Birth - 12 months
- Children under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.
- Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing.
- Convertible and all-in-one car seats often have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position. This lets you keep your child ride rear-facing for longer.
Age 1 - 3
- Use a rear-facing car seat until your child reaches the seat's top height or weight limit.
- Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It is the best way to keep him or her safe.
- Once your child outgrows a rear-facing car seat, they can ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether.
Age 4 - 7
- Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether, it's time to start using a booster seat.
- Under Massachusetts law, children must ride in a federally approved belt-positioning booster seat until they are
- age 8 or
- 57 inches (4 feet, 9 inches) tall.
- Kids this age are safer in the back seat.
- Keep your child in a booster seat until they're big enough for a seat belt to fit properly.
Age 8 - 12
- For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach.
- The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest, not across the neck or face.
- Your child is safer in the back seat than in the front seat.
- Massachusetts law requires that children under age 13 must use a seat belt once they outgrow a booster seat.
Child Passenger Safety Law
Read about Massachusetts laws on child passenger seats and seat belts.
Safety Tips
Car Seat Checklist
- Check your car seat's labels and owner's manual to make sure you have the right car seat for your child. Check the height and weight limits.
- Car seats expire. Check the date your seat was manufacture on the seat label or owner's manual.
- Keep kids rear-facing for as long as possible until they outgrow the height and weight limit for a rear-facing seat.
- Make sure the chest clip is at armpit level and the harness straps are secured on shoulders.
- Stow away any loose items in the car.
- Do the pinch test: Pinch the straps vertically at the collarbone. If you can grab excess webbing between your fingers and pinch it, the straps are too loose.
- Use a top tether when installing a car seat in the front-facing position.
- Shake the car seat to test that it's secure. The car seat should not move more than one inch in any direction where the seat belt or lower anchors hold the car seat.
- Once your child outgrows a forward-facing car seat, they can start using a booster seat.
- Keep kids in the back seat until they are 13 years old.
Winter Safety
Did you know that kids shouldn't wear a winter coat while in a car seat?
In order for a car seat to work properly, the straps need to remain tight against the child's chest. Winter coats add bulk and make can make the straps too loose.
Instead, keep your child warm and safe by:
- Preheating your car.
- Removing winter coats before buckling your child in.
- Putting a coat on your child backwards after the harness is fastened and tightened.
- Covering your child with a blanket.
Learn more by watching this winter car seat safety video.