National Child Restraint Laws

• Unfortunately there are no federal laws regarding child restraint in a moving vehicle. Each state has its own laws varying from very stringent to very relaxed. Parents should always be aware of the laws in their home state as well as in any states them may drive through. Parents should keep in mind that child restraint laws are a minimum and in most cases, their children will be safer if kept in child safety seats long past the minimum required by the state.
  
  

Rear-Facing Infant Seats

• Only 12 states have laws requiring that infants under one year of age be restrained in a rear-facing car seats. The other states simply say that infants need to be in a car seat of some type. While this may lead some parents to believe that a baby younger than a year old can safely sit forward facing, they cannot and should not. An infant's head is larger in proportion to his body than an older child. A larger head is too much for his tiny neck to control in a crash. Many pediatricians now recommend that children remain rear-facing until 2, when the head is more proportionate to the body and the neck muscles are stronger.
  
  

Forward-Facing Car Seats

• Seventeen states have laws that require a child under a certain age, height, or weight to be seated in a child restraint seat. Most of these states say a child under age four must be in a car seat. Whether your state requires children younger than 4 to sit in a car seat, it is the safest way for your child to travel in the car. A five-point harness ensures that your child does not slide out of the seat in a crash situation. Many five-point harnesses have a weight limit of 40 pounds but some manufacturers make seats with limits of 50, 65 and even 80 pounds to ensure your child's safety for as long as possible.
  
  

Booster Seats

• The other 33 states that do not require children to be in a car seat simply insist that children must be in some type of safety seat, whether that be a car seat or a booster seat until a certain age. The age range is as young as 3 in Florida and as high as 8 in Tennessee and Wyoming. A booster seat uses the car's adult seat belts to restrain the child. The seat "boosts" the child up so that the seat belt fits better. Because most states do not distinguish between using a car seat or booster for children, most parents assume that a booster seat is just as safe as a car seat for children under seven years old. The truth is that booster seats are not as safe as car seats. Booster seats rely on a seat belt that is designed for an adult, not a child. Children often tuck the shoulder strap behind their backs, which leaves them almost completely unprotected. In addition, seat belts can and do fail. If a seat belt is the only thing you are relying on to restrain your child in a crash, you could be faced with tragedy.
  
  

Recommendations

• Many groups have their own recommendations The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that children should be in some type of safety seat, whether that be a car seat or booster, until the eighth birthday and a height of four feet and nine inches. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children stay rear-facing until at least a year old and that children stay in a car seat until at least the age of 4 and longer if the child has not outgrown the weight limits on the car seats. The AAP also recommends that children stay in a booster seat until the reach the height of 4-foot-9 regardless of how old they are. Some children may not reach this height until age12. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention simply recommends that children be restrained until age 7.