Children grow at an astonishing rate and you need to know when it’s appropriate to upgrade to a larger car seat so you can keep your child safe!  Continue reading below to see where your child is at.

Infants -

Infants need to ride in a rear-facing seat until they are one year old AND weigh 20 pounds or more – not before.  Infant seats come in two varieties: infant and convertible.  Infant seats usually come with a carrying handle and are part of a stroller/travel system.  These seats often come with a base that stays in the vehicle and the actual seat part snaps into the base.  For your convenience, the companies that make these seats often sell extra bases for people with more than one car.  A convertible infant seat is one that can be used rear and forward facing.  The nice thing about these is that once your child has outgrown the rear facing aspect of it, you can spin it around and still use it.  Both types of infant seats have a five point harness.  These seats often are used until the child is about 20 pounds and then it’s likely they’ve outgrown the seat.

Toddlers -

Toddlers that are over 20 pounds may sit in forward facing seats.  Toddlers sit in convertible seats.  These seats are bigger than infant seats and do not have carrying handles or fit into a base.  These seats have two types of harnesses: a five point harness and an overhead shield, though the overhead shield variety is slowly going out of style.  Some varieties of these seats convert to booster seats for school aged children.  These seats often accommodate children up to 50 pounds, though there are some that accommodate more weight.

School Aged -

School aged children need to sit in booster seats that lift a child up so that the lap and shoulder seatbelt fit.  Booster seats come either in high-back or backless.  Both varieties come without buckles or straps; they use the vehicle’s seatbelt to secure the child.  It should be noted that booster seats must never be used with just a lap belt – you must use a seatbelt that goes over the shoulder and lap.  Your child must use a booster seat until their feet can touch the ground while sitting with their back and tailbone touching the entire seat.  This typically occurs between the age of 8 and 12 or around 4’9″.

Once your child has outgrown their booster seat, they need to remain in the backseat in a lap and shoulder seatbelt until they are at least 13 years old.  As you can see, it is important to keep up with what your child needs when it comes to safety in the car.