New Car Seat Recommendations
One of the most important jobs you have as a parent is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle. Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Recent research has led the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend new guidelines to help you choose the most appropriate car safety seat for your child.
Infants/Toddlers: All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.
Toddlers/Preschoolers: All children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car safety seat, should use a Forward-Facing Car Safety Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.
School Age Children: All children whose weight and height is above the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
Older Children: When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use Lap and Shoulder Seat Belts for optimal protection.
Never place a Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger airbag.
All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.
MRSA
MRSA stands for methicillin resistant staphylococcal aureus bacteria. This is a very real current issue which unfortunately has been over-dramatized and sensationalized by the media. The Mayo Clinic provides a nice discussion regarding this bacteria and infection at www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735. Staph is a normal bacteria often found on the skin, and is very common and nothing really new. When there is a disruption in the skin integrity, it can cause infections such as impetigo, boils, or cellulitis. Although MRSA is resistant to some of the usual antibiotics which we use in children, there are a number of antibiotics which are still very effective for this not uncommon level of community acquired infection. Again, if you have concerns about your children, please contact our office with your questions.
