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Showing posts from June, 2014

About Seat Belts and Older Kids

The move from car seats to seat belts can be unsettling for parents who want to keep their children safe. Kids can move out of car seats when they are 4 feet 9 inches tall and between 8 and 12 years old, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They should always use a seat belt and sit in the rear seat for the best protection. When kids move out of a booster seat to use a seat belt exclusively, it's important to make sure they're using the belt correctly. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidelines for this: • A child should be tall enough to sit without slouching with his back against the vehicle seat. •The knees should be naturally bent over the car's seat with the feet hanging down or flat on the floor. • The seat belt's lap portion should sit snugly across the child's hips - not the belly. • The shoulder belt should lie across the child's chest and shoulder - not the neck or face. That's not all. Never allow a