Jun 11th, 2008
Is It Booster Seat Time?
First time parents have many confusing things to worry about when they bring their child home for the first time, including the right car seat alignment for their child. The Evansville Courier Press lays out an excellent time table to decide when you should graduate your child from one car seat to another, even when to change the particular car seat position.
The first car seat your child will need is a rear-facing infant seat. Babies should continue to ride facing the rear until they are at least 20 pounds and 1 year old.
Because of differences in neck bone rigidity and ligament strength, infants facing forward are more likely to suffer a spinal cord injury in a crash, so it is advisable to keep your child facing the rear as long as possible, even if your child reaches the 20-pound mark before his first birthday.
There are other steps covered in the handy guide, from when your child can graduate to a booster seat to getting rid of the seat altogether. Seeing that the leading cause of death among children is car accident, following proper car seat “rules” for your child is of utmost importance.