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It’s summertime, which means vacation and traveling for many families. I’ve had so many questions from parents recently about car seat safety recommendations. Over the 14 years that I’ve been a mom, the recommendations have changed many times. I understand how hard it is to keep up! I figured I’d give a brief summary of those recommendations here, with tips to keep your kids safe in the car as we get further into this busy travel season.

General Car Seat Safety Tips

• Be sure your child’s car seat is properly installed. If you need help with installation, visit this link to find a spot near you.
• Register your child’s car seats with the manufacturer. This way, the company can get in touch with you if there’s a recall or any new info on the seat.
• Never use a car seat that’s been recalled, in a significant accident, has missing parts or labels, or has any cracks or damage. With this in mind, I usually recommend staying away from a used car seat – especially if you don’t know it’s history.
• Be sure your child’s car seat travels with them. That means, if they’ll be transported by grandparents, other relatives or friends, be sure they’ll be safe in their car seat.
• Always wear your own seat belt so you can be a good role model for your child.

Car seat laws

Unfortunately, you can’t always rely on the car seat laws of your state to provide the greatest protection for your children. The laws vary from state to state, but the recommendations that I’ll talk about are those officially recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, no matter where you live. They’re designed to keep your children as safe as possible.

Rear-facing car seats

An infant or rear-facing car seat is the safest way for your infant to travel. This means from the time they come home from the hospital. Your infant should remain in the infant rear-facing car seat until they’ve outgrown the height and weight maximums recommended by the manufacturer. This can vary based on the car seat. Once they outgrow the infant seat, they can transition to a rear-facing convertible car seat. They should stay that way ideally until they’re 2 years old. Some infants start in a rear-facing convertible car seat, which is OK, as long as they fall within the height/weight guidelines. No matter the seat, rear-facing is the safest way for them to ride!

As an aside, I know that many parents get worried about their child being “too tall” to remain rear-facing, because their feet touch the actual seat of the car. Please know that it’s actually very rare for an injury to happen to the legs when they’re rear-facing. They also naturally adjust and bend their legs to make themselves more comfortable during the ride.

Forward-facing car seat

Once your child is bigger than the height and weight maximums for rear-facing in their convertible car seat, it’s time for a big change! They can still stay in the same seat, but they’re now ready to face forward. Their convertible car seat should have a harness (with a buckle across the chest, and buckles between the thighs). They should stay in the harness at least until age 4, and again, until they outgrow the max height and weight limits.

Booster seats

Once your child outgrows the forward-facing height and weight limits for their car seat, they should be transitioned to a booster seat. The booster seat gives them a little “boost” in height. This way, they can ride safely with the car’s seat belt across their chest and lap. Without the booster, the seat belt does not sit where it should on their body. They won’t be fully restrained during an accident without the booster seat.

Seat belts

Children are safe to ride with just a seat belt – without a car seat or booster seat – when they are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

I’ll repeat – 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

Yes, that means somewhere between 8 to 12 years of age for most kids. Usually between 3rd and 7th grade.

This is probably one of the most controversial discussions around car seat safety that I’ve had with families. Please don’t take your children out of their booster seat just because their friends don’t ride in one. It should not be considered an embarrassment to do what’s absolutely safe and appropriate for your child.

Front Seat

This is the other discussion I have on a regular basis with families regarding car seats. The recommendation for sitting in the front seat is age 13 years. This recommendation has not changed for years, yet many parents fight it. I’ve seen so many elementary school-aged kids emerging from the front seat of their parent’s cars when I drop my kids off to school. Please don’t give in to the temptation. Airbags can cause very serious injuries to a young child when they are deployed, especially to a child sitting in the front seat. In my personal opinion, though, even though your child is 13, riding in the front seat still is not a MUST. They are still safer riding in the back!

To sum this up:

• Keep your kids in their car seat until they outgrow the height and weight limits for the seat. They’ll always be safer in a more “protected” car seat as long as they still fit in it.
• Rear-facing until age 2 years
• Forward-facing in car seat with harness until age 4 years
• Booster seat until age 8-12 years (and 4 feet, 9 inches tall)
• Seat Belt in back seat when 4 feet, 9 inches tall
• Front Seat starting at age 13 years

I hope this was helpful! Please keep your kids safe by following the car seat safety recommendations this summer, and year-round. Be sure to set an example and wear your own seat belt, too! You don’t want to have to look back with any regrets!

If you have any car seat questions, please leave them in the comments below.

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