Car Seat Rules for Bringing Your Baby Home in New York and Connecticut

The ride home starts before the due date

The first trip in the car is often the most nervous drive of your life. You are sore, the baby looks tiny in the seat, and the straps never seem right. A little work before the birth makes that drive calmer.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says all infants should ride rear-facing, starting with their first ride home from the hospital. It also suggests that expectant parents work with a certified child passenger safety technician before the baby is born. Put the seat on your list next to the bag in our hospital bag checklist, and install it well before your due date so you are not learning in the hospital garage.

What New York law says

The New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee says state law has required children to ride in an appropriate child restraint system until age 8 since April 1, 1982. Effective November 1, 2019, the law states that all children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat.

The committee also recommends keeping infants and toddlers rear-facing until they reach the weight or height limit of the seat. It notes that most children outgrow a rear-facing infant seat before their second birthday, and then need a larger rear-facing convertible or all-in-one seat. The New York State Department of Health gives the same advice: rear-facing until at least age 2 and up to the seat’s highest weight or height limit.

The Department of Health also warns about counterfeit car seats, which will not protect children in a crash. The AAP adds that a seat with no label showing the date of manufacture and model number may be counterfeit, and you cannot check it for recalls.

What Connecticut law says

Connecticut’s rule is in the state statutes, section 14-100a. Anyone transporting a child under two years of age or weighing less than thirty pounds must have the child ride rear-facing in a child restraint system with a five-point harness. The statute also bars a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a working passenger-side air bag.

The Connecticut DMV sums up the later steps: children two to five years old or under 40 pounds use a seat with a five-point harness, and children five to eight years old or between 40 and 60 pounds use a booster seat or a five-point harness. Like New York, the DMV recommends rear-facing until your child reaches the seat’s maximum weight or height.

Many families here live in one state and give birth or work in the other. The good news for a newborn is that both laws point the same way: rear-facing, in the back seat, in a seat that fits. If you have a question about the law itself, the DMV or the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee can answer it.

Check the fit before every ride

Each seat and car is different, so read both manuals. These checks come from the AAP:

• Harness straps go through the slots at or below your baby’s shoulders in a rear-facing seat.
• The harness is snug: you cannot pinch any slack in the strap at the shoulder.
• The chest clip sits at the center of the chest, even with the armpits.
• The seat moves less than an inch side to side or front to back at the belt path.
• The recline indicator shows the right angle, so your baby’s head does not flop forward.
• Never place a rear-facing seat in front of an active passenger air bag.
• Skip bulky coats and snowsuits under the straps. Dress your baby in thin layers and lay a coat or blanket over the buckled harness.
• Avoid a used seat if you do not know its history, and do not use a seat that has been in a moderate or severe crash.
• Register the seat with the maker so you hear about recalls.

Free help from a certified technician

A doula is not a car seat installer. If you want someone to check your seat, look for a certified child passenger safety technician, often called a CPST. The AAP points families to the National Child Passenger Safety Certification program’s “Find a Tech” search, which also lists technicians who speak Spanish and other languages.

In New York, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee keeps a fitting station directory you can filter by county, including Westchester, Putnam and the New York City boroughs. Call ahead to ask about appointments. In Connecticut, the DMV says fitting stations offer free child safety seat checks and education, and suggests calling the fire or police station in your town. Some locations are by appointment only.

If your baby is born early, the AAP says babies born preterm should be screened in the hospital to make sure they can sit safely in a semi-reclined seat. Ask the nursery team about this before discharge.

NYC taxis and car services, and the first weeks at home

Many Manhattan and Brooklyn families do not own a car. The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission says passengers may bring and use their own car seats and booster seats in TLC-licensed vehicles, and that some car services provide seats on request. The TLC keeps a list of those services. The AAP notes that a car seat can be installed with either the vehicle’s seat belt or its lower anchors, and that the seat belt must lock to hold the seat tightly. Practice the seat belt method before the birth, since you will use it in a taxi.

A car seat is for travel only. The AAP says that if your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller or swing, you should move them to a firm, flat sleep surface on their back as soon as you can.

Once you are home, a postpartum doula can help with the parts that are not about the car: rest, feeding, and finding your feet. Northeast Doulas’ postpartum support “can begin as soon as you get home with your new baby.” See our postpartum doula page, the guide to newborn tests in the hospital, and how to make a postpartum plan.