Overview

Car seats and boosters provide protection for infants and children in a crash, withal motorcar crashes are a leading cause of expiry for children ages 1 to 13. That'south why it'southward so of import to choose and use the right machine seat correctly every fourth dimension your child is in the machine. Follow these important steps to choose the right seat, install it correctly and continue your child rubber.

Don't remember you know. Know you know.

Discover the Correct Machine Seat for Your Child

Machine Seats and Booster Seats

  • Find The Right Car Seat
    • The Process
    • Machine Seat Types
    • Car Seat Recommendations
    • Find & Compare Seats
  • Installation Help
    • Parts & Tips
    • Auto Seat Installation Instructions
    • Inspection
  • Registration
  • Resources

Find The Right Car Seat

The Process

Related Topic

Follow these steps to help you through the process of finding the right car seat, installing it correctly, and keeping your child safety.

Find the correct car seat

  • Learn almost the 4 motorcar seat types
  • Follow NHTSA's automobile seat recommendations based on your child's age and size
  • Discover and compare car seats and ease-of-use-ratings using NHTSA'due south Machine Seat Finder

Install your car seat correctly

  • Understand the parts and tips used for installation
  • Follow our detailed motorcar seat installation instructions and videos
  • Get your car seat inspected at a station nearest you

Keep your child rubber in a automobile seat

  • Register your car seat and sign up for call back notices to receive safety updates

Car Seat Safety Tips

How to Choose the Right Seat

Notice The Right Machine Seat

Machine Seat Types

Learn about the four types of car seats, while keeping in mind the following tips:

  • Every bit children grow, how they sit in your auto will modify. Brand sure you utilise a car seat that fits your child's current size and age.
  • Not all motorcar seats fit in all vehicles. Make certain the car seat is the correct fit for your vehicle (PDF, one.77 MB). Examination the car seat you plan to purchase to make sure it fits well in your vehicle.
  • Buy a car seat that can exist installed and used correctly every time.

Rear-Facing Car Seat

Car seat rear-facing

The all-time seat for your young child to use. It has a harness and, in a crash, cradles and moves with your kid to reduce the stress to the child's fragile neck and spinal cord.

Types

  • Babe Automobile Seat (Rear-Facing merely): Designed for newborns and pocket-sized babies, the infant-only car seat is a small, portable seat that tin only be used rear-facing. Virtually babies outgrow their infant seats before their first birthday. When that happens, nosotros recommend that parents buy a convertible or all-in-one machine seat and employ it rear-facing.
  • Convertible Seat: Equally a child grows, this seat can modify from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness and tether. Because it tin can be used with children of diverse sizes, it allows for children to stay in the rear-facing position longer.
  • All-in-One Seat: This seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a forrad-facing seat (with a harness and tether) and to a booster seat as a child grows. Because it can be used with children of diverse sizes, information technology allows for children to stay in the rear-facing position longer.

Forward-Facing Machine Seat

Car seat forward-facing

Has a harness and tether that limits your child's forward movement during a crash.

Types

  • Convertible Seat: Every bit a child grows, this seat can modify from a rear-facing seat to a frontward-facing seat with a harness and tether.
  • Combination Seat: Every bit a kid grows, this seat transitions from a forwards-facing seat with a harness and tether into a booster.
  • All-in-One Seat: This seat tin change from a rear-facing seat to a frontwards-facing seat (with a harness and tether) and to a booster seat equally a child grows.

Booster Seat

Car seat booster

Raises and positions a child so the vehicle's lap-and-shoulder belt fits properly over the stronger points of a child's body, the hips and across the chest.

Types

  • Booster Seat With High Dorsum: This blazon of booster seat is designed to boost the kid'southward peak then the seat belt fits properly. It too provides neck and head support and is ideal for vehicles that don't have head rests or high seat backs.
  • Backless Booster Seat: A backless booster seat is designed to boost the child'south height so the seat chugalug fits properly. It does non provide head and neck back up. It is ideal for vehicles that have caput rests.
  • Combination Seat: As a child grows, this seat transitions from a frontwards-facing seat with a harness into a booster.
  • All-in-1 Seat: This seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a frontwards-facing seat (with a harness and tether) and to a booster seat as a kid grows.

Seat Belt

Seat Belt

Should lie across the upper thighs and be snug beyond the shoulder and chest to restrain your child safely in a crash. Information technology should not residuum on the stomach area or beyond the neck or face up.

Find The Right Car Seat

Car Seat Recommendations

There are many car seat choices on the market. Employ the information beneath to help you choose the blazon of auto seat that best meets your child's needs or print out NHTSA'southward automobile seat recommendations for children (PDF, 370 KB).

  • Select a car seat based on your child's age and size, then choose a seat that fits in your vehicle, and use it every fourth dimension.
  • Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer'due south instructions (cheque height and weight limits) and read the vehicle owner's manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or lower anchors and a tether, if available.
  • To maximize condom, continue your child in the car seat for as long as possible, every bit long as the child fits within the manufacturer's meridian and weight requirements.
  • Keep your child in the back seat at to the lowest degree through historic period 12.

Recommended car seats based on your kid'due south age and size

Rear-Facing Machine Seat

Car seat rear-facing

Birth-12 Months

Your child nether age 1 should e'er ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are unlike types of rear-facing car seats:

  • Babe-merely seats can just be used rear-facing.
  • Convertible and all-in-i car seats typically have college height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, assuasive you lot to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of fourth dimension.

1 – 3 Years

Proceed your child rear-facing as long every bit possible. It's the best style to go along him or her condom. Your child should remain in a rear-facing machine seat until he or she reaches the height height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing motorcar seat, your child is set to travel in a forward-facing auto seat with a harness and tether.


Frontwards-Facing Automobile Seat

Car seat forward-facing

one – 3 Years

Keep your child rear-facing every bit long as possible. It's the best way to go along him or her safe. Your kid should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the superlative pinnacle or weight limit allowed by your car seat'southward manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your kid is set to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether.

4 – 7 Years

Go along your child in a forwards-facing car seat with a harness and tether until he or she reaches the peak elevation or weight limit immune by your machine seat's manufacturer. Once your kid outgrows the forrad-facing machine seat with a harness, it's time to travel in a booster seat, simply yet in the back seat.


Booster Seat

Car seat booster

iv – 7 Years

Go on your kid in a frontward-facing car seat with a harness and tether until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat'south manufacturer. One time your child outgrows the forrard-facing auto seat with a harness, it's time to travel in a booster seat, but however in the back seat.

8 – 12 Years

Go on your kid in a booster seat until he or she is large enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. Remember: your child should yet ride in the back seat because it's safer there.


Seat Belt

Seat Belt

viii – 12 Years

Go on your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must prevarication snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and breast and not cross the neck or face up. Remember: your kid should still ride in the back seat because it's safer there.

Find The Right Car Seat

Find & Compare Seats

Search car seats by brand proper noun and model

Find car seats for your child by brand, or look up the details of a specific automobile seat model.

Ease-of-Use Ratings Explained

The Auto Seat Finder is an easy-to-use tool that lets you lot compare seats and ease-of-utilize ratings to notice the right car seat for your child. But fill out your child'due south historic period, meridian and weight above, and yous'll be provided car seat types that fit your child. Before you go started, make certain you're familiar with the four types of auto seats and NHTSA'due south recommendations for choosing the right type of seat for your kid.

Installation Help

Auto Seat Installation Parts and Tips

Car Seat Installation Tips

Your child's safe could exist in jeopardy if your motorcar seat is not installed correctly. Before y'all install your car seat, make certain you're familiar with vehicle and car seat parts used in the installation process and these important installation safety tips.

Vehicle and Car Seat Parts Explained

Every car seat needs to be installed using either the lower anchors or a seat belt to secure it in place, never both. If you choose to use a seat chugalug to install your car seat, pay close attention to how to  "lock" your seat chugalug according to the vehicle'south owner transmission. With a forward-facing car seat, use a tether if one is available. Before installing your machine seat brand sure you empathise the function and location of the vehicle and car seat parts that are used in installation.

Automobile Seat Glossary

Vehicle Parts

Lower Anchors

Used for installing a car seat using its lower anchor attachments

The lower anchors are establish in a minimum of two rear seating positions in a vehicle. Each lower-ballast-equipped seating position has ii small horizontal bars found in the space between the vehicle seat's back and bottom absorber (the "seat bight").

Tether Anchor

Used for attaching a machine seat'due south tether to the vehicle

Typically at that place are a minimum of three tether anchors in a vehicle. In sedans, these are usually located higher up/behind the vehicle's back seat on the rear shelf. In some larger vehicles such as vans, pickup trucks, and SUVs, these tether anchors may be found on the back of a vehicle seat, on the floor, the ceiling, or other location.

To avoid confusing tether anchors with other hardware such as luggage tie-downs, be sure to read your vehicle's possessor transmission carefully to detect out where they are located in your particular vehicle.

Machine Seat Parts

Attach pinnacle tether from the motorcar seat to the tether ballast in the vehicle.
Fasten lower anchor attachments on the car seat to the lower anchors in the vehicle.

Lower Anchor Attachments

Used to install the auto seat in a vehicle with lower anchors

Tether

Used to secure a forward-facing automobile seat and limit forward head movement in a crash

The tether is located on the top rear of convertible, combination, and all-in-one car seats. Information technology's adjustable and has a hook and strap that connects to ane of your vehicle's tether anchors. Most rear-facing car seats in the United States do non use a tether for installation. However, installations vary from model to model, and so you lot must review your particular car seat'southward instructions and your vehicle'due south possessor manual carefully.

Follow your machine seat manufacturer's instructions regarding when and how to utilize the tether for your particular seat. NHTSA recommends ever using a tether with a forrard-facing automobile seat—installed with your vehicle'southward seat belt OR the lower anchors—as long as it is permitted by both the machine seat and vehicle manufacturers. IMPORTANT: Both installation methods are designed to work with the tether to achieve the highest level of safe for child passengers restrained in forward-facing car seats.

Lower Ballast Weight Limits

Lower anchors have weight limits prepare past the vehicle and machine seat manufacturers. Y'all tin can determine the lower anchor weight limit by checking the warning characterization or installation diagrams located on the side of the car seat. If your car seat does non have a label, yous can determine the maximum allowable child weight for lower anchor apply by subtracting the weight of the car seat (usually available in the automobile seat's instruction manual) from 65 pounds.

Lower anchor weight limit = 65 lbs – weight of car seat

Know the Facts

One time your child outgrows the vehicle or car seat manufacturer'due south established limits for the lower anchors, terminate using the lower anchor attachments and reinstall the car seat using the vehicle's seat belt.

Installation Aid

Car Seat Installation Instructions

In one case yous've go familiar with vehicle and motorcar seat parts used for installation and NHTSA's tips to install your car seat, you're ready to follow these detailed motorcar seat installation instructions and videos by type.

Installation Help

Car Seat Inspection

Go your car seat inspected

Whether you lot've just installed a car seat or need help installing or using one, get help at a car seat inspection station most you. Certified technicians volition inspect your car seat free of charge, in most cases, and prove y'all how to correctly install and apply it. Some locations now offer virtual inspections.

Can't find an inspection station near you? Yous may be able to find a tech through Safe Kids Worldwide.

Registration

Register Your Auto Seat

Congratulations—you chose the right machine seat and installed it correctly. At present it'south fourth dimension to register your car seat with the manufacturer to receive recalls and safety notices so your child can remain safety. Also, y'all can sign up with NHTSA to receive e-mail alerts virtually auto seat and booster seat recalls.

Register your automobile seat to receive important safety updates

Registering your seat makes sense: Information technology gives the manufacturer the power to contact you near recalls and prophylactic notices. It'southward also easy: Simply transport in the menu that came with your car seat or fill out a uncomplicated form on the manufacturer'southward website.

Your kid's safety could depend on it.

Send registration information to NHTSA

If you would like NHTSA to provide your kid restraint registration information to the manufacturer, please fill out this Registration Class and postal service information technology to the address below. You lot may also east-mail or fax it if you choose.

U. S. Section of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Rubber Administration
Office of Defects Investigation

Correspondence Research Division (NVS-216)
Room W48-301
1200 New Bailiwick of jersey Artery SE.
Washington, DC 20590
Fax: 202-366-1767
E-mail service: childseatregister@dot.gov

Get Car Seat Recall Notices

In addition to registering your motorcar seat to receive recalls and safety notices from your car seat manufacturer, yous can sign upward to receive e-post alerts from NHTSA about motorcar seat and booster seat recalls to make sure your child remains rubber.

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