Keeping Kids Safe on the Road

Active families spend a significant amount of time on the road. Whether it's the daily school run, sports activities, or a fun day out, most families are always ready to roll with car seats intact. Unlike our car's clear gas and servicing indicators, the safety information for the child's car seat is more complex. When we think we've got it right, our children outgrow their seats. So, the question is, which car seat is appropriate and safe for your child?

According to the US Department of Transportation, the current regulations of 2024 recommend:

Infants and Toddlers:

• Rear-facing seat: It is extremely important to use a rear-facing seat at this young age. It has a harness attached and, in a crash, will cradle your baby to reduce the stress and impact on their neck and spinal cord.
• Infant car seat: Small and portable seat for newborns.
• Convertible seat: This can change from rear-facing to forward-facing as your little one grows.
• All-in-one seat:Similarly, this seat changes from rear-facing to forward-facing to a booster seat.

Toddlers and Preschoolers:

• Forward-facing seat: These seats have a harness and tether that hold your child and minimize their forward movement in a car crash.
• Convertible seat- This can change from rear-facing to forward-facing as your little one grows.
• Combination seat- Goes from forward-facing with a harness into a booster seat.
• All-in-one seat- Similarly, this seat changes from rear-facing to forward-facing to a booster seat.

School-aged Children:

• Booster seat: As the name suggests, these seats give children a boost to the seatbelt, ensuring that it fits appropriately over their chest and lap.
• Booster seat with high back: This seat is best for cars without headrests. It lifts your child up to the seatbelt and provides head and neck support.
• Backless booster seat: This seat is best for cars with headrests. It lifts your child up to the seatbelt but does not provide head or neck support.
• Combination seat- This goes from forward-facing with a harness into a booster seat.
• All-in-one seat- Similarly, this seat changes from rear-facing to forward-facing to a booster seat.

Older Children:

• Seat belts: The ideal seat belt position is across the upper thighs and snug across the chest and shoulders. To keep children safe and minimize injuries in a crash, the seat belt should not be on the stomach, face, or neck.

It is essential to remember that these are just general guidelines developed to offer you a starting point when looking for the right car seat for your child. Consider your little one's height and weight when shopping for a car seat; every child grows at different rates. The car seat regulations and safety features in cars are changing every year, and staying up to date with each new feature and rule can be overwhelming. Luckily, many great online resources have up-to-date information on what will suit your child's needs best. Rely on credible sources for information, such as from the US Department of Transportation, instead of the car seat suppliers, whose goal is to sell, not to tell.

At Little Jewels Learning Center, we appreciate and encourage safe travels. We support safe car seat usage and offer convenient transportation options to relieve some of the transport burdens of busy families. Our locations provide transportation to District 87, Unit 5, Epiphany, and Tri-Valley Schools. Parents and family members can also benefit from the transportation of their school-age kids to before and after-school care programs throughout the community. Here is a list of all the schools we serve. If you have questions about childcare transportation or any of the services at our daycare learning center, please feel free to contact our friendly team.