Enter your child's age, weight, and height to find the right car seat type. The Child Car Seat Calculator recommends whether your child needs a rear-facing seat, forward-facing seat, booster seat, or seat belt — based on NHTSA guidelines. You'll also see whether your child has outgrown their current seat type.
Recommended Seat Type
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Safety Stage
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Current Seat Status
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Next Seat Upgrade
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NHTSA recommends keeping children in a rear-facing seat as long as possible, until they reach the maximum weight or height limit allowed by their car seat manufacturer — not just until age 2. Most rear-facing seats support children up to 40–50 lbs. Always check your specific seat's manual for limits.
A child has outgrown a rear-facing seat when their head is within 1 inch of the top of the seat shell, or when they exceed the seat's weight or height limit. For forward-facing seats, they've outgrown it when they exceed the harness weight or height limit. For booster seats, they're ready for a seat belt alone when the lap belt fits across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the chest and shoulder correctly.
Children should move to a belt-positioning booster seat after outgrowing their forward-facing harness seat — typically between 40–65 lbs and up to 49 inches tall, depending on the seat. They should stay in a booster until the vehicle seat belt fits them properly, usually around 4 feet 9 inches tall.
A child is ready for a seat belt alone when they are at least 4 feet 9 inches (57 inches) tall, can sit with their back flat against the vehicle seat, knees bent comfortably at the seat edge, and the lap belt lies across the upper thighs — not the stomach. Most children reach this point between ages 8 and 12.
Yes. Many parents move children to seat belts too early. If the vehicle seat belt doesn't fit properly, a booster seat is still needed regardless of age. NHTSA emphasizes that older children (up to 12) should remain in age- and size-appropriate restraints to maximize crash protection.
Rear-facing is the safest position for infants and toddlers because it distributes crash forces across the entire back, head, and neck. Infants should always ride rear-facing from birth, using an infant-only seat or a convertible seat in rear-facing mode, until they outgrow the seat's limits.
NHTSA recommends having your car seat checked by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). You can find free inspection stations using NHTSA's Car Seat Inspection Finder. Studies show the majority of car seats are not installed or used correctly, so a professional check is highly recommended.
It is generally not recommended to use a second-hand car seat unless you can verify its full history — that it has never been in a crash, has not been recalled, and has not passed its expiration date (usually 6–10 years from manufacture). Car seat plastic degrades over time and may no longer protect adequately in a crash.