Car Seats

A car seat is probably the most important safety device you’ll buy for your infant. Your car seat is baby’s protection in the event of an accident and it’s no secret that a properly built, properly installed car seat can save your baby’s life. Here are some facts you need to know about car seats:

• Motor vehicle crashes claim nearly 1,800 lives and result in more than 274,000 injuries each year to children under the age of 14.
• The vast majority of those crashes occur within 25 miles of home, and more than half occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less.
• Nearly 82% of children’s car seats are installed improperly.

The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system has made car seat installation safer and more accurate than before. In 2001, the federal government required passenger vehicles and child restraints to feature LATCH, which eliminates the need to use the car's seatbelt to hold down the car seat. It was designed to standardize installation and reduce guesswork.
A LATCH-compliant vehicle has metal "anchors," usually located on the seat back or rear bulkhead, to hold the safety seat's upper tether. It also has lower "anchor points" in the seat crack to receive the metal LATCH connectors built into the lower part of car seats.

If your vehicle features the LATCH system, be certain to use it. Using the tethers provided in your vehicle to install your car seat ensures that it’s properly installed.

But Which Children Need Which Seats?

Car seat laws vary by state, so you may want to check the exact guidelines in your state. The guidelines listed below are designed for maximum safety for your child, not just what states require. If you follow the guidelines listed here, you’ll likely more than meet any state requirements for your baby’s car seat.

Age and Weight Recommended Type of Seat
Birth to 1 year – up to 20 pounds Rear facing car seat –either infant only or convertible seat used rear facing
Birth to 1 year – over 20 pounds Convertible car seat used rear facing
1-4 years 20-40 pounds Convertible car seat used forward facing
4-8 years old (unless child reaches 4’ 9” tall) Belt positioned booster seat either with no back or a high back. Never use lap belts only – these booster seats should be used with lap and shoulder belts.

Child car seats are an important product for protecting your child’s safety in the place where it is most at risk – in the car. Buy and use the car seat designed for your child’s size and age – and be certain that it’s installed properly.