Child Safety Seats

In the State of Illinois, all children under the age of eight must be secured in an appropriate child safety seat. Child safety seats include infant seats, convertible seats (Rear-facing for infants and forward-facing for toddlers), and booster seats that are used with the vehicle's lap and shoulder belt system.

Schedule a child seat installation or inspection with a certified child safety-seat technician.

Proper Child Safety Seat Use Chart

Age Group Type of Seat General Guidelines
Infants/toddlers Infant seats and rear-facing convertible seats All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.
Toddlers/ preschoolers Convertible seats and forward-facing seats with harnesses All children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car safety seat, should use a Forward-Facing Car Safety Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.
School-aged children Booster seats All children whose weight or height is above 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 between 8 and 12 years of age.
Older Children Seat belts 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 optimal protection.
All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the Rear Seats of vehicles for optimal protection.

Child Safety Seat Education

Safety Seat Safety Videos