Car Seats
We get a lot of questions about car seats. This is understandable since car accidents are one of the leading causes of injury and death for children.
Connecticut’s Car Seat Laws:
The entire state law can be found here. We will attempt to clarify and summarize the recommendations for car seats:
Newborns must ride in a rear facing car seat until they are both two years old and more than 30 pounds.
Toddlers must ride in a child seat that has a five-point harness until they are both five years old and more than 40 pounds.
Children ages five to eight and between 40-60 pounds must use either a five-point harness or a booster seat.
Children eight years or older and over 60 pounds can use a safety belt or booster seat.
Children who have outgrown the forward-facing seat should use a booster seat until the lap and shoulder parts of the seat belt fit correctly. The seat belt must lie across the upper thigh, not the stomach, and the shoulder belt must lie across the shoulder and chest, not across the neck. Children under 13 years old should be buckled up in the rear seats of the vehicle.
More information on everything car seats can be found from Safe Kids, a nonprofit with the goal of preventing childhood injuries.