Car Seat Mistakes And Solutions

Do you have kids? If the answer is yes, then congratulations! Kids are great! Next question: do you have a car? If that answer is also yes, then you may want to keep reading this blog. There are a lot of car seat mistakes that parents make, and wouldn’t it be great to know that you’re not making them? Keep your precious cargo safer than ever by following these simple tips. The best part is that they’re all free!

Your car seat might not be installed tightly enough. The seat shouldn’t move more than one inch in any direction when you try to jiggle it. If it moves more than that, tighten it up!

On that note, your child’s harness straps might also be too loose. We don’t want to hurt our kids, but an accident hurts more than the car seat. The harness straps should be tight enough that you cannot pinch any slack between your thumb and pointer finger.

How old was your child when you switched them to a forward facing seat? Or, how old will they have to be for you to make the change? A lot of parents make the switch too early – children should face the rear until they’re at least 1 year old and weigh 20 pounds, but the longer they can fit comfortably in the rear-facing seat, the better.

When it comes to the car seat, make sure that the angle is correct. It should be reclined enough that your kid doesn’t fall forward out of the seat when they are sitting up, but it can’t be more reclined than 45º from vertical.

While you’re inspecting the seat itself, make sure that the harness straps are in the correct position. In a rear-facing seat, the straps should come out of slots that are at the same level as, or just below, your child’s shoulders. When they are in a forward-facing seat, the straps should come out of the uppermost slots, unless the directions on the car seat say something different. The harness retainer clip could also be in the wrong place. It should be at armpit level on your child. The locking clip should also be positioned no more than one inch from the safety belt latch.

On the subject of the safety belt, make sure it’s in locked mode. How do you get it into locked mode? Check your owner’s manual! It will tell you what type of seatbelts you have, and how to use them with your child safety restraint.

It’s not hard to make sure that your child is safe and sound in the car, and the best part is that you don’t need a crazy fancy, high-tech car seat that more closely resembles a rocket ship or a kid-sized computer. All you need is to make sure that the seat is in the right spot, totally secured, and that your child is also secured safely and comfortably. Good luck!