HUDSON COUNTY — On Monday, it was announced the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat, which can be found on the back of the seat. Before that, the group had recommended rear-facing seats for children up to a year old.
Parents can get their car seat installed or inspected for free on Thursdays at the Jersey City police station at 141 Cornelison Avenue. The program has no residency requirements, so anyone from any county and state can use it.
Marissa Fisher, RN, the Injury Prevention Coordinator for the Trauma Division at Jersey City Medical Center, coordinates the program.
Fisher said Monday about the new recommendation, “It’s not surprising because the data already suggested that that is what’s safer. The fact that theyr’e making these recommendations and printing this report is great. We already had been making these recommendations at the hospital. It’s better for head, face, and spine protection.”
She said that New Jersey state law doesn’t dictate how long children should be in a rear-facing car seat, only that children up to 80 lbs. or 8 years old be in age-appropriate restraints, such as a car seat for infants.
She said that parents sometimes get leery of having their children in a rear-facing seat because their legs are bending, but it would be safer in a crash.
As for concerned parents who want to keep an eye on a child during their trip, she said they could have someone sit in the back with the child.
To find out more about the installation program, Fisher can be reached at 201-915-2906.
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