Weight Limit Changes and a Side Impact Standard: Finally!

UPDATED! Changes to weight limits and carseats tested to a national side impact standard are a couple of big changes coming to carseats!

  Wait—you mean we didn’t already have these things? No. Really, no we didn’t. But thanks to some regulatory changes, you’re going to start seeing these changes now.

All carseats used in vehicles in the U.S.—rear-facing only infant seats to belt-positioning booster seats—must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213. It’s been awhile since FMVSS 213 was updated and while all of the prior changes were important, we’ve anxiously been waiting for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to create a side impact testing standard. They finally did.

UPDATED June 19, 2025

On May 30, 2025, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) addressing 4 amendments to the new side impact standard. These amendments adjust the timeline of implementation and affect the dummies used for testing. We’re currently in a public comment period ending June 30, 2025. After that time, comments will be reviewed and a final decision made. Changes will be noted below with “update.”

Without getting into the nitty-gritty of the timeline for how long the latest changes to FMVSS 213 have taken, you know that since it’s a governmental agency, they’ve been a long time coming. However, there’s a difference in when the final rule is published versus when it becomes mandatory to be followed. It may take anywhere from one year to several years to take effect, depending on the complexity of the change.

While you may be concerned most about the side impact protection update, if you’re shopping for a new carseat this year, especially toward the end of the year, you will notice an update in labeling first.

Starting December 5, 2024, forward-facing minimum weight limits will increase to 26.5 lbs. NHTSA is doing this to encourage caregivers to rear-face for as long as possible by mandating it via manufacturer labeling and instructions.

Why 26.5 lbs.? It is the 25^th percentile weight for 24-month-olds so even the lightest kids will easily make it to age 2 rear-facing before being allowed to turn forward according to manufacturers’ instructions. The 26.5 lbs. number also corresponds to 12 kg, which is a nice, round (scientific) number.

NHTSA gives manufacturers leeway in what minimum weight limits to use for forward-facing after 26.5 lbs., so some, like Graco, will use the required 26.5 lbs., others may round up to 27 lbs., and others, like the new Joie Baby, will round up to 30 lbs. 

You’ll also see more user-friendly registration cards. Manufacturers will be able to use colors to highlight these cards and use QR codes to make carseat registration even easier. Carseat registration is an important tool for manufacturers to keep parents informed of recalls and they aren’t allowed to use them for marketing purposes.

While most parents and caregivers keep their kids rear-facing to at least 26.5 lbs. now, this new regulation will affect many. Now, onto the side impact standard that some manufacturers are already meeting with their carseats.

UPDATE

On June 30, 2025, the side impact standard goes on hold. It was supposed to take effect this day. The proposal is to delay implementation until December 5, 2026, which is the implementation date of the new frontal impact standard (see below). There are several reasons for this delay.

First, despite having so much time to anticipate the final date, manufacturers really only had 3 years notice once FMVSS 213a was published. For larger manufacturers with their own testing facilities, it was a doable process, but smaller manufacturers had to compete for lab time in two facilities in North America. NHTSA feels giving them an extra 15 months will give manufacturers enough time to complete testing for research and compliance, and will allow enough product to stay in retail so there won’t be shortages.

Next, smaller children should be restrained on school buses and there is a category of restraints specifically designed for school buses that will not pass the new side impact standard. These restraints look like harnesses but have solid bases. By amending the standard, NHTSA corrects the oversight that these are hybrid carseats with a specific purpose, especially for Pre-K, Head Start, and special needs students.

Third, FMVSS 213a uses the 12 mo old CRABI dummy to test head containment for rear-facing (see below). To maintain consistency across standards, NHTSA added the 12 mo old CRABI to the frontal impact standards of FMVSS 213b; however, Evenflo noticed an inconsistency regarding the testing requirements. The 12 mo old CRABI is used for testing FF carseats 10 kg (22 lbs.) to not more than 13.6 kg (30 lbs.). FMVSS 213b now requires FF carseats not be used for children weighing less than 12 kg (26.5 lbs.), so the 12 mo old CRABI dummy technically shouldn’t be used for testing.

There’s also a proposal to delete paragraphs pertaining to positioning the 12 mo old CRABI dummy in a FF restraint since it’s no longer relevant.

It applies to carseats rated to 40 lbs. or 43.3” so boosters won’t be evaluated for the official NHTSA side impact standard. How are carseats evaluated?

• Rear-facing only infant seats: an infant-sized dummy (called the CRABI 12-mo) is used to ensure the dummy stays inside the carseat and the carseat stays intact
• Convertible/all-in-one carseats: up to 40 lbs. or 43.3”, measure head and chest injury, and make sure carseat stays intact
• It uses the new test bench (see below) that is set up at 10° from perpendicular with a simulated door made of foam to represent a near-side impact
• This represents two vehicles traveling through an intersection
• The child restraint is placed off center to ensure interaction with the simulated door structure

What you will notice with carseats that meet the new side impact standard is larger headwings to keep the child’s head contained. While 81% of moderate-to-critical injuries in kids up to 3-year-olds are from side impacts, many of those could have been prevented from proper carseat use.

Finally, the biggest change to FMVSS 213 is what brings it to the 20^th century. I jest . . . somewhat.

FMVSS 213b becomes effective December 5, 2026, and updates the crash test bench assembly to be more representative of today’s vehicles. What does that mean? The crash test bench is originally based off a 1974 Chevrolet Impala. Take a moment and let that sink in. Or perhaps ask an elder what it was like to sink into the back seat of a boat like that. Those were squishy seats with lap-only belts. And that’s how we’re testing our current carseats.

What Are the Changes that Bring the Test Bench More Up-to-Date with Our Current Vehicle Fleet?

• Require testing with lap/shoulder belt: all passenger vehicles made after 1991 have lap/shoulder belts in the back seat, so it’s common sense to test our carseats with them.
• Lap-only belt testing will sunset on 9/1/29. What does this mean? NHTSA anticipates 90% of the vehicle fleet will have lap/shoulder belts in all seating positions. Lap/shoulder belts were required in the center back seat in 2008 so this tracks with vehicle fleet turnover.
• Stiffer foam prevents bottoming out: bottoming out occurs when the foam compresses to the point where the top and bottom parts meet. This can create energy transfer to the dummy in the carseat.

How Do These Changes Affect Me and My Child? Do I Need to Buy a New Carseat?

As a carseat enabler, I won’t stop you from buying a new carseat if you want one, but if your child fits in the one you own now, it fits in your vehicle well now, and you’re using it properly each ride, there’s absolutely no reason to buy a new carseat.

Manufacturers will not recall carseats because they don’t meet new standards. That’s not how it works.

These regulatory changes affect new carseats from the effective date forward and don’t mean that your current carseat is unsafe to use. Because the side impact standard has been in process for over 10 years, many manufacturers have already been doing some kind of side impact testing; perhaps not quite to the final standard, but close. Manufacturers may discontinue several models because they don’t meet new standards in one way or another, but that doesn’t mean they are unsafe to use; it means they don’t meet the new standards. In fact, manufacturers may put their current stock on sale to make way for the models with new labeling! Grab a deal!