Do you wonder if it’s time to turn baby around? They’re getting bigger– maybe even kicking the seat and their legs look - well - cramped. It used to be the common standard to turn your baby at 1 years old or when they were over 20 lbs but that has changed.

Car seats can be confusing! Especially when you get conflicting information from friends, each state has a different standard, and your mom says one thing and your mother-in-law says something else! 

Experts now recommend keeping your child in a rear-facing car seat until they hit the maximum height and weight requirements for your car seat. And states have now all adopted a law mandating rear facing until at least two.

 According to a study in Injury Prevention, researchers found that children were 75% less likely to be severely injured or killed in a crash when riding in rear-facing seats. Volvo also conducted a study in Sweden that found when children up to age 4 remained in a rear-facing car seat the risk of injury was lowered by 20%. (in Sweden, most kids are rear-facing until age 4.)

Bonus Tip: Make sure to pay close attention to “and/or” laws. Some car seat manuals such as booster seats, say 8 years old OR 80 pounds (meaning whichever comes first, not BOTH). This can cause some confusion at times, so read carefully!

If you aren’t sure about height and weight requirements for your seat simply Google the name of the brand to find the manufacturer requirements. Make sure to check your local state laws as well. 

While laws vary by state, it’s important to remember that the laws of physics and dangers of crash dynamics don't change based on your state's car seat law. A child buckled in using best practices is protected in the event of a crash. With research and the right preventative steps, the car seat will do its job and your baby will avoid a trip to the hospital.

As a mom of three I know parenthood is hard - follow along for more blog posts on how to make things easier and if you want cute cloud soft jammies or easy car seat safety coats I have those too shop here: www.bucklemecoats.com

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