Car Seats 101

The ultimate job of a car seat is to minimize injury to your child during a crash. Injury can be caused by a number of things including:

• intruding objects making contact with your child,
• your child hitting something in the vehicle, such as the back of the front seat, or
• your child’s body coming to a sudden halt.

Any part of your child’s body can become injured during a crash, however, head injury is the leading cause of vehicle crash-related deaths for children ages 0-12 years*. Your child’s head should always be protected to avoid serious and permanent injury.

*Child Injury Led Design & Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Here you'll find some information to help you understand more about car seats and how to choose the one that's right for you.

	Car Seat Selection Tools Fit My Child  Our interactive tool will help you determine which car seats fit your child and allow you to compare products side-by-side
	Learn About Car Seat Basics Car Seat Basics  Learn about the different types of car seats Booster Seat Basics We'll help you figure out when you're child is ready for a booster seat Anatomy of an Infant Car Seat  Learn about some of the basic features found on infant car seats Anatomy of a Convertible Car Seat  Learn about some of the basic features found on convertible car seats Anatomy of a Combination Seat  Learn about some of the basic features found on combination seats About LATCH  Learn about the LATCH system Definitions and Glossary A guide to some commonly used child passenger safety terms Webinars  Attend one of our free webinars covering a variety of car seat basics and child passenger safety topics
	Car Seat Installation Resources Car Seat Installation Advice  Our advice to help you with installing your car seat BRITAX Car Seat Checking Station  Information about the car seat checking station services offered at BRITAX What to Expect at a Car Seat Safety Check  Information to help you prepare for your next visit to a car seat safety check
	Car Seat Testing and Safety Resources Safe Kids USA  Information about child safety and car seat checking station locations National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  Information about car seat safety, product recalls, laws and regulations CarSeatData  Information about car seat and vehicle compatibility SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.  Information about car seat safety and car seat checking station locations Insurance Institute for Highway Safety  Child passenger safety research, reports, and statistics The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia  Information about car seat safety, tips for how to choose and install a car seat, product recall information, car seat checking station locations, and educational resources for Child Passeneger Safety Technicians American Academy of Pediatrics  Information about children's health and safety