So What Are the Car Seat Laws in Saskatchewan?

01/11/2017

Last night we had our first Mom to Be group of 2017 and Travis from the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute  joined us to teach the soon-to-be parents about car seat safety. I’ve been to many of these presentations but always seem to learn something new. Today I was driving down Circle Drive and noticed a lot of movement in the back seat of the car in front of me. When I got beside them I saw a little boy running back and forth in the back seat. The boy seemed to be about 3 years old or so and was in the back seat with an adult woman (there were 2 more women in the front seat). I couldn’t believe it, where these women really driving 90 km/h down Circle Drive with a child literally jumping up and down on the back seat. At first I thought “maybe they don’t know about the car seat laws”, So What Are the Car Seat Laws in Saskatchewan?

Rear Facing Car Seats 

All babies need to start out rear facing. There are 2 car seat options – an infant carrier (which comes in and out of the car and has a base that stays in the car) and a convertible seat (which stays in the car). When rear facing the harness straps must be at or below the baby’s shoulders. These seats can be installed using the Universal Anchorage System (UAS) or using the car’s seatbelt.

When do I switch my baby from their infant carrier?

Check your seats own manual for the height and weight limit. Another measurement company’s are starting to use is baby’s head is at least 1 inch below top of seat

When do I switch my baby from rear facing to forward facing?

Your child must be 1 year of age, walking unassisted AND 22 lbs to switch from rear to forward facing. They must meet all 3 of these requirements. When my daughter turned 1 she was walking unassisted but was only 18 lbs, she wasn’t 22 lbs until her 2nd birthday so we legally could not switch her forward facing until she was 2. Although the law states 1 year it is recommended to keep baby rear facing until at least the age of 2, if not longer, some car seats have the capability to rear face until 40 to 45 lbs, which could be age 3 or 4 depending on the child.  It is recommended that children stay in any seating position (rear or forward) until they reach the maximum weight recommended by the manufacturer for that seating position.

Different from rear facing, once forward facing the harness straps will be at or above baby’s shoulders

Booster Seats 

As of June of 2014, it is law in Saskatchewan that children must use a booster until age 7, or weigh 36 kgs (80 lbs.) AND stand 145 cm (4’9”) tall.

Did you know that in Saskatchewan you can get your car seat checked by a car seat technician for Free? Check out the upcoming car seat clinics here

Sources – SGI, Saskatchewan Prevention Institute