Common Car Seat Installation Mistakes

Here is a list of the most common car seat installation mistakes made by parents.

When I bought my son’s car seat, it was the first time I had actually looked at a car seat up close. There were so many parts to it that I wondered if I could put this thing in my car correctly every time. So I made an appointment with a child passenger safety technician and vowed that I would never take the car seat base out of my car. Well that only worked for about 3 months.

My family decided to take a road trip. We got a rental car and unfortunately, I had to put that darn car seat in it. I was nervous that I installed it incorrectly so I went back to the child passenger safety technician to make sure it was installed correctly in the rental car. She explained to me again how to install it and also discussed some of the common car seat installation mistakes that parents make.

Here is what she said are the most common mistakes.

• Improper car seat installation. When a car seat is installed in a vehicle, it should not wiggle more than an inch from side to side OR forward.

  To cut down on the chances of your little one’s car seat being incorrectly installed, it is best to use the LATCH system in your vehicle. If your vehicle was made after September, 2002, you probably have the LATCH system — or "lower anchors and tethers for children” in your vehicle.

  Another way to ensure your little one’s car seat is installed properly is to have a child passenger safety technician take a look at it. These safety technicians give education and hands-on assistance on how to properly use child restraint systems. Check with your local government to find a child passenger safety technician in your area.

• Turning your little one forward-facing too soon. Most states require all little ones be one year old AND 20 pounds before moving from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing one. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics says this should be the minimum. They recommend that infants should ride rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. Keeping your little one rear-facing prevents them from being ejected from the car if there was a car crash. It also spreads crash forces over their back, which is the strongest part of an infant’s body.

• Dressing your child in bulky outerwear. When it is cold, we parents tend to put thick coats on our kiddies. However harness straps may not provide enough protection over the bulky outerwear. Therefore it is best to put the outerwear on after you have reached your destination.

• The child is strapped in too loose in their car seat. If you can pinch the fabric of the straps, then it is too loose and it should be tightened. A child that is strapped in correctly has a less chance of coming out of their car seat in a collision.

• Using the retainer clip incorrectly. You know the thing that snaps the two harness straps together across your little one’s chest. If it is not strapped in the correct spot, which is at armpit level, your little one can be ejected from their car seat in a collision.

• Using a recalled car seat or booster seat. Car seat recalls come about for a wide range of reasons. Most of the time, these recalls are done on small parts of the car seat. However a small buckle that is faulty, could easily lead to disaster. (Click here to see if your little one’s car seat has been recalled.)

Click here for more info on car seat safety.

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