Middle Childhood: 9 - 11 Years Old (continued)

• Protect your child in the car. All children younger than 12 years of age should ride in the back seat with a seat belt properly fastened. Children should ride in a car seat or booster seat until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall (because adult seat belts do not fit people under this height). Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for more information.

• Know where your child is and whether an adult is present. Make plans with your child for when he will call you, where you can find him, and what time you expect him home.

• Many children get home from school before their parents get home from work. It is important to have clear rules and plans for your child when she is home alone. Visit KidsHealth: When It's Just You After School for safety tips for your child at home when you can't be there.

 Links for Parents

• CDC's Healthy Youth! webpage has information about six kinds of health behavior that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability for teenagers and adults. Other important issues affecting children and teenagers are also addressed.

• KidsHealth by the Nemours Foundation has very useful information for parents, teens, and kids.

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has information on safety recalls, and safety tips for children riding in motor vehicles, walking, biking, playing outside, waiting at school bus stops, and more.

• Talk With Your Kids is a national initiative by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation to encourage parents to talk with their children early and often about tough issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, and alcohol and drug abuse.

Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities