Parents must also check their car seat manufacturers height and weight limits and follow recommendations from health and safety organizations. If you need help installing your car seat trust a professional and find a car seat inspection station near you. Keep your child in a forward facing car seat with a harness and tether until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seats manufacturer. Legs bending or pushing on vehicle seats is not a safety concern or a reason to turn forward facing durocher says. Remember each states law regarding height weight and age is just a starting point and only provides the most basic protection required by law. The american academy of pediatrics aap recommends babies be in rear facing seats until age 2 or until they reach the car seats height or weight limit.
Car seat laws in iowa set specific standards for certain age groups with weight or height restrictions also considered within the law. The best practice car seat stages are based upon child restraint systems that have an increased height and weight limit so children can remain rear facing longer and in 5 point harness seat and booster seat longer depending on the height weight limits to keep them safer. The state also recommends that they stay in a booster seat until they are 100 pounds in weight or 49 in height although this is not mandatory. Once your child outgrows these given limits a regular seat belt can be used. Thats usually 30 to 60 pounds 136 to. Kids can next move to a belt positioning booster seat when they reach the weight and height harness strap limits of their forward facing car seat.
According to the rules a child under the age of 8 who weighs between 40 and 80 pounds and is under 4 feet and 9 inches tall must have a booster seat when in the car. Booster seat laws are incorporated into the general state laws for child passenger safety so your use of a car seat or a booster seat will generally be based upon your individual child. Generally children between ages 5 and 9 with heights under 4 feet 9 inches and weighing less than 80 to 100 pounds are the appropriate age and size for a booster car seat advises the safe kids website 5 this is a verified and trusted source. The safest place for a child under 12 stated by law is in the back seat. Keep in mind that many convertible car seats and combination car seats have forward facing weight limits of 65 to 80 pounds when used with harness straps. Booster car seat weight and height restrictions vary according to manufacturer.
This usually means around 40 to 50 pounds and up to 44 to 49 inches tall depending on the make and model. Follow height weight instructions on side of car seat. Follow height weight instructions on side of car seat. If your infant arrives early how do you safely accommodate a premature baby in a car seat. Once your child outgrows the forward facing car seat with a harness its time to travel in a booster seat but still in the back seat. In this state all children who weigh less than 80 pounds or are under eight years of age need to be in a booster seat or appropriate car seat.
Gallery of Is It Height Or Weight For Car Seats
