How Long Do Babies Use an Infant Carseat

Information technology'due south a good time to be a kid in a motorcar: both cars and automobile seats continue to go safer, child vehicle fatalities are down (PDF), and car seat usage is up. Much of the effectiveness of a motorcar seat rests in its specificity: it needs to exist the correct fit and size for the child and their developmental stage. But with so many auto seats available and configurations possible, it can be daunting to decide which seat to get and when to get it. Here's a rundown of the different types of seats and a checklist to see if your kid has outgrown their current seat and is ready for the side by side ane.

Infant seat

A baby in a car seat. — Photo: Michael Hession

The infant seat is the rear-facing saucepan-style seat that well-nigh parents opt to use through the first yr of their baby's life and sometimes up to age ii. (Others may instead use a convertible car seat rated for newborn use, but either manner, a machine seat is required to take a brand-new baby habitation from the infirmary.) All infant seats are rear-facing only, and the near common type snaps in and out of a base of operations. So if yous're a two-car family, information technology's likely that yous can become just one seat and two bases.

Infant seats all use a 5-point harness and come with a newborn insert to apply from nascency until the kid is between 11 and 15 pounds (check the manual for exact instructions, but by and large if the baby'southward shoulders don't reach the straps without the insert, you should employ it). Almost infant seats have more than one recline option. For newborns, you desire the seat in the near reclined angle possible. Lani Harrison, a Child Rider Safety Technician (CPST) who works with Car Seats for the Littles and does frequent auto seat installations, said that when parents say their baby cries constantly in the motorcar, it's oftentimes because the infant automobile seat is set at also steep of an angle.

A child has outgrown the babe seat when either of the following happens:

the top of their head is less than an inch from the superlative of the seat when buckled in
they've reached the weight limit, which is typically xxx to 35 pounds

Well-nigh children outgrow the seat'southward top limit before the weight limit. As they do, parents using an infant seat generally switch to a larger, convertible seat anywhere between ix months and 2 years, depending on their kid'southward size (bigger kids will probable move on faster), though they can opt to practise then sooner if the seat is rated safe for their kid'southward acme and weight. Inside that ix months to two years age range there is no documented safety divergence between a rear-facing infant seat and a rear-facing convertible seat, assuming the child meets a given seat's summit and weight requirements. Because the seats are equally rubber, some parents may choose to utilise an babe seat as long as possible to continue that click-in-and-out convenience that comes with a seat that separates from its base (or multiple bases) instead of switching to a one-piece convertible seat that stays in ane identify.

Tiny preemies or babies with special needs may not be able to sit in a reclined position yet and may crave different solutions, such as car beds.

Convertible seat

A child in a car seat. — Photograph: Kyle Fitzgerald

A convertible car seat—also referred to as a toddler seat—is designed to face either backward or forrad in the car. Though it can exist used either way, experts recommend that a convertible seat be used in rear-facing mode for as long as possible. The AAP'south updated recommendation agrees. Currently, eight states—California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina—require children younger than 2 to exist in a rear-facing seat. New York, Nebraska, and Virginia will implement the aforementioned requirements in 2019.

Experts are still trying to decide the optimal historic period for turning a child from rear to forrad facing. Although in 2017 at that place was a retraction of one of the studies that was the basis for the extended rear-facing recommendation, most experts continue to believe that rear facing for a longer fourth dimension is safer. Those we talked to for our car seat guides suggested keeping a child sitting rear-facing past the age of 2 for increased safety, and pediatricians and CPST instructors such equally Dr. Benjamin Hoffman recommend keeping your child rear-facing for as long equally possible, until they outgrow the rear-facing position.

That said, a kid has outgrown a rear-facing position in a convertible car seat when either of the following happens:

They striking the weight limit for rear-facing. The limits for Wirecutter's top two convertible seat picks are 40 and l pounds (virtually the weight of an boilerplate five-year-onetime, though many parents, including myself, make the switch before so).
The gap between the superlative of their head and the top of the car seat vanquish or caput restraint is less than ane inch. This measurement tin can be more than useful than overall height limits: a short kid with a long body may outgrow their seat sooner.

Some parents decide to plow a child forwards-facing earlier they outgrow the rear-facing requirements, oftentimes because they find information technology easier to interact with their child or hand them snacks this style, or because they think the child is less likely to get car ill or only likes it more. And some websites, like Car Seats for the Littles, recommend four years one-time every bit a suggested cutoff. Merely before turning the child to a forward-facing convertible seat, they should be:

2 years old, older if possible
at least the seat'south minimum weight requirement for forwards facing (typically over xx pounds)

Like an babe seat, a convertible seat relies on a 5-bespeak harness to proceed a kid constrained. Information technology is safer to keep a kid in a five-signal harness until they outgrow the superlative/weight limits. Don't rush moving to a booster.

A kid has outgrown a forrad-facing convertible seat when:

they hitting the weight limit (which, for Wirecutter'due south picks, is 65 pounds)
the tops of their ears are at or above the top of the car seat'due south shell or caput restraint
the harness straps can't be positioned at or above their shoulders

Booster seat

A booster seat relies on the car's safety belt to keep a kid in place, lifting the child college in the seat and then that the belt contacts firm parts of the trunk (like shoulders and legs) rather than soft parts, like stomachs. High-back boosters provide actress head and side bear upon protection; backless boosters do not. (Our guide to booster seats volition be published next month.)

Before moving a child to a high-back booster, they should be:

40 pounds (minimum), co-ordinate to many state laws, though this as well depends on the seat manufacturer'due south recommendations
4 years old (minimum)
able to empathise and take the need to sit nonetheless in the automobile
able to avoid slumping when falling comatose in the car; if a child moves out of position, they could be injured by the seat chugalug in an accident

A kid should stay in a high-back booster until their ears achieve the top of the head restraint, and and so motion to a backless booster.

They're ready for an adult safety belt without a booster when:

they are tall enough to remain in place (or at least not slide through the seat belt) if the motorcar stops suddenly
they are able to go along their back confronting the seat, knees aptitude over the edge, and feet flat on the flooring.
they fit in a seat belt properly, with information technology across the collarbone, low on the hips, and touching tops of thighs
they tin sit in this proper position the entire auto ride

The National Highway Traffic Safety Assistants estimates that most children are fix to switch from booster seat to using a seat belt solitary somewhere between the ages of 8 and 12 years one-time.
For more details on choosing a machine seat and car seat all-time practices, see our guides to infant seats and convertible seats.