by Rachelle Bowman

Created on: November 29, 2010

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that from 1975 to 2008, nearly 9,000 children's lives were saved by appropriate use of a car seat. One of the greatest factors in appropriate use is choosing the correct car seat for your child. Many fantastic car seats exist today. When looking for an appropriate seat for you child, you must sort through all the options to find the seat that best matches your child's individual needs.

1. Know your state's laws.

 Every state has different laws for use of car seats, including how long to use it rear-facing, forward-facing and when to transition to a booster seat. The first factor in choosing a car seat is knowing these laws and making sure that the seat you choose meets those requirements.

 2. Know the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.

 The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that an infant remain rear-facing until at least one year and 20 pounds or until the child reaches the maximum rear-facing weight limit on the car seat. That means if your seat can be in the rear-facing position until 30 pounds, your child should remain rear-facing until that weight is reached. A young child's head is very large in proportion to his body and the neck muscles continue to gain strength all the way to age three. Keeping your child in a seat that rear-faces as long as possible will ensure your child's neck has plenty of time to develop.

 The AAP also recommends that children remain in a forward-facing car seat with a five point harness until they outgrow the weight or height limits. Choosing a seat with the highest forward-facing weight limit that you can afford to purchase will ensure that your child can remain safely in a five-point harness car seat for as long as possible. Maturity-wise, a child under the age of four should never be in a booster seat because very young children tend to pull the seat belt and tuck it behind their backs or loosen it, leaving them vulnerable in a crash situation.

 The AAP also says that children should be in either a five point harness or booster seat until they are at least 4 feet and 9 inches tall. Seat belts in cars are not safe for a person under this height without a booster seat to make the belt hit at the right position on the shoulder and hips. Most children will not reach this height until sometime between 8 and 12 years old.

 3. Know your child.

 Consider your child's growth rate. A child who grows fast and is consistently

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