Recently, a number of states updated their car seat laws to enforce the following: 

a. A child under the age of 2 years and 30 pounds shall be secured in a rear-facing seat equipped with a 5-point harness.

b. A child under the age of 4 years and 40 pounds shall be secured as described in (a) until they reach the upper limits of the rear-facing seat, then in a forward-facing child restraint equipped with a 5-point harness.

c. A child under the height of 57 inches shall be secured as described in (a) or (b) until they reach the upper limits of the rear-facing or forward-facing seat, then in a belt positioning booster seat.

d. A child over 57 inches in height must be properly secured by a seat belt. 

It should be noted that to be properly secured in a seat belt, children should meet the 5-step readiness check (shoulder belt against shoulder, lap belt across thighs, seated fully back in the seat, knees beyond the seat edge with feet on the floor and able to maintain that position the entire trip).

These laws reflect the current best practices set out by the AAP. The Canadian Pediatric Society has not yet publically agreed with these recommendations, but they do endorse them. These standards were set using data from car crashes in North America, and they have shown that when followed, the likelihood of serious injury or death is drastically reduced. Car crashes are the number one cause of death in infants and toddlers in North America. It is time to change this statistic.

Here is a link for a summary of the current Provincial and Territorial laws: http://www.cpsac.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ProvincialTerritorialLawSummary.pdf

Let's make sure that we are all doing everything possible to keep our children safe and ensure our the laws reflect this!