Car Safety Seats

Which car safety seat is the best?

No one seat is the "best" or "safest." All car safety seats available for sale in the United States must meet government safety standards.

Always use a car safety seat. 

Read the instructions of your car safety seat carefully before use.

Rear-facing seats

All infants should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. That means that if your baby reaches 20 pounds before her first birthday, she should remain rear-facing until she turns 1 year old.

Never place a child in a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has a passenger air bag.

Forward-facing seat Forward-facing seats

Once your child is at least 1 year of age and weighs at least 20 pounds, he can ride forward-facing. However, it is best for him to ride rear-facing until he reaches the highest weight or height allowed by the car safety seat.

Convertible seats (used forward-facing)

Convertible seats can be used forward-facing by children who are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. 

Combination forward-facing/booster seats

Some car safety seats can be used as both a forward-facing seat and a booster. These seats come with harness straps for children who weigh up to 40 to 65 pounds (depending on the model). Once your child reaches the weight or height limit for the harness, you can use the seat as a booster by removing the harness and using your vehicle's lap and shoulder seat belts. Keep in mind that when using the harness straps, the seat can be secured with a lap and shoulder belt or a lap-only belt. However, once you remove the harness, you must use a lap and shoulder seat belt. Children must never ride in a booster seat using a lap belt only because serious injury can result.