The American Academy of Pediatrics recently established a new policy recommending children ride rear-facing up to 2 years, or to the upper weight limits of the car seat. Parents who are not familiar with the benefits of extended rear-facing are puzzled why this should be the recommendation. After all, most parents are anxious to see their baby while they are driving the car so they can keep an eye on them. I did when my first born was younger. As a matter of fact, his pediatrician at the time said he was big enough to go forward-facing at nine months old. You can imagine how delighted I was! Now, after 11 years of being a CPS instructor, I am horrified to think what would have happened if we were in a crash. While it is tempting to turn babies around to face the front of the vehicle, it is important...

Allana Pinkerton stays busy as Diono's Child Passenger Safety Advocate.  Her job not only includes keeping children safe, but encompasses many duties within our company. The main component of her job is to train retail staff. This is important to parents as they shop for a new car seat. As you know, there are hundreds of child restraints on the store shelves and it can be confusing when trying to choose one. It is reassuring to a parent when the retail staff can tell them about safety features, conveniences and guide them to resources within their community. Allana doesn't just go into our retail customers' store and try to sell them on a Diono seat. She actually teaches beyond the Radian and Monterey. Most retail employees are parents or grandparents too. With great passion, Allana explains the issues with Child Passenger Safety, teaches about crash dynamics, rattles off statistics, and talks...

All states have laws regarding child restraints. Some are very specific and some are vague. http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html If you follow the laws in some states, you might be putting your child in jeopardy when transporting them in your car. For example, in Florida, once your child turns 4 years old, it is permissible to allow them to ride in the adult seat belt. It is highly doubtful that any four year old is tall enough to fit correctly in an adult seat belt. On the other hand, California, just improved their child restraint laws, which better protect children in motor vehicles.http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19551093#.TuoB1kIh91Y.mailto Most states have room for improvement in their laws. If all of them followed the NHTSA guidelines and worded their laws accordingly, state occupant protection programs would qualify for federal grant money to educate communities about Child Passenger Safety. Education is the key to reducing death and injury to children...

Are you one of those parents who had to go back to the store 3-5 times to exchange the car seat you purchased because it did not install correctly in your car? Why is it so difficult for car seat manufacturers to make a car seat to fit every car? Let's take a look at some of the most popular vehicle manufacturers and their products. Chevrolet makes 16 different models in the categories of cars, SUVs, crossovers, trucks and vans. Ford has a total of 17. Toyota makes 18 different models. Mercedes Benz totals 13. Volkswagen makes 11 model vehicles. BMW rounds out with 10 and Volvo makes only 9. Within these 94 different makes and models there are differences in: Seat belt retractors: Emergency locking, switchable and automatic Latch plates: Light-weight locking, sliding or fixed Buckles: Placement of buckles in the seat bite, forward of the seat bite and...

Question: If children have to ride in a car seat while in a motor vehicle, shouldn’t they also ride in a car seat while on an airplane? Unfortunately, there’s no real answer or regulation regarding kids in cars seats on an airplane. It is entirely up to the parents and the airline. Furthermore, airplane seat belts and seats are not designed with car seats in mind. They are designed for the safety and comfort of adult passengers. While the likelihood of an airplane crash is extremely minimal, in the event of a severe crash a car seat will probably not serve its intended purpose. However, during take-offs, landings, and turbulent flight a car seat can provide a child with a great deal of protection, just as it does in a motor vehicle. It also provides the child the added comfort and security of being in their "usual seat." Here are a...