New AAP Car Safety Guidelines Recommend Rear-Facing Seats for First 2 Years

"I think there’s going to be broad acceptance of this," said Dr. H. Garry Gardner. "I personally think that there’s enough realization that we’re dealing with a safety issue for this to be widely accepted."

Dr. H. Garry Gardner

Dr. Gardner said he had already counseled two mothers of babies turning 1 year old on the new recommendations, and both responded very positively. "One mom was relieved to find that she could still use the same rear-facing seat until her baby was 30 pounds – she thought she’d have to buy another car seat," he said. "The other said she was intending to keep her child facing rearward until age 3."

Pediatricians may be concerned that the new recommendations will take more time to discuss with parents, Dr. Gardner said. However, he predicted that the new AAP recommendations will be quickly disseminated, especially with the help of the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration and other agencies and groups. "They’ve been waiting for the academy to take the lead on this," he said.

Dr. H. Garry Gardner is professor of clinical pediatrics at Northwestern University, Chicago, and chairman of the AAP committee that developed the recommendations.