Car seat safety & installation tips

Car crashes remain the no. 1 cause of death for children ages 1-12, and children who aren't properly secured in their car seats are at high risk of being severely injured. Practicing child passenger safety and knowing how to correctly install a car seat is essential to help reduce injuries.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 46% of car seats are installed incorrectly. To help ensure your kids are as safe as possible in the car, follow our child safety seat installation tips and recommendations.

What to know before installing your car seat

Installing your car seat with lower anchors

• Locate your vehicle’s lower anchors by reading your owner's manual and look for the latch symbol on the rear seat of the vehicle.  
• Route the car seat’s lower anchor attachments through the correct belt path of the car seat.
• Fasten the car seat’s lower anchor attachments to the vehicle’s lower anchors.
• Firmly press the car seat down while tightening the car seat’s lower attachments.
• If installing the car seat forward-facing, attach the car seat’s top tether hook to your vehicle’s tether anchor and pull to tighten. See the vehicle owner's manual for the location of the tether anchor.
• Follow the labels or diagrams on your car seat for weight limits on the lower anchors.

Types of car seats

The way your child can safely ride in your car will change as they will eventually outgrow their car seat and need a new one, but it's important to remember not to transition your child too soon. Most parents will need 3 types of child safety seats as their child grows: a rear-facing car seat, a forward-facing car seat, and a booster seat. 

We look at the differences between the types of car seats, the child age and/or weight recommendations, and how to properly secure your child in the seat.

Rear-facing car seats

Rear-facing only car seat

For children 2 and under, weighing up to 35 pounds. Also called an infant carrier, this seat is specially designed for newborns and babies, and can only be used rear-facing. 

Rear-facing convertible car seat

For children 2 and under, weighing up to 45 pounds. As the name suggests, this car seat can be converted to be forward-facing as your child grows.

Forward-facing car seats

Forward-facing convertible car seat

For children weighing up to 80 pounds. This type of seat should be rear-facing until your child reaches the height and weight limit for rear-facing use. It then can be changed to forward-facing using a harness and tether.

Combination booster seat (with internal 5-point harness)

For children weighing up to 85 pounds. Also known as a harness-to-booster seat, this uses an internal 5-point harness to restrain your child, but can be converted to a booster seat that uses your car's seat belt once your child outgrows the height and weight limit. 

Booster seats

High-back booster

For children weighing up to 120 pounds. This type of booster seat lifts your child so your car's seat belt fits them properly, and also provides neck and head support.

No-back booster

For children weighing up to 120 pounds. A no-back booster seat lifts your child so your car's seat belt fits them properly, but doesn't provide neck or head support. This type of booster seat can be used in vehicles that have head restraints or headrests.

Car booster seat use tips

• Always use booster seats with the shoulder and lap belt.
• Center the shoulder belt across your child’s shoulder and chest.
• Place the lap belt low on the hips; it should touch your child’s upper thighs.
• No-back boosters must be used with a vehicle head restraint or headrest to protect your child’s head.
• Properly adjust the head restraint or headrest.

Make sure your toddler stays buckled in their car seat

While you can take all the necessary steps to ensure your car seat is installed correctly, some toddlers may find a way to unbuckle the harness themselves. To help prevent this, talk to your child about why it's not safe to unbuckle their car seat and help them understand why you'll need to stop the car if they aren't buckled in. During the car ride, entertain your toddler with games, songs, or snacks to help keep their attention off of the car seat.