The Updated Guidelines
- Children should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible—until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the seat manufacturer. You can find this information in the seat instruction manual.
- Once children reach the height and weight limit of the rear-facing seat, they can shift to a forward-facing seat. Experts recommend that children should still use safety seats with a five-point harness for as long as possible—typically up to 60 pounds.
- Only after children exceed the height or weight limit for those forward-facing seats, should they transition to a belt-positioning booster seat until they are big enough to use a shoulder and lap belt properly. (This is typically when a child reaches about 4 feet, 9 inches in height).
Hoffman says he understands that most parents and children are eager to reach milestones—even something as simple as upgrading car seats. But delaying this transition could actually save your child’s life.
Research shows that using the correct car safety seat for your child’s weight or height, lowers the risk of death or serious injury by more than 70 percent.
“Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for children,” he said. “Over the last 10 years, four children under 14 died each day. We hope that by helping parents and caregivers use the right car safety seat for each and every ride that we can better protect kids and prevent tragedies.”
