Keeping kids safe in the car is always a priority for parents and caregivers. Howevers, sometimes we all need a reminder of the rules surrounding car seats and best safety practices. This month is a great time to do that as we observe Child Passenger Safety Week during the third week of September. At Wollaston Child Care Center, our staff knows that their responsibility to keep your child safe isn’t limited to their time with us. Childcare is about keeping kids safe at all times.
Here, we look at Massachusetts car seat laws and best safety practices for child car safety.
Rear-Facing Is the Safest Option
Massachusetts law does not specify how long kids have to stay in a rear-facing car seat, but you should keep them in one for as long as possible—following the manufacturer’s guidelines—because it is the safest option. Babies and toddlers have disproportionately large heads compared to the rest of their bodies. That makes them more susceptible to head and spine injuries than older children. If you are in an accident, your child’s head will be thrust toward the front of the car. If your child is in a rear-facing seat, the force of the impact will push their head into the car seat, protecting their head and neck.
Graduating to Booster Seats
When your child gets too big for a harnessed car seat, either rear- or front-facing, they get to graduate to a booster seat. Massachusetts does have laws concerning how long kids need to use a booster seat. They need to continue using the booster seat until they are 57 inches tall or 8 years old. However, kids should often continue to use booster seats even past that benchmark. To ride safely in the car, the seatbelt needs to be positioned properly. It should sit low across their hips and cross over their shoulder and the center of their chest. Many kids cannot wear a seat belt correctly without a booster seat until they are 10 to 12 years old.
Passenger Safety and Childcare
At Wollaston Child Care Center, we care about keeping your kids safe when they’re with us and with you. Getting in the car is something we do every day, so we should all be familiar with the best safety practices.
