Child Seats And Booster Seats

Car crashes are the number one cause of death for USA and Canadian children!

Properly used child seats and booster seats can significantly reduce the chance of children being hurt and/or killed in collisions.

Car seat clinics indicate that many car seats are installed improperly. Common errors include not tightening the seatbelt and harness enough, and not properly using a tether strap when required.

Make sure your child is safe and secure, and is buckled up right. Children under 13 years of age are safest in the back seat away from all active air bags.

By law, drivers are responsible for ensuring passengers under 16 years of age are secured properly. It is mandatory for anyone transporting children to make sure they are properly secured in a child car seat, booster seat or seatbelt.

Important tips to keep your child safe and secure…

  • Use the right seat for the child's height and weight.
  • 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.

In Ontario, if your child has a special need (such as a medical condition that does not allow your child to use a conventional child car seat), you may choose to use a child restraint system that complies with federal safety standards governing alternative restraints for children with special needs (i.e. CMVSS 213.3 and 213.5)

How Do I Know the Seat is Installed Correctly?

Carefully follow the owner's manuals for both your vehicle and the child car seat.

Most importantly, ensure the seat is tightly secured. If you are having difficulty or want to have your child car seat installation inspected, contact your local public health unit.

Booster seats

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

Booster seats raise a child up so that the adult seatbelt fits and works more effectively. A lap and shoulder belt combination must be used for both the high-back and low-back booster seat. If your vehicle only has lap belts in the rear seat, contact your local dealer regarding retrofitting it with a shoulder belt. Never use a lap belt alone with a booster seat. Your child's head must be supported by the top of the booster seat and the vehicle seat or head rest. The shoulder strap must lie across your child's shoulder and the middle of their chest (not the neck or face) and the lap belt must cross low over the hips (not the stomach/abdomen). Never use seatbelt adjusters.

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

  • the child turns eight years old;
  • the child weighs 36 kg (80 lb.); or,
  • the child is 145 cm (4 feet-9 inches) tall.