This chart is a quick guide on where to start your search. It's important to continue your research to learn about each seat you use. All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer.
Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear facing for 2 years or more. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more. All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age.
All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat. When children are old enough and large enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them correctly, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection. LATCH is an attachment system for car safety seats. Lower anchors can be used instead of the seat belt to install the seat, and many parents find them easier to use in some cars. The top tether should always be used with a forward-facing seat, whether you use the seat belt or lower anchors to secure it.
The seat belt and LATCH systems are equally safe, so caregivers should use one or the other, whichever works best for them, for their car safety seat, and their vehicle. In general, caergivers should only use 1 of the 2 options unless the car safety seat and vehicle manufacturers say it is OK to use 2 systems at the same time.
Vehicles with the LATCH system have lower anchors located in the back seat, where the seat cushions meet. All forward-facing car safety seats have tethers or tether connectors that fasten to these anchors. See vehicle owner's manual for highest weight of child allowed to use top tether. All lower anchors are rated for a maximum weight of 65 pounds total weight includes car safety seat and child.
Parents should check the car safety seat manufacturer's recommendations for maximum weight a child can be to use lower anchors. New car safety seats have the maximum weight printed on their label. NOTE: Seat belts— If you install a car safety seat by using your vehicle's seat belt, you must make sure the seat belt locks to hold the seat tightly. In most newer cars, you can lock the seat belt by pulling it all the way out and then allowing it to retract to keep the seat belt tight around the car safety seat.
In addition, many car safety seats have built-in lock-offs so you can lock the belt without having to lock the seat belt separately as well. Refer to the vehicle owner's manual for details about how your seat belt locks.
Middle of the back seat— The safest place to ride for all children younger than 13 years is the back seat. If possible, it may be best for the child to ride in the middle of the back seat.
However, it is sometimes difficult to install a car safety seat tightly in the middle if the vehicle seat is narrow or uneven. Also, many vehicles do not have lower anchors for the middle seating position. It is safest to put the car safety seat in a position where you can install it tightly with either the lower anchor system or the seat belt; in some cases, this position may be on either side of the back seat rather than in the middle. A child passenger safety technician CPST or CPS technician can help you decide which place is best to install your child's car safety seat in your vehicle.
The AAP recommends that all infants ride rear facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat as long as possible until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer.
When infants outgrow their rear-facing—only seat, a convertible seat installed rear facing is needed. Three types of rear-facing seats are available: rear-facing—only , convertible, and all-in-one. When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their rear-facing—only seat, they should continue to ride rear facing in a convertible or all-in-one seat. Always read the vehicle owner's manual and the car safety seat manual before installing the seat.
Very small babies who can sit safely in a semi-reclined position usually fit better in rear-facing—only seats. Babies born preterm should be screened while still in the hospital to make sure they can sit safely in a semi-reclined position. Babies who need to lie flat during travel may be able to ride in a car bed that meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard They should be screened again while in the hospital to make sure they can lie safely in the car bed.
Any child who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for her convertible seat should use a forward- facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by her car safety seat manufacturer. It is best for children to ride in a seat with a harness as long as possible, at least to 4 years of age. If your child outgrows a seat before reaching 4 years of age, consider using a seat with a harness approved for higher weights and heights.
It is important that the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits your child snugly. Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats.
Most children will not fit in most vehicle seat belts without a booster until 10 to 12 years of age.
Instructions that come with your car safety seat will tell you the height and weight limits for the seat. As a general guideline, a child has outgrown a forward-facing seat when any of the following situations is true:. High-back and backless are 2 standard types of booster seats. They do not come with a harness but are used with lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides.
Most booster seats are not secured to the vehicle seat with the seat belt or lower anchors and tether but simply rest on the vehicle seat and are held in place once the seat belt is fastened over a child.
However, some models of booster seats can be secured to the vehicle seat and kept in place by using the lower anchors and tether along with lap and shoulder belts. Currently, only a few vehicle manufacturers offer integrated booster seats.
Booster seats often have a plastic clip or guide to correctly position vehicle lap and shoulder belts. See the booster seat instruction manual for directions on how to use the clip or guide. Booster seats must be used with lap and shoulder belts. When using a booster seat, make sure:. If your booster seat has lower anchors or tether attachments, check its manual for installation instructions.
If your car has only lap belts, use a forward-facing seat that has a harness and higher weight limits. You could also. Seat belts are made for adults. Children should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly, typically when children reach about 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age.
Most children will not fit in a seat belt alone until 10 to 12 years of age. When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection.
Front airbags are installed in all new cars. When used with seat belts, airbags work well to protect teenagers and adults; however, airbags can be very dangerous to children, particularly to those riding in rear-facing seats and to preschoolers and young school-aged children who are not properly restrained.
If your vehicle has a front passenger airbag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. Even in a relatively low-speed crash, the airbag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain injury and death. Vehicles with no back seat or a back seat that is not made for passengers are not the best choice for traveling with small children; however, the airbag can be turned off in some of these vehicles if the front seat is needed for a child passenger.
Side airbags are available in most new cars. Side airbags improve safety for adults in side-impact crashes. Child care programs and schools should have written guidelines for transporting children, including.
This will help keep them safe during takeoff and landing or in case of turbulence. Remember that your child will need an appropriate car safety seat to use at your destination. If you have questions or need help with installing your car safety seat, find a certified child passenger safety technician CPST or CPS technician. Lists of certified CPSTs and child seat—fitting stations are available on the following websites:. Be a good role model. Make sure you always wear your seat belt.
This will help your child form a lifelong habit of buckling up. Make sure that everyone who transports your child uses the correct car safety seat or seat belt on every trip, every time. Being consistent with car safety seat use is good parenting, reduces fussing and complaints, and is safest for your child. Never leave your child alone in or around cars, and lock your vehicle when it is not in use. Any of the following situations can happen when a child is left alone in or around a vehicle.
A child can. Always read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for your car safety seat. If you do not have those, write or call the company's customer service department. Staff will ask you for the model number, name of seat, and date of manufacture. This is not a cause of injury. Kids often fuss because they are strapped in, not because they are rear-facing. To reduce fussiness in a rear-facing child:. When babies turn one, many parents think about moving past the infant car seat with the carrier handle.
There are lots of options if you need a new car seat for a one-year-old! Remember, advocates recommend that toddlers and preschoolers ride rear-facing until reaching the maximum weight or height for rear-facing in their convertible car seat, which for most kids is between three and five years of age. So you'll want to find a car seat that can work both rear-facing and forward-facing. Look for a convertible car seat with a high rear-facing weight limit and tall shell, and then use it rear-facing as long as possible.
Several car seats today have rear-facing weight limits up to 50 pounds, which should accommodate almost every child through age 5 unless they reach the maximum rear-facing height for the seat.
You should check the manufacturer's rear-facing height limit to be sure your child is not too tall to safely stay rear-facing to the weight limit. Crash data shows us that anybody is safer in a crash when riding rear-facing for the reasons outlined above.
Young children are better protected in a rear-facing car seat because that seat distributes the force of a crash over a greater body area and gives better support to young heads and necks. A rear-facing car seat offers the best protection for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and even young school-age kids and should be properly used for as long as possible , to the limits of the car seat.
Keeping your child rear-facing to the limit of the seat is the safest choice. You can check your car seat instruction book or the labels on the car seat sides to find the rear-facing weight and height limits. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter. Child passenger safety.
Policy statement. American Academy of Pediatrics. Rear—facing car seats for infants and toddlers. Updated February 28, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Seat belt and child seat laws by state. October Technical report. How long should my child ride rear—facing? Updated March 6, Epidemiology of child motor vehicle crash injuries and fatalities. Pediatric Injury Biomechanics. Springer, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFamily. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. The top of the harness should be about 2cm above your child's shoulder. It should be quite tight, so that only one or two fingers can fit between the child's chest and the harness.
The harness buckle should not rest over the child's tummy. Clothing can affect how snugly the harness fits, so check it every journey. Many seats have an adjustable back which can be raised or lowered to suit the height of the child using it, and allows the height of the harness to be adjusted without having to unthread it from the seat.
Others have slots in the back to adjust the height of the harness; you have to take it out of one set of slots and thread it through another set. Some seats have an impact shield or cushion, which is held in place by the car's three point seat belt, instead of an internal harness.
These seats also usually have an adjustable back or headrest which can be raised or lowered to suit the height of the child using it, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Forward-facing child seats can be used in the front or rear of the car, but it is safer to put them in the rear, especially if there is a passenger airbag in the front. It is safest to keep children in this type of seat until they have outgrown it. Only move your child to a booster seat once they have exceeded the maximum weight for the forward-facing child seat, or when the manufacturer's advice recommends that they are too tall for the seat usually this will be when the top of the seat is below the eye level of the child.
The internal harness keeps the child in the seat if there is a crash, and spreads the force of the impact. Side impact wings also provide protection to the child's head and body.
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