Avoid These 4 Mistakes When Putting a Child in a Car Seat

Mistakes are easy to make when a car seat harness is not used correctly. Parents may say they don’t have the time to read through the manual.

That is understandable, but we all want our kids to be safe, right?

Then parents might ask, are the steps to put the child in the car seat, put the straps around him/her, and buckle? 

Well, there’s more to it than these simple steps.

First off, ask a couple of questions:

• Is your child in a rear-facing or forward-facing seat? See this other article for direction guidance.
• Do I know the terminology of a car seat? Check out cdc.gov for car seat terminologies.
• Is your car seat still invalid for used car seats? You can check the expiration date on the car seat to avoid the materials getting out of shape.

Secondly, we outlined four quick tips below to help you avoid and navigate through car seat usage and keep your precious child well-protected in case of an accident.

1. Harness straps are not at the right position - Here is the guideline from Healthy children - if your child is rear-facing, the harness strap should be at or below shoulders, whereas in forward-facing, the harness strap should be at or above shoulders. That is because a forward crash might slide your child toward the top of the car seat, and you want the harness straps to be in the right place so that your child doesn’t slide up or out of the car seat.
2. Chest clasp isn’t at armpit level - Yes, the chest clip is meant to break during a crash, but it will prevent the straps from separating if the clip is not at armpit level. If it’s too high, it will compress your child’s throat; too low, and the impact might damage internal organs.
3. Harness straps are too loose - Have you heard the saying that the harness straps should be snug as a hug? If you haven’t, now you have. A “pinch test” is recommended. Once you buckle your child into the car seat, pinch the harness at the shoulder to check if it can be pinched together. If so, then the rein is too loose, and we don’t want that because your child can come out of the straps in case of a crash.
4. Use bulky clothing - Too many clothes or too bulky of a jacket can compress a child during a collision or prevent the buckles from connecting. You can dress the child in a thin layer and put a warm blanket on top of him/her after you buckle him/her.
5. Not using the back seat for the car seat - Generally, this should not be a key concern since the back seats are usually the most suitable location to place a car seat. However, we still wanted to call out that the center seat and back seat are generally the safest spots in the car for kids, especially for babies in the rear-facing seat.

Lastly, for an infographic of the most common mistakes, please check out cdc.gov.

To learn more about car seat guidelines, check out the article here.

We also included some quick tips to help parents with car seat installation: 

As handy as many parents might be, lots of them don’t have a clear answer to this question, did I install my child’s car seat correctly?

Reports show only 15% of car seats are properly installed. To keep them safe on the road, it is critical to install the car seat accurately while driving. Especially when you’re a new parent, a car seat must be properly secured before taking your baby home (otherwise the nurse will not let the baby out of her sight!)

As much as this might be a daunting task, it is necessary to complete it properly. There are many resources online and offline. So don’t be afraid to ask for help! We’ve listed three below as a starting point:

1. Review manufacturer's manuals for a full list of instructions and safety recommendations

2. Test your installation at a child car-seat inspection station or by a certified child passenger safety technician

3. Road safety resources from the AAA Car Seat Guide and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

To learn more about car seat guidelines, check out the article here.

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