Normal life looks a lot different these days, especially in healthcare. But there is one thing that hasn’t changed at Children’s Colorado: Your child’s health and safety are our highest priority. Kids need great pediatric care as much now as ever, and it’s for that reason that we’re reactivating services we temporarily suspended due to the pandemic. We are here to deliver safe, thoughtful, high-quality care for kids who need it. Learn what to expect – and all the ways we’re keeping patients safe.
If you're concerned that you or your child may have been exposed to COVID-19, please do NOT visit an emergency or urgent care location. Instead, call your doctor or our free ParentSmart Healthline at 720-777-0123 for guidance.
In life-threatening emergencies, find the emergency room location nearest you. For non-life-threatening medical needs when your pediatrician is unavailable, visit one of our urgent care locations.
To help inform you about the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) updates, experts from Children's Colorado have gathered information from local and national health authorities.
Car Seats, Boosters and Car Safety for Babies and Children
Is your child's car seat installed correctly? Several Safe Kids coalition affiliates provide free car seat education and inspection where a certified technician can help with hands-on instruction and installation. Find a car seat inspection station near you.
Motor vehicle crashes kill more kids than any other cause of death - and four out of five car seats are used incorrectly. Make sure you are following the current Colorado car seat law and the safest practices for your child. The best practice may differ from the law. Read our tips below to make sure your child is properly secured.
By law, children ages 4 to 8 years old (through their 8th birthday) must use either a car seat or a booster seat. For safety, many children need to continue to use a booster seat until they are 12 years old.
Infants up to age 1
Colorado car seat law: Infants must ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds in the rear seat of the vehicle.
Safest practice: The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents and caregivers to keep their children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their car safety seat. Many car seats can be used rear-facing until your child weighs 35 to 40 pounds. This will include virtually all children under age 2 and most children up to age 4. Rear-facing seats offer the best protection during a crash because the whole body (head, neck and torso) is cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash. They also protect your baby better in other types of crashes, particularly side impact crashes.
Children between the ages of 1 and 4
Colorado car seat law: Children who are older than 1 year old and weigh more than 20 pounds must be properly restrained in a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat.
Safest practice: Children should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, up to the limits of the car safety seat. This will include virtually all children under 2 years old and most children up to 4 years old. Once they have been turned around, children should remain in a forward-facing car safety seat up to that seat's weight and length limits. Most seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds.
Restrain your 1- to 4-year-old child in a car safety seat with a five-point harness system, which features two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a crotch strap. A five-point harness system has more places to distribute crash forces and offers better protection than a lap and shoulder belt.
Keep your children in the back seat. Always use the upper-tether strap (the long pieces of seat belt material with a clip on the end located on the top back of a convertible or forward-facing car seat) according to the vehicle owner's manual and child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Children between the ages of 4 and 8
Colorado booster seat law: Children between the ages of 4 and 8 years old (through their 8th birthday) must continue to ride in a child restraint. This can be a five-point harness child safety seat for younger children or a booster that uses the vehicle's lap and shoulder seat belt as kids get older and bigger.
Safest practice: Children should be in a belt-positioning booster in the back seat until they can use a seat belt that fits correctly. Studies have shown the use of booster seats can reduce the risk of injury by 59% compared to seat belts alone. Keep your child in a booster until:
The shoulder belt of the car's seat belt crosses their shoulder and chest (not their neck).
The lap belt crosses their upper thighs (not their abdomen).
Their knees bend at the edge of the back seat and their feet touch the floor.
They can stay seated like this for the entire trip.
Children between the ages of 8 and 16
Colorado law: Children between the ages of 8 and 16 (through their 16th birthday) must use a seat belt or child restraint.
Safest practice: Follow the guidelines above to know when your child can safely stop using the booster. Keep your child in the back seat as long as possible, until at least age 13 and 100 pounds. If your teenager is in the front seat, put the seat as far back as possible in case the airbag deploys in a crash.
Remember that children learn by watching their parents, and this includes good driving habits.
Make sure your car seat or booster is installed correctly to best protect your child. Several Safe Kids coalition affiliates provide free car seat education and inspection where a certified technician can help with hands-on instruction and installation. Find a car seat inspection station near you.
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Provider affiliation
Children's Hospital Colorado providers
Children’s Hospital Colorado providers are faculty members of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Our specialists are nationally ranked and globally recognized for delivering the best possible care in pediatrics.
Community providers
Some healthcare professionals listed on our website have medical privileges to practice at Children’s Hospital Colorado, but they are community providers. They schedule and bill separately for their services, and are not employees of the Hospital.