Keep in mind that state laws are minimum standards. To find out the law in your state, visit the SafeRide4Kids website Opens a new window. The requirements vary regarding age, weight, and height. The federal government enforces guidelines for the manufacture of car seats, but car seat laws (whether a child needs to ride in one) are set by individual states. All 50 states have laws requiring child safety seats for infants and children. (Keep in mind that a child may need a booster in one vehicle but not in another.) Your child can transition from a booster seat to just a seat belt when the seat belt fits correctly. There are also backless booster seats, which don't provide head and neck support but are good for cars with head rests. These are good choices for vehicles that don't have head rests or high seat backs. Booster seatĪ booster seat raises your child so that the lap and shoulder belts fit correctly over the hips and across the chest (the stronger points of their body.) There are boosters with a high back, which provide neck and head support. Some come with inserts to help with sizing. Like a convertible car seat, it may not be the best fit for your newborn. A 3-in-1 car seat converts to a high-backed booster seat, and a 4-in-1 car seat converts into a high-backed booster or a backless booster.Īll-in-one car seats are usually more expensive and heavy, but you'll only need to buy one car seat for your child, as it will transition with them from one stage to the next. (Check your car seat instructions.) All-in-one car seatĪll-in-one car seats can change from rear facing to forward facing to a booster as your child grows. The weight limit may vary depending on whether you're using a lower anchor belt or a seat belt to install the car seat. When forward facing, many can accommodate children up to about 65 pounds and 49 inches in height. Rear facing, convertible car seats safely hold children until they're 40 to 50 pounds and 49 inches tall. Most convertible car seats will allow children to ride rear facing for two years or more. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends delaying car seat transitions (rear to forward-facing and car seat to booster) for as long as possible. But each transition comes with some decrease in protection. Your older child may be pleading to leave the "baby car seat" behind. You may be excited to see them facing you in the car. Note: Don't be in a hurry to move your child from one type of car seat or position to the next. Kids should ride in the back seat until they're at least 13 years old. The lap belt should sit across the upper thighs, not the stomach, and the shoulder belt should cross the center of the shoulder and chest, not the neck/face or off the shoulder. They'll need to use a belt-positioning booster seat until the seat belts fits properly without a booster, typically when they've reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are at least 8 years old.Ĭhildren who've outgrown booster seats can use the car's lap and shoulder seat belts. School-age children can use a booster seat once their weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car seat (usually around 60 pounds or more). Leg injuries are rare for children in rear-facing seats, which better protect their head, neck, and spine from injury. It's okay if there isn't room for your child's legs to stretch out in front of them in the seat. Use it rear facing as long as possible, until your child reaches the seat's maximum rear-facing height and weight limits. Preschoolers can ride in a convertible car seat or an all-in-one car seat. In fact, you'll want to have your baby's car seat purchased and installed well before your due date, ideally by your eighth month of pregnancy. So this is one piece of baby gear you'll want to buy long before your water breaks. Between 19, more than 11,000 children's lives were saved by child restraints in passenger vehicles. NHTSA estimates that 325 children under age 5 are saved by car seats each year. And for older children and adults, buckling up with a seat belt reduces the risk of death and serious injury by half. For children ages 4 to 8 years old, booster seat use reduces the risk of serious injury by 45 percent, compared with seat belt use alone. When compared with seat belt use alone, car seats reduce the risk of injury for children in a crash by 71 to 82 percent. All states passed car seat laws by 1985.Ĭar seats are incredibly effective when used properly. And eight years later, in 1979, the first child restraint law was passed. In 1971, the first standards for car seats were adopted by the NHTSA.
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