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Best & Right

Which Car Seat Now? Car Seat & Booster Requirements Checker

Type your child’s age and weight, and pick your state. You get the type of seat NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend for them now, what comes next and when — and, beside it in its own words, what your state’s law requires. The two are often not the same: the law is a minimum, and in some states it lets a six-year-old ride in a seat belt.

Or type it the way you would say it: 2 years 6 months, 18 months. A unit you type wins.

lb

Every seat’s limits are weights and heights, never ages — so this is the number that moves a child on.

in

Type 3'4" or 102 cm if that is easier.

Your seat’s own limits (from its label — they decide) lb lb

Both are printed on the sticker on the side or back of the seat and in its manual. With them, the answer uses your seat; without them, it tells you where to look.

Signs the harness is outgrown — the AAP’s list
The seat-belt test (for a child of 8 or more — sit them in the car without a booster, and tick what is TRUE)

A 3-year-old at 32 lb

Rear-facing car seatin the back seat

      In their own words

      Your state’s law

      Choose a state to see its law beside the recommendation.

      The label on your seat and its manual outrank this answer: they give the limits for YOUR seat. A certified child passenger safety technician will check how it is installed, usually free — NHTSA lists inspection stations. This tool does not tell you what is legal; the law is your state’s statute.

      Recommendations and state laws checked 2026-09-25.

      Quick answer: NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend rear-facing for every baby and for as long after the first birthday as the seat allows — most convertible seats rear-face to 40–50 lb. Then a forward-facing seat with a harness to the harness’s top limit (40–65 lb, depending on the model; the AAP says at least to age 4). Then a booster seat until the adult belt fits — typically at 4′ 9″ and 8 to 12 years. Every child under 13 rides in the back seat. Your state’s law is a minimum and is often lower than this.

      How to use it

      Type your child’s age and weight — the weight matters more, because every seat moves a child on by weight or height, never by a birthday. Pick your state to see its law beside the answer. If you have the seat, open Your seat’s own limits and copy the rear-facing and harness weights from its label: the answer then uses your seat instead of the typical range. For a child of eight or more, sit them in the car without the booster and tick the three points of the seat-belt test. The result is in the link, so Copy link keeps it.

      The four stages, in NHTSA’s and the AAP’s words

      • Rear-facing. NHTSA: “Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.” After that, “keep your child rear-facing as long as possible … until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer.” The AAP adds that most convertible seats allow two years or more. Infant-only carrier seats stop at 22–35 lb; a convertible seat carries on to 40–50 lb.
      • Forward-facing with a harness and tether. From the day the rear-facing limit is reached, until the harness’s top height or weight. The AAP: “at least to 4 years of age.”
      • A belt-positioning booster. When the harness is outgrown — the top weight or height, shoulders above the top harness slots, or the tops of the ears at the top of the seat — until the adult belt fits. “Most children will not fit in most vehicle seat belts without a booster until 10 to 12 years of age,” the AAP says.
      • The seat belt. Lap and shoulder, in the back seat until 13.

      Why the law and the recommendation are different

      A state law says the least a driver can do without being stopped. The recommendation says what protects a child best. In Florida, the law allows a seat belt from age 6; NHTSA keeps a child in a booster until the belt fits, which is usually years later. In other states the law is close to the recommendation. The checker prints your state’s law in the words of the Governors Highway Safety Association’s table — gathered from IIHS and each state’s highway safety office — and never rewrites it as a number, because a paraphrase of a statute is how people end up wrong about it. It does not tell you what is legal: the statute does.

      The seat-belt test

      A child is ready for the belt alone when, sitting in your car without a booster, all three are true (the AAP’s wording): the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly; and they can sit against the seat back with their knees bent over the edge of the seat without slouching, and stay that way the whole trip. Belts sit differently in every car and every seat, so do it in each one they ride in.

      What the checker will not do

      It will not name a “best” or “safest” seat — in the AAP’s words, “No one seat is the ‘best’ or ‘safest.’ The best seat is the one that fits your child’s size, is correctly installed, fits well in your vehicle, and is used properly every time you drive.” It will not replace the label on your seat, which gives the limits for that seat. And it cannot check an installation: a certified child passenger safety technician can, and NHTSA lists inspection stations.

      Car seat guides on Best & Right

      Once you know the stage, the guides help pick the seat: car seats for toddlers, infant car seats for small cars, and — if the seat has to fly — can you take a car seat on a plane?

      FAQ

      What are the booster seat requirements?
      NHTSA and the AAP: a child moves to a belt-positioning booster once they have outgrown the harness on their forward-facing seat — its top weight or height, shoulders above the top harness slots, or ears at the top of the seat — and stays in it until the adult seat belt fits, typically at 4′ 9″ and 8 to 12 years. Your state’s law sets its own minimum; the checker shows it beside the recommendation.
      What age can a child stop using a booster seat?
      Not by age alone: when the seat belt fits. The AAP says that is typically when a child reaches 4′ 9″ and is 8 to 12, and that most children are not ready until 10 to 12. Some state laws allow it earlier — Florida’s from 6 — which is a legal minimum, not the safe point.
      When can my child face forward?
      When they reach the rear-facing height or weight limit of their seat — not on a birthday. NHTSA says always rear-facing under 1, and rear-facing as long as possible after that. Most convertible seats rear-face to 40–50 lb, which keeps most children rear-facing past 2.
      How much does a child need to weigh for a booster seat?
      There is no single weight. A child moves to a booster when they outgrow the harness of their forward-facing seat, and harness limits run from 40 to 65 lb depending on the model (AAP). The weight on YOUR seat’s label is the one that counts.
      When can a child sit in the front seat?
      At 13. The AAP says all children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat, and NHTSA says the back seat at least through age 12. A rear-facing seat must never go in front of an active airbag.
      What is the height and weight for the seat belt alone?
      The AAP’s typical point is 4′ 9″ (57 inches) tall and 8 to 12 years old, but the test is what counts: the shoulder belt across the chest and shoulder, the lap belt low on the thighs, and knees bent at the seat edge without slouching for the whole trip.
      Does this tell me what is legal in my state?
      No. It shows your state’s law in the Governors Highway Safety Association’s words, with the date the state highway safety offices last reviewed it, so you can read it beside the recommendation. The statute itself is the law, and it can change on 1 January or 1 July.