Child restraints

Where children should sit

Cars with more than 1 row of seats

  • Babies and children up to 4 years old must not sit in the front seat.
  • Children aged 4 to 6 years can only sit in the front seat if all other seats are occupied by children under 7 years old.
  • Children 7 years and over can sit in the front seat.

Cars with only 1 row of seats

  • Children of any age can sit in the front seat as long as they are properly restrained.
  • If a car has a passenger airbag, a rear-facing child restraint shouldn't be used in the front seat if the restraint is positioned close to the airbag.

In this guide

  1. Types of child restraints
  2. When to move to the next type of restraint
  3. Installing a child restraint
  4. Where children should sit
  5. Exemptions from complying with standard child restraint laws

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Child restraint video guides

Watch our series of videos showing how to install and use a child restraint on the StreetSmarts website.