What You Need to Know

Use a rear-facing car seat until your child is at least age 1 and 20 lbs. Use your rear-facing car seat longer if the seat has higher weight and height limits. Take the next step to a forward-facing car seat when your child is at least one year old and you answer "yes" to either question:

• Does your child exceed the car seat's rear-facing height and weight limits?

• Is your child's head within one inch of the car seat top?

From birth to at least age 1 and 20 lbs.

• Use a rear-facing car seat correctly in a back seat every time your baby rides in a car.

• Use the right car seat for your baby's weight and height. Infants are weighed and measured at every doctor visit, so be sure to keep track.

• Use the car's safety belt or LATCH system to lock the car seat into the car. Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back. Grab the car seat at the safety beltpath or LATCH path to test it.

• Put harnesses through the slots so they are even with or below the infant's shoulders. Be sure the harness is tight, so you can't pinch extra webbing at the shoulder.

• Adjust the chest clip to armpit level.

• Use your baby's car seat rear-facing and reclined no more than 45 degrees, so the baby's head stays in contact with the seat and the baby's airway stays open. Read the car seat instructions.

• Keep your baby rear-facing until at least age 1 and 20 pounds. Move to a rear-facing convertible seat if the seat has higher weight and height limits than the infant only seat.

• Find where the frontal airbags are in your vehicle by checking the owner's manual. Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. Children are always safest in a back seat.

• Be sure all occupants wear safety belts correctly every time. Children learn from adult role models.
• Get help with your child's car seat by contacting a Safe Kids coalition near you.

The current recommendations is that children remain rearfacing until they are two.  The reason for this is that the support of the seat makes them safer in a crash and allows their neck muscules and ligaments to grow stronger.  This is a recommendation, parents can choose to have their child forward facing after they reach the mark of 1 and 20lbs.