• Indiana has a set of stringent laws that must be followed for baby seats.child in the car image by Natalia Pavlova from Fotolia.com
  
  Most states recommend that you not place children in the front seat of a vehicle or in front of an airbag until they are at least 13 years-of-age. But younger children in Indiana have more stringent laws on the type of seat they should be in, what direction they face and how snug the car seat should be.
  
  

Type of Seats

• Indiana state laws require that all children must be seated in one of three types of car seats until they reach the age of eight years old and are 57-inches tall. Infant seats are required for newborns and babies that are up to one-year old and up to 20 pounds. These are either infant-only seats or rear-facing convertible seats. At the age of one-year and upon weighing over 20 pounds, infants can graduate to a child seat (many infant-only seats are convertible seats and can be turned to face forward). Babies cannot be introduced to booster seats until the age of four (and over 40 pounds). They can then be removed from the seats when they are at least eight years old and 57-inches tall, but must still remain in the back seat.
  
  

Seat Positions

• The position of baby seats is just as important as the type of seats that infants occupy. It is pertinent that infant seats, whether they are specialty or convertible seats, are positioned facing to the rear and reclined at 45 degrees. Indiana recommends the middle seat in the back to avoid complications from side collisions. Child seats and booster seats can be positioned to face forward in a fully-upright position, but are still recommended to be in the middle seat in the back.
  
  

Strapping Requirements

• Drivers must be diligent to make sure that a child is strapped in properly, otherwise the child seat may fail. Infant seats need to be secured with a harness strap near the shoulders or right below and set snugly. Indiana laws recommend a fit that allows two or less fingers to fit in between the child and the strap. The chest clip on the seat should fall at the level of the armpit. For child seats, the harness strap should lie at or above the shoulders and the chest clip should remain at the armpit level. Booster seats should be accommodated using the built-in shoulder guides. Children should also be buckled in without a heavy coat on to prevent loose straps.