If you think that your child has outgrown his current car seat–or doesn’t even need one anymore–think again. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just updated their recommendations on car seats.  

Here are the new safety guidelines:
 
Infants & Toddlers:
The AAP suggests that parents keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2 or when they reach the maximum heights and weight for their seat. (Height and weight requirements can be found on the backs of car seats.) The previous policy, created in 2002, advised parents to keep infants and toddlers in rear-facing car seats up to the limits of the car seat (but also cited 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum).

Older Kids & Tweens:
The AAP further advises children to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall and between 8 and 12 years old. And even if they want to, children should not ride in the front seat of the car until they reach age 13.

The full report from the April, 2011 issue of Pediatrics is available online.

For more information about using car seats properly, go to seatcheck.org.