Tip of the Week: Buckle Up!

Every parent understands the importance of car safety seats for babies, but
you might not know the state of Illinois's requirements for older children.
Some facts about all of our state's laws:

   - A child younger than 1 should be in a rear-facing seat in the back of
   the car.
   - If a child is under 20 pounds but older than 1, he/she should remain
   rear-facing in the back seat.
   - The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act mandates the use of car
   safety seats until age 8. Children younger than 8 must be secured in an
   appropriate child safety seat, which include infant seats, convertible seats
   or booster seats for use with a lap-and-shoulder-belt system.
   - It's safest to keep your child in a 5-point harness for as long as
   possible. Some car seat manufacturers have seats for children up to 80
   pounds.
   - Finally, take the time to ensure that the car seat is installed
   properly.You can contact the following agencies to help you: Free services
   are available at safekids.org and seatcheck.net, or you can visit
   safetysquad.com, a paid service in Chicago.

For more info, read up on the recommendations of the American Academy of
Pediatrics at www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm and see Illinois
recommendations at www.buckleupillinois.org/default.asp.