According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should always sit in the back seat. Many cars have front air bags which can hurt or even kill children if they are inflated. You may have seen other family members hold their babies in their laps either in the front seat or in the back seat, but this is not safe. We are learning new things about babies all the time. The information in this FAQ might be different from what your parents or neighbors were told when their children were little. Always have your baby’s car seat professionally installed in the back seat of your car. Call the local police or a child care resource and referral agency to find out where to take your car to have the car seat installed. Keep your baby in an approved car safety seat that faces backward in the back seat until she is one year old and weighs at least 20 pounds. For more information on car seat safety, go to this web site: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm

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