Last week, I switched Jake's car seat from rear-facing to forward-facing with some trepidation and excitement. (He's getting older and bigger so quickly!)

I read the instructions several times and checked the buckles and attachments to make sure the car seat was properly installed. But I still worry.

It appears that some of my concerns may be warranted. A recent Washington Post article discusses the concerns over the inadequacy of crash test dummies for child safety seats:

Seats for children who weigh more than 65 pounds - a growing part of the car seat market, partly because of the increase in childhood obesity - are not held to any government safety requirements. Seats for smaller children and infants are regulated only for their effectiveness in front-end collisions.

That's because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to develop a lifelike child crash test dummy that can accurately ensure that seats for heavier children provide the protections promised.

Problems with developing child dummies are also a key reason why seats for all children have no federal requirements for effectiveness in side-impact, rear-end and rollover collisions, car seat experts said.

I did a lot of research before purchasing an infant car set and a convertible one for my 15-month-old. Mostly, I examined Consumer Reports studies and read comments from other moms and parents on blogs and web sites.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration official tells the reporter that car seat manufacturers "self-certify" that their seats meet existing safety standards.

The NHTSA only tests for crash protections that are regulated. That leaves parents to rely on manufacturers' assurances for the higher weight seats and for side-impact protections, seat-belt fit and other potential injury factors.

Are you concerned about child safety seats?