Infant Car Seats

You will not be able to take the baby home from the hospital unless you have a car seat already secured in your car. By law, your baby must ride in a car seat at all times.

All infants should ride rear-facing in the back seat starting with their first ride home from the hospital. They should remain rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 to 22 pounds. Children should not ride in the front seat of a car until they are 12 years old because of the risk of injury associated with the passenger air bag inflating.

There are two types of rear-facing car safety seats — infant-only seats and convertible seats. An infant-only seat is for babies who weigh up to 20 to 22 pounds. Most infant-only seats are made to pop out of a base so you can carry the seat by its handle or place it in a special stroller. An infant-only seat must be replaced when your baby reaches 20 to 22 pounds. The other kind of seat, the convertible seat, isn’t as portable as an infant-only seat, but it can be used for infants and toddlers who weigh up to 40 pounds.

Once you have the car seat, it’s important to install it correctly. Even the best car seat won’t protect your baby if it’s not properly installed. Some fire departments and other local agencies will check the placement of your car seat. If your infant seat has a base, practice putting it in and out of the base properly to make sure you know how it is done before leaving the hospital.