The United States Academy of Pediatrics Affirms That Kids Must Be Positioned Rear-Facing Till Age 2

Inside a newly published article from the American Academy of Pediatric medicine (AAP), parents/guardians are informed to get their youngsters in a rear- facing location till they attain the maximum height and weight required by law or until they attain the ages of two years and beyond.

However, the AAP also emphasized the need and importance of children riding in a booster seat that are easily belt positioned for their safety until they have attained a height of four feet and nine inches and aged between eight and twelve years old.

The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday.

"Transition from one stage to another often gets parents excited, but these transitions must generally be delayed until they are absolutely necessary, as the child fully develop and outgrows the restrictions for his or her present stage," said Dennis Durbin, MD, FAAP, leader and author of the policy statement as well as the accompanying technical report.

"Child safety seat with rear-facing features is a lot more protective and supportive of the head, neck and spine of babies and toddlers in the event of an accident, due to the manner it distributes the entire force of the collision over the whole body." Dr Durbin reintegrated.

With bigger kids, forward facing seats with harnesses are safer than booster seats, also belt positioning booster seats gives better protection than seat belts alone until the seat belts work perfectly."

Despite the fact that death rates from motor vehicle accidents in minors under the ages of 16 years has decreased significantly, with 45% decrease from 1997 and 2009, it's unbelievably the number one cause of deaths for children between the ages of four years and older.

Counting children and teens up to age 21, there are more than 5,000 deaths each year. Number of fatalities can be staggering, for every casualty, roughly 18 kids get admitted into hospital while nothing less than 400 children are injured enough to urgently require medical treatment.

According to new indications, kids are a lot safer in a rear-facing vehicle seats than front facing ones. The main highlight of a recently concluded study in the journal injury prevention showcased that kids under the ages of 2 years were 75% less likely to be killed or maimed in an accident if they are riding in a rear facing position.

The age 2 suggestion is not a deadline, instead a guideline to help parents know when to make the transition, Dr Durbin suggested - "Small sized children tend to benefit more from being positioned rear-faced longer, while other kids might grow to the full size required before two years of age restriction."

Children must be transitioned from a rear facing car seat to a forward facing car seat that comes with harness for optimal safety, this should continue until they reach the required height and weight. So a booster seat will ensure the child's shoulder and laps fit appropriately for maximum safety.

The correct way the seat belt should be positioned is that it should lie across the middle of the shoulder and chest instead of lying across the face or neck which can be hazardous in the event of an accident. In addition, the lap belt is meant to fit nicely on the hips as well as the upper thighs rather than the stomach area. Most kids would require a booster seat up on till they reach 4' 9" in height and are between 8 years and 12 years old.

Kids should not be sat in the front seat of any vehicles until they have reached 13 years of age, but they must be placed in a booster seat or an infant car seat for maximum safety.

Even though the Aviation Authority allows kids under the ages of two to sit on an adult's lap during flight on an airplane, they are better protected by flying in a size and age appropriate restraints.

"To recap, kids of all ages should ride adequately secured on every journey whatever the method of mobility, in the air or on the roads." Said Dr Durbin.

Adopting safety measures for kids in every stage of a child's life is very crucial as risks abound every where and accidents can occur when you do not expect them to happen. Baby bath tub, baby strollers, baby monitor and baby swings are highly recommended products for babies and toddlers to be more safer.

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