What are the Common Car Seat Safety Mistakes and Tips?

Car seats provide invaluable protection to our children and greatly reduce their risk of severe injuries in the event of a car accident. Unfortunately, these devices are also notoriously hard to use and install. Despite cries from parents and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to make car seats more intuitive, approximately 75% of them are installed incorrectly or are incorrectly used. Improper installation or use could cause your car seat to be ineffective in a crash. Here’s what you need to know about the most common car seat safety mistakes – and what you can do to ensure your little ones enjoy maximum safety on the road.

According to car seat inspectors, the number one mistake that parents make is installing the car seat with a loose fit. To test yours, try moving it to the right, then to the left, then forward. If you can budge it more than an inch in any direction, it’s too loose. To fix the problem, push your knee into the seat and bear your entire weight on the seat to create more slack on the LATCH straps or seatbelt, and pull (it helps to have two people if possible – one to push into the seat, and one to pull on the strap). If you’re using a seat belt installation, make sure the seat belt locks – if your car was made prior to 1996, you might need to use the provided locking clip.

One of the most common mistakes that parents make is turning their children around too soon. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, your child should weigh at least 20 pounds and be at least 2 years old before making the switch to forward facing.

Ideally, children should be rear facing until they reach the maximum height or weight for forward facing, whichever comes sooner. Some car seat experts recommend that children remain rear facing until age 4, but this isn’t always possible. If your child is over the age of 2, over 20 pounds, and is constantly fussing from having little legroom, it’s okay to turn him or her around.

Your infant seat should be at a 45-degree angle in the backseat. Some car seats come equipped with a level to help you determine the correct position, but you might not realize it. Checking the angle on your infant seat is essential for a simple reason: Your newborn’s windpipe is very small, about the size of soda straw. Their heads are also disproportionately large and heavy. A car seat that leans too far forward could cause your baby’s head to roll forward and cut off his or her air supply.

Fortunately, you can fix this problem by using the level. If your car’s rear bench leans too far back to achieve the right angle, try shoving cut up pool noodles or tightly rolled towels under the seat at baby’s feet.

Once you install your car seat correctly, you still have the harness itself to contend with. When buckling your child into the seat, make sure the five-point harness is tight enough (you should not be able to pinch any excess strap). You should also position the retaining clip at nipple level to avoid severe injury.

Car seat safety may be confusing, but it’s also essential to preventing significant injury in the event of a car accident. If you have any questions about your car seat installation, find an inspector in your area to check your work. Your local police or fire station is likely to have a car seat inspector on staff.

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