5 ON YOUR SIDE: Infant Car Seats

5 on your side: Car Seat Tests

Tougher safety rules are on the way for car seats, focusing on dangerous side-impact crashes. The goal: better crash protection for your little one. For years, child car seat manufacturers have made claims about side-impact protection, but there’s been no industry standard to back it up.

Soon, that will change with a new federal rule requiring new seats to be crash tested in a simulated side-impact collision.

“Previously, the car seat regulations were only looking at frontal impact protection. But now they’ve been updated to also focus on side impact protection, which is great because we know that there is a high risk of injury and fatality with side crashes,” Consumer Reports Auto Safety Expert, Emily A. Thomas, PhD said.

When the new regulation will take effect is still being decided, but there is good news for parents: The new regulation doesn’t mean you need a new car seat. Your current car seat is already tested to a tough standard and will keep your child safe!

Consumer Reports conducts independent crash testing for car seats that goes beyond the federal standard. They also test how easy each seat is to use and how well it fits in a variety of cars.

Shopping for a new seat? You can check the packaging or the company’s website to see if it has been tested with the new side-impact standard. The ClekLiing is Consumer Reports’ 2025 top pick for infant car seats, and it complies with the new safety standard, according to the manufacturer.

CR says you can make sure that your child is safe for every car ride by routinely checking the car seat installation to be nice and tight and by making sure they’re properly harnessed.
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