Choosing the Right Car Seat by Age and Weight
The correct car seat depends on your child's age, weight, and height. Using the right type — and installing it correctly — is critical for safety in a crash. Car seats reduce the risk of death in passenger vehicles by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers.
Infants should use rear-facing seats until they reach the seat's maximum weight or height limit (typically 35–40 lbs). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, at least through age 2. Once they outgrow the rear-facing limit, move to a forward-facing seat with a 5-point harness until at least age 4 or 65 lbs.
After that, a belt-positioning booster is used until the vehicle seat belt fits correctly — which usually happens around 4 feet 9 inches and ages 8–12. The seat belt should cross the shoulder and lie flat on the lap, not the neck or abdomen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Newborns to 35 lbs: rear-facing infant seat. Up to 65 lbs: convertible or forward-facing with harness. Up to 4 ft 9 in: belt-positioning booster. After 4 ft 9 in: adult seat belt alone.
The AAP recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible — typically until the child outgrows the seat's rear-facing weight or height limit. For most seats, that's around age 2–4.
No. Children under 13 should ride in the back seat. Front airbags are designed for adults and can seriously injure or kill children, even in booster seats.