Choosing a Car Seat When You're a Foster Parent

Apr 17, 2024 | by Emily Anthony

Expectant parents have many important decisions to make, not the least of which is choosing a car seat to safely bring home their new bundle of joy. But what if you’re a foster or adoptive parent, and you don’t know how old your bundle of joy will be, when they’re coming…or even how many of them there will be?

In my experience as both a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and a foster care intake worker, I have some advice to help expectant foster and adoptive parents make their best choice. Before diving into my recommendations, I would like to give some general suggestions:

1. Buy new. While secondhand or hand me down car seats may be appealing financially, there could be some serious safety risks with them. They may have been used, stored, or cleaned incorrectly, they could be expired or recalled, or they could have been in an accident (even a minor one) that compromised their safety. In our area, foster closets can often help if cost is a concern. The good news is that when used properly, even very inexpensive (under $100) seats are perfectly safe.
2. Buy from a reputable source. Illegal and counterfeit car seats are increasingly becoming more and more of a problem. The best way to make sure you are getting a legitimate seat is to buy it from a reputable retailer. Big box stores like Target or Walmart, smaller brick and mortar baby boutiques, and car seat manufacturers’ own websites are all safe bets. Just be aware of buying online from sites like Walmart and Amazon that allow listings from third-party sellers – make sure your seat is coming from the company themselves.
3. Buy for a specific child. While it can be so tempting for newly approved foster parents to prepare a “stash” of car seats, I don’t recommend this because every child’s needs are unique, and a car seat that would work well for one child may not work well for another. We are happy to let you borrow an appropriate car seat when you get a new placement until you are able to purchase one for them, or obtain one from a local foster closet. Our staff CPST’s are also happy to work with you one on one to figure out which seat would work best for your new foster child.

Now, let’s get started! There are several things you want to consider when selecting a car seat for a child:

Age

The child’s age is an important factor, especially since Pennsylvania law dictates the minimum ages that children can be moved from one seat type to another. Children under the age of 2 must legally be rear-facing, children under the age of 4 must be harnessed, and children under the age of 8 must be in a belt-positioning booster seat. We advocate following best practices, which would be to keep a child rear-facing until they max out the height or weight limits for their seat (often age 3 or older), keep them harnessed until they meet minimum height and weight requirements for a booster seat AND are developmentally ready to sit properly 100% of the time (usually around age 5-6), and then keep them in a booster seat until they can achieve a proper seat belt fit without it (usually around age 10-12).

Height and Weight

Age is only one factor – and one that you will almost always know before accepting a placement (although, it’s not unthinkable to be told a child is 2 only to find out they’re actually 23 months). Height and weight, although very important to choosing a car seat, might not be known until the child is actually in your home. This is another reason I recommend waiting until your placement arrives to determine what kind of seat they will need. Here are some examples of children for whom height and weight are very important factors:

• A newborn baby who is under 5 pounds, and needs to have an infant seat that accommodates very small babies
• A very large 19 month old who will need a seat with higher rear-facing limits
• A very tiny 5 year old who does not yet meet minimum requirements for booster seats
• A 9 year old, whose height and weight will need to be evaluated to see if she can get a proper seat belt fit or needs to use a booster seat

Developmental Level

Another important consideration, especially for foster children, is their developmental level. We know from studying the effects of trauma on the brain that many children from hard places are developmentally younger than their chronological age. In addition, many of the children we care for have medical or developmental challenges that could affect the kind of car seat that might be best for them. For example:

• Babies and young children who have motor delays and low muscle tone may benefit from being more reclined for a longer time.
• Children with autism or impulsive behaviors may benefit from being harnessed for a longer time
• Children who escape from their harnesses may benefit from specialized “escape proof” seats
• Children with various medical needs may require specialized seats or modifications

Fit in the Vehicle

Another important thing to consider is whether there are any factors specific to your vehicle that could impact the fit of a car seat. Since all vehicles are different, some fit certain kinds of car seats better. Some specific things to consider:

• Do you need a very slim seat to fit 3 across?
• Do you need a very compact front-to-back seat to accommodate a taller front seat passenger?
• Do your seats have removable headrests? (Some car seats require this to achieve a proper fit.)
• What are the locations of your tether anchors? (These are needed for forward facing car seats.)

Ability of the Caregiver to use it Properly Every Time

A lot of people are drawn to car seats that have fancy “bells and whistles.” Some of these are awesome convenience and even safety features, but a seat can only be safe if it is used properly every time. Therefore, it is important to consider this when purchasing a seat. Some areas to consider:

• If a seat has lots of complicated, specific installation instructions it might not be a good choice if you’re planning to move it from vehicle to vehicle frequently.
• If there are multiple inserts, pillows, and supports, make sure you read the manual thoroughly to determine their requirements for use and when they must be removed.
• If cupholders are included, check the manual to see if they are required – believe it or not, some seats can’t be used without them!
• Remember not to add any after-market products unless they are allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer: for example, vehicle seat protectors.

I realize that all of this information can be super overwhelming – so let’s walk through a few practice situations together!

Practice Situation #1: Cora

Cora is a 3-year-old girl in foster care. You are told that she has experienced neglect in her birth home, and has some developmental delays and possibly autism. When she arrives at your home, you notice immediately that she is very tiny for her age. You weigh and measure her and find that she weighs 22 pounds and is 32 inches tall.

• Age – based on her age, she must legally be harnessed since she is under the age of 4. Since she is over the age of 2, she can be forward facing or rear facing.
• Height and weight – based on her height and weight, she just barely meets the minimum forward facing limits for most convertible car seats on the market. She also has quite a bit of growth left before she will outgrow the maximum rear facing limits for many of these seats as well.
• Developmental level – You notice that Cora does seem to have some developmental delays. She babbles more than she speaks, and she is not yet toilet trained. However, she does not try to escape from the car seat.
• Fit in the vehicle – Cora will be the only backseat passenger in the vehicle. You drive a larger SUV with removable headrests.
• Ability of the caregiver to use it properly every time – Cora has several therapy appointments each week, as well as family visits. However, you will be the one transporting her to all of these places and the car seat will remain in your vehicle. You will be the primary person using the car seat at all times.

What kind of seat would you pick for Cora? If Cora were my placement, as a CPST I would be putting her rear-facing. Even though she *technically* meets forward-facing minimums, she is right at the bottom so one stomach bug might dip her below. I also know that she is well within the rear-facing limits so she will be safest that way.

Since I don’t have any vehicle concerns, my options for seats are pretty open. Some convenience features I may look for are seats that have easy to clean fabric, since potty training will likely be in our future, and possibly a seat with extra comfort padding, since she will be riding in the car a lot. I may take Cora to a store like Target and let her sit in a few seats and tell me which one feels the most comfortable to her. She may even get excited about a certain color. Giving her some choice into the matter may help her to be more agreeable about getting into the seat so often. I may also think about choosing a special toy for her that she can hold in the car to keep her hands busy so she doesn’t start playing with her car seat buckle and potentially becoming an escape artist!

Practice Situation #2: Tyler

Tyler is a 9-year-old boy who you are matched with as a pre-adoptive family. He is transitioning to your home from a residential treatment facility. In the RTF, when they went on community outings he rode in a van without a booster seat. Since you are able to receive his recent medical records in advance, you already know that he is 56” tall and weighs 78 pounds.

• Age – since Tyler is over the age of 8, PA law no longer requires him to ride in a booster seat.
• Height and weight – based on his height and weight, it is very likely that Tyler will not get a good belt fit without the use of a booster seat. Remember that for most kids, this happens at around age 10-12 (57” inches and 80 pounds). Tyler is within the height and weight limits for many booster seats.
• Developmental level – Because Tyler is used to riding without a booster, and because he is older, he is hesitant to ride in one, stating that “car seats are for babies.”
• Fit in the vehicle – Tyler will be riding in both parents’ vehicles at different times. You drive a minivan, where he will be riding along with his two foster siblings. His father drives a sedan; when he is riding with Dad, he will typically be the only passenger. He will also likely be riding with friends’ parents from time to time.
• Ability of the caregiver to use it properly every time – Tyler will be riding in different vehicles and with different caregivers. They may not all be familiar with booster seats. Therefore, it will be helpful for Tyler to be able to become independent with using his booster.

What kind of seat would you pick for Tyler? Well, first of all, you would need to decide if you’re going to choose a seat for him at all. As a CPST, I personally would advocate for using a booster seat for Tyler because I know that it would provide him with a safer belt fit and less likelihood of being injured in a crash. Because of his age and reluctance to use a booster, I would be searching for a booster that doesn’t scream “car seat” to any of his friends who may see it. Probably something small/low profile, and similar in color to the vehicle upholstery. I would also be looking for something lightweight and compact since he will be moving it from one vehicle to another. There is even one option that is inflatable and can fit into a backpack!

Practice Situation #3: Ava and Addison

This is my favorite situation to think about because it is the one that I personally lived! When I was a newly licensed foster parent, I received a call for 5 week old twin girls, Ava and Addison (names have been changed for the purpose of this post). The girls had been born prematurely and were in the NICU. I was asked to meet the caseworker at the hospital in just a few hours to bring Ava home. The caseworker did not have any information about her height or weight. Addison would remain in the NICU until she was medically ready for discharge, and then I would be bringing her home as well.

• Age – being only 5 weeks old, there is absolutely no doubt that the twins should be rear facing!
• Height and weight – The girls’ heights and weights were unknown. However, being that they were born prematurely and just being discharged from the NICU, it is important to be prepared for very small babies. As I learned when I met Ava later that morning, she weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces and was 17” long. Therefore, she needed an infant seat that could accommodate a baby weighing less than 5 pounds. Addison, on the other hand, was 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 19” long, so within the limits for a wider range of seats.
• Developmental level – As newborns, the girls needed to be fully reclined in order to protect their airways since they had no head control yet.
• Fit in the vehicle – At the time, I drove a small-ish vehicle, with the twins being the only backseat passengers. I occasionally had a front seat passenger.
• Ability of the caregiver to use it properly every time – Weight was certainly a factor for the infant carriers, since I needed to carry two at a time! Also, using infant seats (which click in and out of a base) rather than convertible seats (which stay in the car) was helpful since I was managing two very tiny babies.

The other reason this is my favorite situation to use for training might be surprising – it’s because I messed it up, royally. Back then, I didn’t know nearly as much as I know now. I didn’t know the minimum weight limit for Ava’s car seat, and I used a secondhand car seat from an unknown person for Addison. I added aftermarket products to both of the girls’ seats. I allowed them to sleep in their seats inside the house after we got home (another no-no, as car seats outside of the car are not considered a safe sleeping surface). I was kind of trying to figure everything out as I went along, and while I did the best I could, I didn’t have the knowledge or resources I needed to make the safest choices.

When I became a CPST, I felt so incredibly empowered. It isn’t that I know everything there is to know about car seats – but I have the resources at my fingertips now to figure out the answers to questions as they arise, and a community of other technicians to help me troubleshoot challenging problems. My goal is to pass this empowerment along to other foster and adoptive families, so that they can make safe, well-informed decisions about their precious children’s safety as well. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me (emily.anthony@use.salvationarmy.org) or our other agency CPST, Nicole (Nicole.hirschman@use.salvationarmy.org).

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