All children 6 years of age or younger must be properly restrained in an appropriate child safety restraint. The fine is $60. When traveling, remember that laws vary by state. A few require some 8-year-olds to use booster seats or other safety seats. Some charge fines of up to $100.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that most kids sit in high-backed booster seats until they are 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall. Children 12 or younger are safest in the back seat.

Many child safety seats are not installed correctly, putting your child in danger. Call your nearest fire station for a free inspection.

Choosing a day care

This isn’t always an easy task in Idaho. The state consistently ranks near last place in national studies of quality child care, including a 2009 study conducted by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.

That could be changing. The Idaho Legislature in 2009 voted to raise day-care standards. Licensing, including fire and safety inspections, are now required of all day-care centers with seven or more children. Criminal background checks are required of anyone caring for four or more children. New provisions replace a longstanding law that did not require licensing for day cares unless they cared for 13 or more children. Smaller day cares were unregulated.

The new provisions will set stricter staff-child ratios than were required under the old law. The Legislature will have to approve the rules to make them permanent. The Legislature convenes in January.

If you live in Boise or one of about a dozen other cities in Idaho, there is more oversight. Day cares within those boundaries must follow ordinances that set ratios, undergo background checks and training and have other measures that are stricter than state law.
Day cares outside Boise city limits must follow the state’s requirements.

One more wrinkle: More day cares are voluntarily seeking accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which has its own requirements for high-quality early childhood programs.

The city of Boise has an online map to help you search for day cares, along with a checklist and other tools.

By dialing 211 or 1-800-926-2588 to access the 211 Idaho CareLine, you can be connected to child-care experts to receive listings for child-care providers outside the city.