What you need to know about new child car seat standards coming Dec. 5

(Gray Media) – A new update to child car seat safety standards is fast approaching, changing the requirements for newly manufactured seats. Starting Dec. 5, 2026, updated federal testing standards will affect how covered car seats are tested for side-impact crashes and how child restraints are tested for frontal crashes. What’s changing?Side-impact protection: FMVSS 213aCovered car seats must meet a federal side-impact performance standard designed to reduce injuries and deaths in crashes where a vehicle is struck from the side.The test uses a simulated vehicle seat and door to assess how a child restraint performs in a side-impact crash. It’s meant to simulate the kind of collision often called a T-bone crash.The standard generally covers portable child restraints recommended for a weight range that includes children under 40 pounds or a height range that includes children under about 43 inches. That doesn’t mean a seat is exempt just because it can also be used by larger children.The