Child Passenger Safety Program

Why Child Passenger Safety Matters

Did you know that car seats and booster seats can help save lives? Car crashes are the leading cause of severe injury and death for children from birth to 8 years of age. Most of these injuries and deaths can be prevented by choosing the right seat and installing it correctly. Choose the appropriate car seat or booster seat based on your child’s age, height, and weight. Additionally, always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions and read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat or booster seat. Make sure to fit the child into the correct car seat or booster seat up to the maximum age, weight, and height requirements.  

Get Help With Your Car Seat(s)

Not sure your car seat is installed correctly? Have questions about the right seat for your child? Get your car seat checked at our fitting station.

Car seat check-ups are offered by appointment only on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at Public Health Services’ fitting station. At the fitting station, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will help parents and caregivers install their car seats and booster seats correctly and provide one-on-one education on car seat use.

Free Car Seat Check-Ups

420 S. Wilson Way
Stockton, CA 95205
Phone: (209) 468-8914
Wednesdays | 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
By appointment only

 

 

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Additional Resources

This kind of car seat is designed to carry newborns or infants from 4-30 pounds. It has a detachable base and can be used as a carrier itself. It may either be installed with lower anchors or seat belt but not at the same time. We want to use the harness slots that are at or below the child’s shoulder. This helps prevent the child from sliding up during car crashes.

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This type of car seat is designated to be used as rear facing up until the child reaches the maximum weight, height, and age limits stated by the car seat manual. The minimum and maximum weight for rear facing is usually 5 to 40 pounds. Once the child reaches the requirements, then they can be forward facing. For forward facing, the maximum weight is usually somewhere between 50 and 65 pounds. But make sure to keep the child facing rear facing as long as possible up to the maximum weight, height, and age limits of the car seat.

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This car seat is a forward-facing car seat which can turn into booster mode later once the child reaches the maximum weight, height, and age limit of forward-facing car seat. For forward facing seats, the maximum weight for harness use is usually about 65 pounds. With this kind of car seat, it can also be turned into booster mode. Make sure to keep the child sitting in a car seat with harness straps up to the maximum weight, height, and age limit of the car seat before turning it into booster mode. To become a booster seat, take off the 5-point harness and the buckle.

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  • There are 2 types of boosters – boosters with backs and backless boosters. The minimum and maximum weight for booster seats is 40 to 110 pounds. They must be at least 4 years old to ride in a booster seat.
  • There is a 5 step test to see whether the child meets the requirement to sit without a booster seat. They must still be sitting in a booster seat until the child is 8 years old, 4 feet 9 inches tall, and at least over 100 pounds.
  • Here is the 5 Steps Test to Sit Without a Booster Seat:
    • Back against the vehicle seatimage-12
    • Knees bend at the edge of the seat
    • Lap belt on top of the thighs, not on the belly
    • Shoulder belt between neck and shoulder
    • Sit properly, no slouching, no playing with the seatbelt

 

Referral Form

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Due to limited amount of car seats that we can give away and only provide it to families that are absolutely unable to purchase a car seat of their own, part of the qualification to receive a no-cost car seat from us is that parents will need to get a referral from an organization. 

This referral form is more for community-based organizations to fill out for parents who are in need of car seats for their child(ren).