Four out of five car seats are improperly installed or used incorrectly

The following are dangerous mistakes that can seriously compromise the effectiveness of a car seat. 

The Danger: Last Minute Installation

Waiting until mom and baby are coming home from the hospital is a good example of last minute installation.  After purchasing the car seat, take it out of the box, try installing it, and then, if possible, take it for an inspection to make sure that you got everything right. Practice putting your "baby" in the car seat with a doll or teddy bear. Before pregnancy and fatigue take over your body and mind, you will be able to concentrate on what the technicians are showing you. 

The Danger: Baby is Turned Forward Facing Too Soon

Although 1 year old and 20 pounds is the law for forward facing, it is the absolute minimum age and weight that a child can be turned around.  The reality is that the longer a child can be properly restrained facing rear, the better.  Here’s why: If an infant is facing forward in a frontal crash – the most common and most violent type of collision – his body is held back by the car seat straps, but his head is not.  A baby or toddler’s immature neck bones (note that it is the bones to be concerned with, not the muscles) can allow the spine to separate and the spinal cord to rip. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear facing until the upper weight limits of your car seat, for a rear facing position.

The Danger: Car Seat Is Too Loose

Use the one inch rule when installing the car seat: Grab the seat where the seat belt passes through the car seat, the seat should not move more than one inch side to side or backwards and forwards. The seat may not be tight enough because the seat belt is not being used correctly.  The seat belt must be “locked” in some way so that you can prevent it from letting out slack.  Check the seat belt/child restraint section of your vehicle owner’s manual to determine how to lock your vehicle’s seat belts. 

The Danger: Too Many Accessories

The vast majority of car set accessories sold in stores and catalogs are not only unnecessary, but they can compromise the effectiveness of your car seat.  Those “comfy” pads that wrap around the harness straps and those body/head support pillows can compress during an accident and leave what seemed like a tight harness dangerously loose.  The toy bars that attach to the front of the car seat could pose a contact hazard for baby’s head during a collision.  Those gadgets designed to take slack out of the seat belt and make the car seat fit “nice and tight” might possibly come loose during a severe crash and become a projectile object.  Avoid using anything that wasn’t made for your specific car seat. 

The Danger: Hidden Harness Mistakes

Harnesses are the straps that actually hold the child in the car seat and there are a whole lot of things to learn and a whole lot of things that can be confused about harnesses.  In a rear facing position, the harness straps need to be in the slots that are at or below the baby's shoulders. This simply means don't move the straps up to the next slot until the baby's shoulders are all the way up to that slot. In a forward facing position, however, the harness straps need to be above the baby's shoulders. Follow car seat directions exactly.  Also, try to keep the harness free from twists.  The harness strap should lay snug against your child’s body.  The harness retainer clip that holds the harnesses together needs to be at armpit height. 

The Danger: The Car Seat Is "Used"

Receiving a car seat from a relative or friend may seem like a time and money saver, but it can be detrimental in the end.  Even if you know that a car seat has not been in a crash, (which makes it absolutely unusable), you can’t really be sure of what you’re getting or whether it’s all in one piece.  Any car seat that is more than six years old, should not be used period. Car seats now come with an expiration date stamped on them. Give your child the very best shot at surviving the crash – borrow other items, but not the car seat. 

The Danger: Older Sibling Is Not in Booster

An older child may seem pretty big and sturdy compared to baby brother or sister, but he’s just as vulnerable if he’s put into an adult lap and shoulder belt before he’s ready.  Instead of falling on the body’s strongest points-across the sternum and low on the hips - an adult lap and shoulder belt can ride up on a child’s abdomen and across the neck creating dangerous injuries in a collision.  A child should be at least 4' 9" tall to sit in the vehicle without a booster seat. This usually happens around 8 years of age.