“We are excited that the AAP is endorsing rear-facing child safety seats until age 2. We have been educating parents to keep their child rear-facing longer, and to have pediatricians also relaying this message to parents will be helpful,” said Maureen Donnelly, RN, MSN, NPC, Coordinator, Safe Kids Southern New Jersey, led by the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper.

Rear-facing seats

Rear-facing seats are reported to be safer because they offer more support to the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention found that children under the age of 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are placed in a rear-facing seat.

Most rear-facing child safety seats today can accommodate children to fit the new guidelines, the AAP reported.

Forward-facing seats

Kids should be kept in a forward-facing car seat as long as possible, even through age 8 if their weight or height is under the limit allowed by their child safety seat manufacturer, according to the new guidelines. Studies show that the car seats reduce the risk of child injury up to 82 percent and the risk of death by 28 percent, compared to wearing seat belts.

The typical forward-facing car seat fits children up to about 40 pounds, though there are more than 40 models that can accommodate kids up to 60, 65 or even 85 pounds.

The recommendations also say that a forward-facing car seat with a harness offers more protection than a booster seat, while a booster seat is better than a seat belt alone.

Booster seats

Parents also are advised to keep older children in a booster seat, which properly positions the car’s seat belts across the child’s chest and hips, until they’re 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between the ages of 8 and 12. Children often don’t reach this stature until around 10 years of age, Donnelly noted.

“Many children aren’t ready to move out of booster seats until they’re about 10, sometimes even 12 years old, which usually is when they are tall enough – around 4 feet 9 inches tall – to have the car’s lap and shoulder belts fit in the correct positions,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly noted that, while New Jersey’s child passenger safety law requires only those up to age 8 or 80 pounds to ride in a booster seat, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends a booster seat for all children up to 4 feet 9 inches tall, or when the seat belt fits properly. “We educate parents that staying in a booster seat until the seat belt fits your child is the safest practice,” Donnelly said.

Also, booster seats must be used with the car’s lap and shoulder belts. “They should never be used with just a lap belt because a child is not fully protected,” Donnelly said.

Seat belts

Seat belts, whether used with or without a booster seat, should fit so that the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, and is kept off the neck or face, while the lap belt fits low and snug on the hips and upper thighs, not across the soft tissue of the belly.

Children should ride in the backseat until they are 13 years old, since studies have shown this reduces the risk of injury by 40 percent to 70 percent, the AAP reported.

Also, adults should set a good example for children by buckling up for every ride, whether sitting in the front or rear seats.

Questions about car seat safety?

If you have any questions or would like more information about the safe transportation of infants, toddlers and children, you can contact Maureen Donnelly directly, at 856-968-TOTS (8687).

Related Links

• Safe Kids Southern New Jersey
• Free Car Seat Inspections

Diabetes occurs when specialized cells of the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach) do not produce adequate amounts of the hormone insulin.  Insulin permits the body to process proteins, fat, and sugars in food to make body tissues, produce energy, and store energy.  In people without diabetes, insulin is produced as needed to process food.  But people with diabetes have a reduced supply of insulin or none at all.

One in every 400-600 school-age children has diabetes of one form or the other. Type 1 is most common in Caucasian children (both boys and girls), can occur at any age, with the peak presentation occurring between ages 5-7 and at puberty.  Type 2 diabetes in children has increased 10 fold over the past 10 years.

In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them.  The pancreas then produces little or no insulin.  A person who has Type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live.

With Type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond properly to insulin.  Youngsters who are inactive, overeat, and have a family history of diabetes have the greatest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Children in minority groups also have a higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

Most commonly, children can experience frequent urination, excessive thirst and excessive hunger.  There may also be weight loss. The duration of symptoms varies but is often less than a month in Type I diabetes.

Symptoms are often lacking in Type II diabetes and it is frequently diagnosed during routine physicals or screening when a child presents with several risk factors.

Dietary Considerations

Presently, there are no dietary restrictions for people with diabetes.  It is important for everyone to have a healthy diet with a mix of foods, carbs, proteins, fats and fiber.  At one time it was believed that foods containing table sugar were detrimental to the diabetic.  Sweets and treats were forbidden.  Research has shown that all carbs turn into the same sugar – glucose – when broken down in the body.  For instance, the fructose in fruits, the lactose in milk, the sucrose in a Snickers bar, and the more complex starch in a baked potato will all be broken down and converted to glucose once digested.

See today’s Health eCooking recipe for a diabetes-friendly spring salad treat.

The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper is fortunate to have two, board-certified, Pediatric Endocrinologists and a Pediatric Diabetes Educator in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology to assist our patients and their families.  Ernest M. Post, M.D., and Weizhen Xu, M.D., see patients in their offices in Voorhees, Moorestown and Camden.

Upcoming Programs for Children With Diabetes

Join us for two special programs presented by The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper just for children with diabetes and their parents.

Pizza & Bowling Party for Children With Diabetes
April 13, 2009 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Baker Lanes, 761 Cuthbert Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Does bowling affect diabetes? How about pizza? Join us for a special bowling – pizza party for children with diabetes between 8 and 12 years old.

If you’re between the ages of 8 and 12 years old and have diabetes, join Michelle Laranko, R.N., C.D.E., for a free pizza lunch while we discuss the effects of exercise and pizza on blood sugars, followed by bowling!

Parents or guardians will need to be present for blood sugar testing and to administer lunch insulin only.

Sponsored by Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology,  Medtronic Minimed, and Lifescan/One Touch Meters.

For more information or to RSVP, call 856-963-3764 by April 9, 2009. Children may register for bumper or regular bowling. Space is limited. Click here for more information.

Discover Diabetes at the Garden State Discovery Museum
May 11, 2009 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Garden State Discovery Museum
2040 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Join us for a free program, for children with diabetes (ages 2 – 6) and their parents, featuring dinner and a chaperoned hour of fun at the Discovery Museum!

4 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. – Welcome
4:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Test, insulin, dinner
5 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Children will enjoy the museum chaperoned by Discovery Museum Staff while parents meet in the auditorium. Dinner will be provided, so bring your own meter and insulin!

Sponsored by Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, The Garden State Discovery Museum, & Animas Corporation.

For more information or to RSVP,  contact Michelle Laranko, R.N., C.D.E. at  856-963-3764 by April 27, 2009. Space is limited. Click here for more information.