New child car seat regulations coming June 30th | What parents need to know

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- New car seat regulations are going into effect on June 30th, designed to make your child's ride even safer.

Any car seat manufactured after that date must meet the updated requirements, which government safety officials say will reduce the number of children injured and killed in side-impact crashes.

New federal rules require every child car seat restraint system now go through the same rigorous testing.

"So, every car seat is gonna be tested for a 30 mile per hour side impact crashed test," said Melissa Bykofsky.

Bykofsky, the Executive Editor of What to Expect, said this adds another layer of protection.

"This adds side impact testing, right now the current standard is just front impact," she said.

So parents - if you'll soon be in the market for a new car seat, look for a manufacture date after June 30, 2025 or ask the manufacturer if the car seat already complies with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 213a.

Many on the market already do.

"It is so important to make sure you buy your car seat direct from a manufacturer and that can happen through a retailer," said Bykofsky.

Just make sure it's a reputable, trusted retailer and not an unknown third party vendor. Safety experts also advise against buying used.

And no matter who you buy from, also check the label for the expiration date.

"So if you're not happy with that date, if it's earlier than you want it to be, you can return it without having opened it," she added.

And finally, rest assured. Safety experts say existing car seats are safe to use as long as they're properly installed and not expired or recalled.

Car seat height and weight restrictions have also changed under the new requirements.

Infant car seats now must have a maximum weight limit of 30 pounds, if only tested with the 12 month old test dummy.

Minimum weight on forward facing seats is now 26.5 pounds and 40 pounds on booster seats.