Basic Car Seat Safety
Don’t put your child at risk – buckle up the right way on every ride!
Infants and toddlers must ride in a rear-facing car seat. After your child outgrows his rear-facing only (infant car seat), a convertible or all-in-one car seat should be used until he exceeds the weight or height limit. Keeping your child rear-facing as long as possible is the best way to protect his head, neck, and spine.
After your child reaches the weight or height limit on his rearfacing car seat, he is ready to ride in a forward-facing car seat. Forward-facing car seats have a harness to keep your child restrained, and a tether that will limit his forward movement during a crash. Always use the tether with a forward-facing seat!
A belt positioning booster seat should be used after your child reaches the maximum weight or height limit on his forwardfacing seat. Booster seats lift your child up so that the seat belt fits properly over his hips and shoulder. Without a booster seat, the seat belt falls on your child’s soft belly and neck instead of his strong bones.
Your child is ready to ride with only a seat belt when he is 4’9” and: 1. He can sit all the way back on the vehicle seat 2. His knees are bent at the edge of the vehicle seat with his feet planted firmly on floor 3. His seatbelt crosses the shoulder, centered over his collar bone 4. The lap portion of the seat belt lies low on his hips, across his lap 5. He can stay seated this way for the entire ride, even if he is asleep
SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:
56 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation