How tall child without car seat

Read our guide: Booster seats - are you breaking the law? You can choose a child car seat based on your child's weight or height. Most child car seats are split into groups according to the weight of the child they're designed to protect. These groups are defined by United Nations safety regulations and cover children from birth all the way up to 12 years old or cm around 36kg. Moving babies and younger children to the next group before they reach the maximum weight or height for their seat could lead to more severe injuries in a crash.

See our guide to car seat weight groups for more information on what seat to buy and when. A true i-Size car seat will only use Isofix connectors, although some baby car seats can still be installed in your car using the car's adult seatbelt. It's mandatory for a baby to be rear-facing in an i-Size seat until he or she is 15 months old. Check with the car manufacturer to see in which position you can use an i-Size car seat in your vehicle.

Find out whether i-Size child car seats are safer and will fit in your car by reading our guide on i-Size car seats. The rules for vans are the same as for cars. The only exception to this rule is if it's in a licensed taxi or minicab private hire vehicles and the child travels on the rear seats. See the best baby and child car seats that have come out in top our crash tests. If your vehicle does not have seatbelts in the rear, a child aged three or older can travel in the back seat without a car seat and without a seatbelt.

This rule only applies if the car came without seatbelts in the back originally. A child aged three or over can travel in the rear seat of a licensed taxi or mini cab private hire vehicle without a car seat but only if they wear an adult seatbelt.

For journeys that are unexpected, necessary and over a short distance, a child aged three or over can sit in the back only, using the adult seatbelt. Find out why it's important to opt for a high-backed booster seat by reading out guide to the Best child car seats for older children.

A doctor can issue an exemption certificate if a child is unable to use a restraint or seatbelt because of their condition. However, there are exceptions to the law when it comes to travelling in taxis, minicabs and Ubers.

All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer. Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear facing for 2 years or more. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more. All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age.

All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat. When children are old enough and large enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them correctly, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection. LATCH is an attachment system for car safety seats. Lower anchors can be used instead of the seat belt to install the seat, and many parents find them easier to use in some cars. The top tether should always be used with a forward-facing seat, whether you use the seat belt or lower anchors to secure it.

The seat belt and LATCH systems are equally safe, so caregivers should use one or the other, whichever works best for them, for their car safety seat, and their vehicle.

In general, caergivers should only use 1 of the 2 options unless the car safety seat and vehicle manufacturers say it is OK to use 2 systems at the same time. Vehicles with the LATCH system have lower anchors located in the back seat, where the seat cushions meet. All forward-facing car safety seats have tethers or tether connectors that fasten to these anchors. See vehicle owner's manual for highest weight of child allowed to use top tether. All lower anchors are rated for a maximum weight of 65 pounds total weight includes car safety seat and child.

Parents should check the car safety seat manufacturer's recommendations for maximum weight a child can be to use lower anchors. New car safety seats have the maximum weight printed on their label. NOTE: Seat belts— If you install a car safety seat by using your vehicle's seat belt, you must make sure the seat belt locks to hold the seat tightly. In most newer cars, you can lock the seat belt by pulling it all the way out and then allowing it to retract to keep the seat belt tight around the car safety seat.

In addition, many car safety seats have built-in lock-offs so you can lock the belt without having to lock the seat belt separately as well. Refer to the vehicle owner's manual for details about how your seat belt locks. Middle of the back seat— The safest place to ride for all children younger than 13 years is the back seat. If possible, it may be best for the child to ride in the middle of the back seat.

However, it is sometimes difficult to install a car safety seat tightly in the middle if the vehicle seat is narrow or uneven. Also, many vehicles do not have lower anchors for the middle seating position. It is safest to put the car safety seat in a position where you can install it tightly with either the lower anchor system or the seat belt; in some cases, this position may be on either side of the back seat rather than in the middle.

A child passenger safety technician CPST or CPS technician can help you decide which place is best to install your child's car safety seat in your vehicle. The AAP recommends that all infants ride rear facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat as long as possible until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer.

When infants outgrow their rear-facing—only seat, a convertible seat installed rear facing is needed. Three types of rear-facing seats are available: rear-facing—only , convertible, and all-in-one. When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their rear-facing—only seat, they should continue to ride rear facing in a convertible or all-in-one seat. Always read the vehicle owner's manual and the car safety seat manual before installing the seat. Very small babies who can sit safely in a semi-reclined position usually fit better in rear-facing—only seats.

Babies born preterm should be screened while still in the hospital to make sure they can sit safely in a semi-reclined position. Babies who need to lie flat during travel may be able to ride in a car bed that meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard They should be screened again while in the hospital to make sure they can lie safely in the car bed.

Any child who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for her convertible seat should use a forward- facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by her car safety seat manufacturer. It is best for children to ride in a seat with a harness as long as possible, at least to 4 years of age.

If your child outgrows a seat before reaching 4 years of age, consider using a seat with a harness approved for higher weights and heights. It is important that the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits your child snugly.

Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats. Most children will not fit in most vehicle seat belts without a booster until 10 to 12 years of age. Instructions that come with your car safety seat will tell you the height and weight limits for the seat. As a general guideline, a child has outgrown a forward-facing seat when any of the following situations is true:. High-back and backless are 2 standard types of booster seats. They do not come with a harness but are used with lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides.

Most booster seats are not secured to the vehicle seat with the seat belt or lower anchors and tether but simply rest on the vehicle seat and are held in place once the seat belt is fastened over a child. However, some models of booster seats can be secured to the vehicle seat and kept in place by using the lower anchors and tether along with lap and shoulder belts.

Currently, only a few vehicle manufacturers offer integrated booster seats. Booster seats often have a plastic clip or guide to correctly position vehicle lap and shoulder belts. See the booster seat instruction manual for directions on how to use the clip or guide.

Booster seats must be used with lap and shoulder belts. When using a booster seat, make sure:. If your booster seat has lower anchors or tether attachments, check its manual for installation instructions. If your car has only lap belts, use a forward-facing seat that has a harness and higher weight limits.

You could also. Seat belts are made for adults. Children should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly, typically when children reach about 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age.

Most children will not fit in a seat belt alone until 10 to 12 years of age. When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection.

Front airbags are installed in all new cars. When used with seat belts, airbags work well to protect teenagers and adults; however, airbags can be very dangerous to children, particularly to those riding in rear-facing seats and to preschoolers and young school-aged children who are not properly restrained. If your vehicle has a front passenger airbag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat.

Even in a relatively low-speed crash, the airbag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain injury and death. Check the car seat manual and labels on the car seat for weight and height limits.

Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat. Front passenger air bags can injure or kill young children in a crash. After outgrowing the rear-facing car seat, use a forward-facing car seat until at least age 5. When children outgrow their rear-facing car seats, they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat with a harness, in the back seat. They should stay in the forward-facing car seat until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of this seat.

After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat, use a booster seat until the seat belt fits properly. When children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a belt-positioning booster seat with a seat belt, in the back seat, until the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat. This typically does not occur until children are age 9— When the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat, use a seat belt on every trip. Children no longer need to use a booster seat when the seat belt fits them properly.

Only EU-approved height-based child car seats can be used in the UK. Only EU-approved weight-based child car seats can be used in the UK. Manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3. The Child Car Seats website has information on how to choose a seat and travel safely with children in cars. A doctor can issue an exemption certificate if a child is unable to use a restraint or seat belt because of their condition.

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