-year-old I remember impatiently waiting for my daughter to hit the magic age when we could turn her seat around because her legs barely fit in the rear facing seat anymore.

Her knees were practically in her chest and car rides weren't that comfortable.

That's simply because the car seat designs haven't caught up with the guidelines.

So hopefully with things now being extended even further, car seats will become deeper giving kids more legs room as they are forced to stay facing the back seats.