Ford E-250 (2009 year). Manual — part 30

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children

Child size, height, weight, or age

Recommended
restraint type

Small
children

Children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child safety seat
(generally children who are less than
4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, are
greater than age four (4) and less than
age twelve (12), and between 40 lbs
(18 kg) and 80 lbs (36 kg) and upward
to 100 lbs (45 kg) if recommended by
your child restraint manufacturer)

Use a
belt-positioning
booster seat.

Larger
children

Children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a belt-positioning booster
seat (generally children who are at least
4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall or
greater than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb
(45 kg) if recommended by child
restraint manufacturer)

Use a vehicle
safety belt having
the lap belt snug
and low across the
hips, shoulder belt
centered across
the shoulder and
chest, and
seatback upright.

• You are required by law to properly use safety seats for infants and

toddlers in the U.S. and Canada.

• Many states and provinces require that small children use approved

booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 ft 9 in
(1.45 meters) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your local and state or
provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the safety of
children in your vehicle.

• When possible, always properly restrain children twelve (12) years of

age and under in a rear seating position of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seating positions than in a front seating position.

Seating and Safety Restraints

121

Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children

Restraint
Type

Child

Weight

Use any attachment method as indicated

below by “X”

LATCH
(lower
anchors
and
top
tether
anchor)

LATCH
(lower
anchors
only)

Safety
belt
and
top
tether
anchor

Safety
belt and
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor)

Safety
belt
only

Rear
facing
child seat

Up to
48 lb
(21 kg)

X

X

Forward
facing
child seat

Up to
48 lb
(21 kg)

X

X

X

Forward
facing
child seat

Over
48 lb
(21 kg)

X

X

WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air

bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the vehicle seat all the way back. When possible, all children age 12
and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. If
all children cannot be seated and restrained properly in a rear seating
position, properly restrain the largest child in the front seat.

Seating and Safety Restraints

122

WARNING: Always carefully follow the instructions and
warnings provided by the manufacturer of any child restraint to

determine if the restraint device is appropriate for your child’s size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions and warnings provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by the vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child’s height, age, or weight or does not
properly fit the child may increase the risk of serious injury or death.

WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the

child from injury in a collision, which may result in serious injury or
death.

WARNING: Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child.
They can slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or

death in a collision.

WARNING: Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster
seat. These objects may become projectiles in a collision or

sudden stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.

WARNING: Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder
belt under a child’s arm or behind the back because it reduces

the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk
of injury or death in a collision.

WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.

Seating and Safety Restraints

123

Transporting children

Always make sure your child is secured properly in a device that is
appropriate for their age, height and weight. All children are shaped
differently. The child height, age and weight thresholds provided are
recommendations or the minimum requirements of law. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides education and
training to ensure that all children ages 0 to 16 are properly restrained in
the correct restraint system. Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and your
pediatrician to make sure your seat is appropriate for your child and
properly installed in the vehicle. To locate a child seat fitting station and
CPST contact the NHTSA toll free at 1-888-327-4236 or on the internet
at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Follow all the safety restraint and airbag precautions that apply to adult
passengers in your vehicle.

If the child is the proper height, age, and weight (as specified by your
child safety seat or booster manufacturer), fits the restraint and can be
restrained properly, then restrain the child in the child safety seat or
with the belt-positioning booster. Remember that child seats and
belt-positioning boosters vary and may be designed to fit children of
different heights, ages and weights. Children who are too large for child
safety seats or belt-positioning boosters (as specified by your child safety
seat manufacturer) should always properly wear safety belts.

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN

Infant and/or toddler seats

Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the child.

When installing a child safety seat:
• Review and follow the information

presented in the Airbag
supplemental restraint system
(SRS) section in this chapter.

• Carefully follow all of the

manufacturer’s instructions
included with the safety seat you
put in your vehicle. If you do not
install and use the safety seat
properly, the child may be injured
in a sudden stop or collision.

Seating and Safety Restraints

124