Home » Auto » Driving Safely » Infant and child safety

Details to know

• Infants
• Toddlers
• Pre-school to 8 years old
• Youth
• Useful tips

Infants

Newborn babies and infants require special protection in a vehicle. In a collision, properly installed rear-facing car seats can save your child's life. Infant car seats should face the back of the vehicle, rest on a 45-degree angle and move no more than 2.5 cm (1 in.) side-to-side or forward at the base. If necessary, use a towel or a foam bar (pool noodle) under the base of the child car seat to adjust the angle. Harness straps should be slotted at or below a baby's shoulders. You should not be able to fit more than one finger underneath the harness straps at the child's collarbone. The chest clip should be flat against the chest at armpit level.

When the child outgrows the maximum height and weight of his/her infant seat, you may require a convertible rear-facing seat until your child is ready to face forward. The law requires you to use a rear-facing car seat until the infant is at least 9 kilograms (20 lb.) Note that the law states the minimum requirement. It's best to keep children in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least one year old or until they have reached the maximum height or weight limits of the rear-facing seat.

Toddlers

By law a child can ride facing forward when they are over 9 kg (20 lb.) or more. All forward-facing car seats must use a tether strap. If your vehicle does not have a tether anchor in place, contact a dealership to have one installed.

To prevent the car seat from moving forward and causing injury in a collision, it is important to use the tether strap exactly as the manufacturer recommends. To install a forward-facing car seat, fasten the tether strap, then use your body weight to tighten and fasten the seatbelt or Universal Anchorage System (UAS).

Ensure the shoulder straps are at or above the child's shoulders. Straps should be snug, with only one finger width between the strap and the child's chest. Avoid using aftermarket car seat products. They can become projectiles or may have hard or sharp surfaces that can hurt the child in a collision.

Pre-school to 8 years old

Booster seats are required for children under the age of eight, weighing 18 kg or more but less than 36 kg (40-80 lbs) and who stand less than 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.

A child can start using a seatbelt alone once any one of the following criteria is met:

• Child turns eight years old
• Child weighs 36 kg (80 lbs.)
• Child is 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall

A lap and shoulder combination belt must be used with all booster seats. The booster, vehicle seat or headrest must support your child's head. The shoulder strap must lie across the child's shoulder (not the neck or face) and middle of the chest, and the lap belt must cross low over the hips (not the stomach/abdomen). Never use seatbelt adjusters.

Youth

Seatbelts are designed for adults and older, larger children. Once your child can sit all the way against the vehicle seat back with legs bent comfortably over the edge of the seat, and with the shoulder belt flat across the shoulder and chest, he or she is ready to move from the booster seat to the vehicle seatbelt.

Make sure the shoulder strap lies across the child's shoulder and the middle of the chest (not the neck or face), and the lap belt crosses over the hips (not the stomach).

Children under 13 years of age are safest in the back seat. Never put two children in the same seatbelt or place the shoulder strap behind the child's back. Remember, one person, one belt. There must be a seatbelt for each person in the vehicle.

Useful tips

• Use the right seat for the child's weight and development. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for correct child car seat installation and use.
• Be sure to secure the child correctly. Make sure harness straps are snug and tight. Use a tether strap with a forward-facing child car seat. Keep children away from all active air bags. Children under 13 years of age are safest in the back seat.
• Use caution when buying or using a pre-owned child car seat. Buy new, or from someone you know, and check it carefully. Make sure the car seat has:
  • Instructions and all necessary hardware
  • Not been in a collision
  • A Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) sticker
  • Not expired or is not older than 10 years
  • No discoloured (stress) marks or cracks and the harness is not worn or torn