Most parents know that car seats are the safest way for their child to travel and most parents use them. The problem is that of these, in fact about 80%, use their car seat improperly and they don’t even know it. The easiest mistake to correct is to make sure that your child is in the right car seat for their age and they are facing in the right direction.
Other common mistakes are that the harness straps are too loose or in the wrong position or the harness chest clip is in the wrong position. A big mistake is placing the infant seat in front of the airbag. Some parents are not locking the seat belt correctly and not using the locking clip for seat belts that do not lock automatically. Some are not positioning the seat correctly.
Make sure your infant is in the right seat for their age. Babies that are less than a year old and less than twenty pounds must be in a rear facing car seat. Many babies will reach twenty pounds before their first birthday, they still must be rear facing until their first birthday. Same goes for infants who are one year old but not yet twenty pounds, they still need to be facing the rear. When your baby has reached one year old AND twenty pounds, then they can sit in a forward facing seat. They can stay in this seat until they are 40 pounds.
If your child is over forty pounds then they need to be in a belt positioning booster seat. This is the seat that they will probably stay in until they are eight years old. The harness of the booster seat needs to be used until the child is at least eighty pounds and 4 feet and 9 inches tall. By that time they can use the car’s lap/shoulder belt as long as they are positioned correctly. The lap portion needs to lie across their hip, not across their belly. The shoulder part needs to be across their shoulder, not rubbing their neck. All children of 12 and younger need to stay in the back if possible.
There are many things that parents need to double check before their child is safe in their car seat. When using the rear facing infant or rear facing convertible seat, you must make sure that the chest clip lies across the chest at armpit level, not by their belly. The harness strap needs to be snug and straight, not twisted or loose. Rear facing harness straps need to be level with your child’s shoulders or slightly below. The angle of the seat needs to be at a 45 degree level. Never place your rear facing infant seat in front of an airbag.
When facing your child forward the harness straps need to positioned at your child’s shoulders or slightly above. Parents should be using the top set of harness slots. The straps need to be snug and tight and the chest clip needs to be at mid-chest or armpit level.
Parents need to avoid car seats that have been recalled, involved in a crash and are more than four years old. Your car seat should not have any cracks, missing parts, instructions or the label showing the model number and manufacture date. Always read all the instructions before installing.
Michael Russell
Your Independent Baby and Toddler guide.
