 Policy – Child Passenger Safety Best Practice Recommendations){kind=link}
Updated Recommendations for Children in Carseats and Boosters
A revised policy statement on Child Passenger Safety from the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) was released today. The most significant change is the removal of the age 2 minimum recommendation for forward-facing. The updated policy keeps the basic wording to recommend that children remain rear-facing until they reach the maximum weight or height allowances of their carseat. This revision aligns AAP’s policy with NHTSA’s current recommendations which also suggest using your carseat to the limits before transitioning to the next stage/category of seats.
The table below outlines the updated Best Practice Recommendations from the AAP.
The policy revision is a direct result of the retraction of the 2007 Henary study which we now know was flawed. Unfortunately at this moment, we do not have enough data to definitively say how much safer rear-facing is compared with forward-facing. Also we can no longer point to a specific age at which to make the transition from rear-facing to forward-facing. We acknowledge that this revision will cause some confusion to parents and caregivers who have previously been told that the AAP recommendation was to rear-face to a minimum of 2 years. Currently there are 11 states with laws that mandate rear-facing to age 2, and there are also carseats on the market which also mandate a 2-year age minimum for forward-facing. If you live in a state that requires rear-facing to age 2, or if you own a product with a 2-year age minimum for forward-facing then you must follow the guidance of your state laws and/or your manufacturer’s instructions.
The AAP used a data-driven approach in revising this policy. In the absence of statistically significant field data to support the previous rear-facing to age 2 recommendation, they felt it was necessary to update their current policy.
We understand that evolving information can be hard sometimes and the lack of good data is frustrating. On the bright side, the reason that we don’t have enough data on kids being injured in carseats, rear-facing or forward-facing, is because carseats are doing a great job of protecting children in crashes. We encourage researchers and manufacturers to continue important research on this and a variety of other subjects that relate to child passenger safety. Here at CarseatBlog we will continue to focus our efforts on educating parents and caregivers on proper usage of carseats and boosters.
So, my 25 lbs. son will be 2 in a month. Our current car seats are going to expire before the end of the year. We were all set to replace them with a Graco Nautilus or something similar, which is a forward only seat. My goal was to go with something that would grow with him and not necessarily be a convertible seat that would have to be replaced before he was out of car seats. What car seats should we consider now with the new AAP update?
I use the Graco 4ever seat. Love that it is good for 10years 100lbs. It is a convertible seat.
A diono convertible seat that can be backward facing and forward facing. They’re expensive but have a 10 year life. We had to get this for our son who is over 2 1/2 but only weighs 22 lbs so we wanted him to still be rear facing.
Julie, one factor to consider is that while it’s great that these seats now have 10 year lifespans, do you really want to keep them that long? Kids are gross: they pee, throw up, crush food into every crevice you can (and can’t) imagine and after a few years, that seat is toast. So while it may make monetary sense to get a seat that may “last your child until he doesn’t need one,” that’s the marketing department writing that. We’ve always suggested buying seats for your child’s current stage that will allow him growth. So if that means your goals are to rear-face for a while longer, then you’d be looking at a convertible seat. If you’re ready to forward-face, then by all means, go for the Nautilus or another combination seat because that will suit your needs better than a convertible seat will. But just keep your expectations realistic that this next seat likely won’t last until he’s out of a carseat :).
Hello I have a third grader (8) who is very tiny and weighs under 40 lbs . I have him in a five point harness booster . Is it ok to put him in a booster with regular seat belt? I think he is about 44 inches and 38 lbs.
Thanks
Hi Annmarie, the usual minimum booster use guidelines is 4 years old AND 40 pounds or more. Some organizations suggest that the minimum for booster use is 5 years old, often with no minimum weight recommendation. Since there is no data to compare boosters with a 5-point harness seat at this age, the decision is often based on maturity. If a child of this age can remain seated properly with the seat belt correctly positioned the whole trip, then they can probably start using a booster. Nearly all kids at age 8 should be fine in a booster, even at 38 pounds. You would have to make sure he is within the weight and height range of the booster, though some high back models do allow kids under 40 pounds to use them. If your child tends to be squirmy or has developmental issues, you can certainly continue to use a 5-point harness combination booster as long as he is within the weight and height limits.
Do check European standards. If I’m not wrong, several tests have been carried out that suggest rear-facing is definitely safer than forward facing. Apparently, there will be a change in the European laws regarding this, and the suggested age they’re aiming for is minimum 4 years in a rear-facing position.
The laws of physics definitely support rear-facing in theory. It’s the practical injury statistics in the USA that don’t (yet) convincingly support the theory. In fact, part of the problem is that there are so few severe and fatal injuries to kids in any type of appropriate car seat in the USA that there just are not enough data points to prove the theory.
Europe is definitely an interesting case and it varies a lot by country. In some countries, it isn’t uncommon to turn kids forward-facing at 9-12 months. Sweden, on the other hand, has had great success with extended rear-facing until 4-5 years old when kids transition directly to booster seats. The problem is that there are so many other variables in Sweden and other countries, from the age and makeup of the vehicle fleet, to the conditions of roads, to the prevalence of impaired driving to the success of educational campaigns. These factors make it difficult to assume what works there will result in the same real-world injury data here. Plus, since they don’t typically use forward-facing carseats with a 5-point harness in Sweden at all, they also have no comparative data.
That is like my 4 year old is only 28 lbs it all just various on the child…
What about my 13 month old who is fast approaching 40 pounds? It seems that the rewording is in hopes that parents will keep their children rear-facing past the age of 2 until the child has met the weight recommendation for the car seat (maybe I’m wrong). With my son being in the 99th percentile across the board though, he is going to reach his carseat’s limit well before 2. Will his body actually be developed enough to be safe forward facing in the event of a wreck though??? This changing of wording is more confusing to me and my situation.
Their emphasis is to remove the age of 24 months as a minimum. With the new wording, it’s still recommended that most kids will remain rear-facing until age 2 or longer. It also allows for situations where turning them before age 2 is acceptable, provided the limits from the owners manual and any relevant state law are followed. Properly installed and used forward-facing carseats provide a great deal of protection for children within the age/weight/height ranges listed in the manual, though rear-facing may be safer in many situations.
In your specific case, an extended range convertible seat like a Graco Extend2Fit, Clek Fllo, Diono Radian RXT or similar model may be needed to continue rear-facing for a young child above 40 pounds.
Rachael, we simply don’t know the answer because the data doesn’t bear out any results. We think there may be merit to RF because it makes sense that it takes time for the neck bones to harden and it makes sense that bones that have hardened protect the spinal cord better. We can’t scientifically back that assumption up.
Rachael: once your kid starts walking more/running, that weight won’t increase as fast or may even lose weight. I thought my 2.5 year old was going to outgrow his seat, but we are at 3.5, and we are still just under the max weight.
I would use his weight AND height recommendations. I would also invest in a car seat with higher height and weight limits.