Keeping your child safe in the car
All children 12 years old and younger should ride in the back seat of the car. Children under the age of 8 should be in a car seat or booster seat that is made for their ages and weights. Following are additional important tips to keep your child safe:
Infants (children younger than age 1):
- Never should ride in front of a vehicle with an air bag.
- Always should face the back of the car in the car seat. The car seat should be buckled tight in the car and should not move more than an inch when you pull at the belt path. Infants should continue to face the rear of the vehicle until they reach 20 pounds and 1 year of age. It it strongly recommended that infants stay rear facing longer that this, but they need to be in an appropriate rear-facing seat to accommodate height and weight.
- Should be strapped in snugly so you can fit only one finger under the harness strap. The top of the harness strap should be at or below the top of the child's shoulder.
Toddlers (children older than 1 year and weighing between 20-40 pounds):
- Should be buckled tight into a car seat that does not move more than an inch when you pull at the belt path.
- Should be strapped in snugly so you can fit only one finger under the strap. The top of the harness should be at or above the top of the child's shoulder for forward-facing seats.
Young children (children between 4 and 8, weighing less than 80 pounds and shorter than 57 inches):
- Should always ride in a booster seat, strapped in by a seat belt that has both a shoulder and lap belt. A lap belt should never be used alone.
- Should be seated so the shoulder or lap seat belt is tight, comfortable and flat on him or her.
- Should have the lower part of the seat belt on his or her hips, not his or her stomach.
- Should have the shoulder harness across the chest, lying on his or her shoulder. The shoulder harness never should be on his or her neck.
Older children (children 8 years old or older):
- Should be seated so the shoulder or lap seat belt is tight, comfortable and flat on him or her.
- Should have the lower part of the seat belt on his or her hips, not his or her stomach.
- Should have the shoulder harness across the chest, lying on his or her shoulder. It never should be on his or her neck under the arm or behind the child.
If you have questions about car seats or booster seats, ask your child's care provider to contact the injury prevention educator at Children's Hospital or make an appointment with the Car Seat Clinic by calling (877) 607-5280. For more information about car seat safety, visit www.chw.org/carseats.
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