Ohio Law on Baby Car Seats

For the state of Ohio, this is the weight and age limit for booster seats. A booster seat can be used from 4 years or 40 pounds up to 8 years or 57 inches in height. From the back seat of the car is full of children in the car seats can the older child sit in the front in his booster seat? Typically, rear-facing and rear-facing car seats are used until the age of one or when the child reaches 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping children in rearward facing mode until they are 2 years old, simply because it is the safest way to drive. Rear-facing seats: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants and toddlers ride in rear-facing seats until they are two years old. Younger infants and toddlers are at higher risk of head and spinal cord injuries in a forward-facing car seat. Rear-facing seats provide better head support. Part of the problem with getting people to use car seats and booster seats is the difficulty of choosing a seat and determining when it`s time to move your child to another type of seat. To help address this issue, the Ministry of Transportation provides guidelines for choosing the right seat for your child. If you`re flying to Ohio, be sure to bring one of these passenger car seats. If you`re planning a family outing, consider one of these comfortable convertible car seats or comfortable booster seats. Check other car seat laws by state when planning your route. You can find Ohio`s official car seat law in Section 4511.81.

As an Ohio-based CPST, I have to admit that our laws make me shudder. You`d think we`d do better in a state that makes tons of car seats. Forward-facing seats: Children over two years of age (or who have become too tall for their rear-facing seat) should sit in a forward-facing car seat with a seat belt for as long as possible until they reach the weight and size limits of the rear-facing car seat. Children must sit in rear-facing seats for at least the first year and may remain in rear-facing seats until the age of 3. You should leave your child in the rear-facing seat until they reach the maximum size and weight recommended by the manufacturer. Then it`s time to switch to a forward-facing seat. Once your child has reached the height and weight limits for the forward-facing seat, it`s time to switch to a booster seat. Your child should remain in the booster seat until they can fasten a seat belt comfortably and correctly.

Keep in mind that you are required by law to keep your child in a child seat until they reach the age of 8 or are 4 feet 9 inches tall. Not everyone needs to put a child in a car seat. The requirement that children be housed in standard car seats, booster seats or seat belts does not apply to taxis or “public safety vehicles” such as ambulances, police cars, sheriff`s vehicles and fire trucks. State law requires that any child under the age of 4 or under 40 pounds be properly restrained in a child seat in a motor vehicle. Children 4 to 8 years of age who weigh more than 40 pounds and are less than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be properly restrained using a booster seat or other approved safety seat. Every child between the ages of 8 and 15 must wear a seat belt. The Ohio Department of Health has more information and resources, including access to car seats for eligible families. Your child should be kept in a rear-facing seat for as long as possible. It is safer than a forward-facing seat. Some car seats are child seats, which means they can only be placed rear-facing. The other car seats are convertible and can be used backwards or forwards. Convertible seats are usually equipped with higher size and weight restrictions than child seats, so you can keep your child in a rear-facing seat longer.

Current guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics are that children should remain rear-facing to the limits of their convertible car seat. Almost all convertible car seats today can accommodate children up to 40 pounds (they have varying size restrictions, so read your manual) – the height of an average 4-year-old – rear-facing. At Slater & Zurz LLP, we strongly encourage all parents and others transporting children to familiarize themselves with and comply with the traffic laws that require the use of standard car seats, booster seats, and lap and shoulder harnesses, and to comply with these laws at all times – the consequences of not following Ohio`s simple safety rules can be catastrophic.