A 3-month-old baby sitting in a car seat in the backseat of a vehicle.
Renee Zarr, a child passenger safety technician and instructor at the Children's Hospital of Michigan shows the right way to buckle up an infant into a car seat on July 27, 2023.

Car seats are essential to keeping children safe when they are riding in a vehicle. When they are first brought home from the hospital, they need to be in a car seat suited to their height and weight. As they age and begin to grow, you will need to be ready to get a new seat for them.

You will also need to keep up with new laws that are in place and how long they should be rear-facing, front-facing and in a booster seat. Ensuring your child is in the right sized car seat and strapped in properly, they will be much safer in the instance of an accident.

Car seats for newborns

When a newborn baby is brought home from the hospital, they will need to be placed in an infant car seat. These seats have a base that latches onto the seat of the car with a detachable carrier on top you can carry or attach to a stroller. They should remain in this type of seat until they are at least 35 pounds or 32” tall.

Rear-facing requirements

The current Michigan law is that children must remain in a rear-facing car seat until they are 3 years old. You can graduate them from an infant seat to a standard car seat or a convertible seat at this age. It's best to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible to maximize their safety.

Front-facing requirements

Once a child reaches the age of 3 or exceeds the size limits of a rear-facing seat, they will be ready to be forward facing. They should remain forward facing with a harness until they are 5 years old. They should stay in their seat until they reach 5 years old or outgrow the size limits.

Booster seat requirements

The next step after they outgrow their forward-facing car seat is a booster seat. These seats raise the child's height, so they are able to fit under the standard seatbelt in a car. There are booster seats with a back support for children that are new to these seats and some without the support for when they get taller. 4’9” tall. Booster seats should be used until the child is 8 years old or at least 4’9” tall.

When can they sit in a regular car seat

Once they outgrow the booster seat, they can sit in a regular seat. Since they are too tall or heavy for the booster seat at this point, they can comfortably sit in the back seat until they are 13 years old. Once they are 13, they can freely sit in the front passenger seat.

What are convertible car seats?

Most car seats have a height or weight limit, but convertible car seats are able to grow with your child. They can be used as rear-facing or front-facing while some can be used as booster seats. They cost more than traditional car seats but the value they provide by being used as the child ages makes it a good option to consider.

Ultimate Car Seat Safety Guide

Many parents are unaware of what size or type of car seat to buy for their child and how to install it. For those having a hard time with your car seat, the Ultimate Car Seat Safety Guide has got you covered.

The guide was created by Safe Kids, an organization that specializes in keeping children safe in scenarios where they could potentially get hurt. They have a tool on the website where you input your child's weight and age and it will give you information about what car seat to use. It will also let you know where to find a technician in your area to help you with your car seat.

Safe Kids has been partnering with GM since 1997 and together they created the Safe Kids Buckle Up Program. This program has educated over 29 million parents and caregivers on keeping children safe in or around cars.

According to Safe Kids, a correctly installed car seat car with a child that fits properly can reduce the risk of death from a collision up to 71%. They also stated that a majority of car seats aren’t installed correctly. Once you learn what car seat to use for your child, when to upgrade it and how to install it the right way, you will make sure they are safe whenever they are on the road.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: When to upgrade your child's car seat

Reporting by Keenan Thompson, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press

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