Knowing which car seat to use at each stage of your child’s development can be confusing. The most important thing to remember is to not rush your child from one car-seat stage to the next. Children should remain in their current car-seat stage, whether it’s a rear-facing, forward-facing or booster seat, until they reach its weight or height limit. This information can be found in your car-seat manual or on the car seat itself.
There are four car-seat stages that protect your child as they grow – rear-facing infant car seats, forward-facing child car seats, booster seats and finally, seatbelts.
Rear-facing child car seats
Rear-facing seats are the safest place for your child to be because they distribute the impact of a collision along the back of the car seat, which protects your child’s fragile head and neck. Once your child outgrows their “bucket” or infant seat, they should transition to a rear-facing convertible seat. We strongly recommend keeping your child rear-facing until they reach the weight and height limit of their rear-facing seat, as your child’s head and neck are still developing.
For information on installation, proper fit and important tips for rear facing seats, see the Child Car Seat Safety video below and our Child Car Seats brochure.
Forward-facing child car seats
Once your child reaches the maximum weight or height limit of their rear-facing seat, they can move into a forward-facing seat. The harness straps in a forward-facing seat are designed so the impact is taken where your child’s body is strongest – the shoulders and chest, and then directed down to the hips. Don’t rush in to the next car seat stage – wait until your child reaches the maximum height and weight for their forward facing seat before transitioning to a booster. For information on installation, proper fit and important tips for forward-facing seats, see the Child Car Seat Safety video below and our Child Car Seats brochure.
Booster seats
Children must be a minimum of four-years-old, 40 lbs. AND 40” to ride in a booster seat -if they have not reached one or two of these milestones, they need to remain in a front-facing car seat Using a booster seat allows children to sit safely with a seatbelt. Without, a seatbelt rides too high on a child’s stomach and neck and can cause serious injuries. For information on installation, proper fit and important tips for booster seats, see the Child Car Seat Safety video below and our Child Car Seats brochure.
Seatbelts
For your child’s safety, Manitoba law requires children to remain in booster seats until they’re at least 4’ 9”, 80 lbs., or nine-years-old. Once they meet one of these milestones and can be seated with the lap belt on their hips and shoulder belt across the mid-chest and crossing the collarbone, they are ready to ride without a car seat. It’s important not to rush to using a seatbelt alone because it’s not designed for a child
For more information on proper fit and important tips for transitioning to a seatbelt, see the full Child Car Seat Safety video below and our Child Car Seats brochure.
Book a community presentation
To book a presentation on child car seats for your community group, school or business, visit our Road Safety Community Presentations page for more information. For newcomers to Manitoba and newcomer organizations, an adapted “Welcome to Manitoba” presentation with child car seat information included is available.