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Before using this child restraint for preterm or low
birth weight infants, ensure the Child Requirements
are met and follow the guidelines in this section.
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, a properly installed child restraint reduces
the risk of death by over 70 percent for infants involved in
crashes. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
establishes design and dynamic performance requirements
for child restraint systems. However, the standard has no
minimum weight limit and does not address the special
medical needs of preterm or low-birth weight infants.
To ensure that preterm and low-birth weight infants are
transported safely, the guidelines published by the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Pediatrics 2009; 123:1424–
1429 must be followed.
All children should ride rear-facing in the vehicle as long
as possible. Preterm and low-birth weight infants are at
additional risk of breathing difficulties and heart problems
when placed in a child restraint. Evenflo requires that the
evaluation recommended by the AAP be conducted for all
infants born earlier than 37 weeks and all newborn infants
who weigh less than 5 pounds at birth before their first
car trip to check for breathing difficulties or heart rate
problems when traveling in a rear-facing child restraint.
The AAP recommends that appropriate hospital staff
observe your infant in the child restraint for a period of
90 to 120 minutes or the duration of travel, whichever
is longer. This period of observation must be performed
with the infant properly positioned as described in
these instructions and with the child restraint placed
at an angle that is approved for use in the vehicle. The
hospital staff will check for any breathing difficulties or
heart rate problems. Your child’s pediatrician will let you
know if there are any special considerations for travel.
The number of trips and the duration of time the infant
is seated in the child restraint should be minimized. A
caregiver should ride in the back seat to monitor the
infant during travel.
You can learn more about the AAP’s recommendations
for observation of newborns and the guidelines for safe
transportation of preterm and low-birth weight infants,
as well as other resources for parents and medical
professionals, at
https://www.healthychildren.org/english/safety-
prevention/on-the-go/Pages/default.aspx
PREMATURE INFANT USE
