Car Seat Types Chart

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Official Guidelines in Convenient Table

What: Car seat recommendations
When: From birth to 13 years
Why: Keep kids safe in the car
Where: American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a handy new chart for selecting the right type of car seat for your child. It covers kids from birth to age 11 – or whenever they outgrow their safety seats by reaching 80 lbs OR 4 feet 9 inches.

Car seat types chart with age and guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics

The chart offers clear, easy to understand choices based on age and type of seat. It boils down to four categories: infants and toddler, toddlers and preschoolers, school-aged children, and older children. Each age category gets assigned to the type or types of car seat restraints appropriate for that age range, starting at rear-facing and going all the way up to using the vehicle seat belts.

No matter what kind of seat you choose to use, make sure to install it properly.

If you have an older seat, make sure you know how much the seat itself weighs if you use LATCH installation. LATCH cannot support more than 65 pounds of total weight including the car seat itself.