Does your car seat meet US federal safety standards? The answer might surprise you.

Children in Washington state are required to use a car seat until they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall. Those under 4 years old must ride in a harnessed car seat, and if the child is under 2 years old, the car seat must be installed rear-facing.

With so many styles, brands and price points available, there is much to consider in choosing a safe seat for your child.

With the convenience of online shopping comes the increased risk of non-compliant car seats, which are sold by both familiar and unfamiliar websites. Non-compliant car seats include any seat that does not meet US federal safety standards. It might be a seat designed to meet standards in another country, or one that was designed with no safety standards at all. Be particularly wary of third-party retailers or websites that do not specialize in children’s products. Once the car seat arrives, examine it closely against the criteria listed below.

“We have had multiple families unknowingly bring in non-compliant car seats, expecting to use them to bring their child home from our hospitals,” says Erin Summa, MPH, health promotion program manager at Mary Bridge Children’s Center for Childhood Safety. “Parents are shocked to learn that their seat is unsafe, and are tremendously grateful when we catch it.”

Summa says there are many safe car seats to choose from, with a variety of features and price ranges to meet your needs.

“We recommend purchasing a new seat from a trusted retailer, taking the time to evaluate it for safety, and reaching out to a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) to learn how to use it correctly,” Summa says.

How can you tell if your car seat is legitimate?

Look for the labels. Every safe car seat sold and used in the United States must have a U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 product label somewhere on the car seat — look for that required language to be printed in red ink. This certifies the seat for use in motor vehicles.

Additional labels or stickers to look for include the car seat model number, expiration date (yes, car seats expire), manufacturer contact info, height and weight limitations and instructions for proper use. Missing or no labels is a sign the seat is non-compliant.

Take a close look at the materials it’s made from. You want your car seat to be made from sturdy crash-tested materials. Non-compliant car seats are often made from flimsy plastic you can bend and have few (if any) strong metal parts. They may have unusually thin harness webbing and are often missing a chest clip.

Verify the paperwork. Every car seat must come with a user manual with detailed instructions for installation and use of the product. The car seat must also come with a product registration card, model number and manufacture date, which are used in the event of manufacturer product recalls.

Buyer beware. Online shopping has increased the presence of non-compliant seats in the US. While some are intentional (and criminal) fakes of a legitimate make/model of car seat, many more are sold by manufacturers (and/or third-party sellers) without knowledge or expertise in safe car seat design. Others were designed to a foreign standard and were never intended for the US market. Regardless of the seller’s motivation, all of these non-compliant seats are illegal in the US.

One helpful resource is to check if your seat is on the car seat product list from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Additionally, Summa advises against buying a used car seat.

“Not only are you at an increased risk for non-compliant products, but also you run into things like expired, recalled or damaged car seats, or seats that were involved in car accidents and are no longer safe,” she says.

Get help

Still confused, or need help installing your child’s car seat? Mary Bridge Children’s has CPSTs available to answer your questions, or you can schedule a free car seat check.

Contact the Center for Childhood Safety for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Visit the Center for Childhood Safety for additional safety resources.