Great info on carseats!
GMAC, the big insurance guys, has put together a great easy-reference table of carseat information. For those of you who know nothing about carseats and even those of you who THINK you know about carseats, this is a timely and important read!
Child Passenger Restraint Guidelines
Under 1 year old and less than 20 pounds at a minimum: Rear-facing seat- keep child rear-facing as long as seat allows for maximum safety-usually up to 30 pounds
At least 1 year old and 20 to 40 pounds: Forward-facing seat with a harness- use until harness is outgrown for maximum safety
Under 4′9″ and approximately 40 to 100 pounds: Booster seat
Taller than 4′9″ and more than 80 to 100 pounds until age 13:Safety belt, but remain in back seat until age 13
* Choose wisely. The NHTSA’s 2007 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings compares 101 child safety seats (including booster seats) to allow parents to find the child safety seat that will best fit their needs.
Visit http://www.nhtsa.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm to find which safety seat is right for your child.
* Read up. To ensure that you install your specific car seat model properly, make sure to read both the vehicle owner’s manual and the child safety seat instruction manual.
* Get inspected. As part of their Buckle Up program, Safe Kids Worldwide and GM and Chevrolet car dealerships around the country sponsor child safety seat inspections where caregivers can learn how to correctly install their child’s seat. Visit http://usa.safekids.org for upcoming Safe Kids inspection events near you.
* Stay in the back. As a rule of thumb, all children under age 13 should always be properly restrained in a rear seat.
* Restrain yourself. To encourage positive habits in your children, use a seat belt yourself on every trip. In a recent Safe Kids Buckle Up study, nearly 40 percent of children riding with unbelted drivers were completely unrestrained, compared with only 5 percent of children riding with belted drivers.
