When choosing a safety seat for your child, keep in mind the following important points:

1. The seat must meet federal standards.
2. The seat must fit properly in your car. Read your vehicle owner's manual for information about using a child restraint in your vehicle.
3. The seat must be appropriate for the child's weight and height. To determine whether it is, read the safety-seat manufacturer's instructions. Place the safety belt exactly where the instructions recommend it be placed.
4. You can't be sure about the history of a used seat. Best practice is to purchase a new seat.

INFANTS:

Use safety seats designed for children under 20/22 pounds.

• Infants should ride rear-facing to at least 20 pounds and at least one year of age
• Infants should ride reclined, up to a 45-degree angle
• Thread the harness straps through the lowest pair of slots in the back of the seat. This will help keep the baby restrained in the seat, providing additional protection in a crash.
• Buckle the harness system between the infant's legs.
• Tighten the harness so that the child is snugly secured in the seat.
• Secure the safety belt to the safety seat. The safety seat should not move more than 1 inch toward the front of the vehicle or side-to-side.

Air bag warning:

• Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
• All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.

TODDLERS:

(20/22 to 40 pounds)

• Children weighing between 20 and 40 pounds and over one year of age may ride forward-facing in a convertible safety seat or harness system. If a child does not meet both the minimum weight and age, then he/she should continue to ride rear-facing in an appropriate safety seat.
• Thread the harness straps through the top pair of slots in the back of the safety seat.
• Buckle the harness system between the child's legs.
• Tighten the harness so that the child is snugly secured in the seat.
• Secure the safety belt to the safety seat. The safety seat should not move more than 1 inch toward the front of the vehicle or side-to-side.

Safety advocates recommend using a safety seat equipped with a five-point harness system.

Air bag warning:

• Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
• All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.

BOOSTER:

(40 to 80 pounds)

Children weighing between 40 and up to 80 pounds should be restrained by a belt-positioning booster seat.  Belt-positioning booster seats, which are used in conjunction with the vehicle's lap-and-shoulder safety-belt system, provide good upper-body protection for children weighing more than 40 pounds.

A booster seat keeps the vehicle safety belt positioned correctly over the strongest bones -- the shoulders and hips. Without a booster seat, the vehicle safety belt system will likely not adequately fit a child within this weight range.

Air bag warning:

• Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
• All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.

OLDER CHILDREN:

(Over 80 pounds)

When children have outgrown safety seats (around 80 pounds and about 4'9" tall), they graduate to safety belts.

• Lap belt should fit low across hips, NEVER across the face, neck or stomach.
• Shoulder belt should fit snug across shoulder, not neck.
• Generally, seat belts do not fit a child correctly until at least 60 pounds.
• Children should ride in a car seat or booster seat until a seat belt fits the child correctly.

Air bag warning:

• Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
• All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.

TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN:

• Never misuse safety seats. Follow the safety-seat manufacturer's directions and the vehicle instructions for buckling the seat into your car or truck.
• Begin using a safety seat immediately. Protect your newborn in a safety seat on the way home from the hospital and on every ride.
• Small children (not infants) can be included in the process of selecting a safety seat. Children are happier and more inclined to use a safety seat if they feel comfortable in the seat.
• Remind the child that the vehicle will not move until everyone is buckled up.
• Children are imitators. Set a positive example for your child by buckling up yourself on every trip.
• Don't keep books, bottles or other sharp, hard objects in your car or truck. In a collision such objects can become airborne, possibly striking and injuring you or your child. Provide a special soft toy for children to play with when riding in a motor vehicle.
• Don't let children eat while riding in a car or truck. A sudden stop could cause a child to choke.
• Lock your doors. Teach children not to play with door handles or locks.

Air bag warning:

• Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
• All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.