Auto Safety Tips: Child Seats

It is very important to choose the proper safety restraint, or car seat, for your child. Many different factors affect the kind of seat you should use, including your child's

• Age
• Weight
• Height 

Studies show that over 6 in 10 children are restrained in some form of safety device such as a child car seat. However, this doesn't always mean that the restraint being used is the correct one for that child.

No matter which car seat you choose, always look for a label with the letters CMVSS. This label tells you that the seat is safe and is approved for use in Canada as it meets Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Take care to follow the manufacturer's instructions when you install the seat.

If you know that a child seat has been involved in a crash, do not use it again. After a crash it's hard  to know if the seat still protects your child the way it was designed to.

Here are some guidelines for choosing the safety restraint best suited to your child.  Remember, no matter which restraint you choose children under the age of 12 should always ride in the back seat.

Infants

Until your child is one year old (or between 20 and 22 lbs), use an infant or rear-facing convertible car seat. Make sure the harness straps are at or below your child's shoulders, and the seat is be facing the rear of the vehicle. 

Toddlers

If your child is over one year old (or between 20 and 40 lbs) use a convertible or forward-facing car seat. The harness straps should be at or above his or her shoulders.

Young Children

If your child is between 4 and 8 years old, use a belt positioning booster seat. A seat belt alone is not suitable at this age. There is a risk of injury to your child's spinal cord from a shoulder strap that is not in the correct position. A booster seat raises your child to the proper height. 

A booster seat should be facing forward, but remain in the back seat (until at least 12 years of age).  Please make sure that:

• you use both the lap and shoulder seatbelt
• the lap belt fits low and tight across your child's lap, and
• the shoulder belt fits snug across his or her chest.