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How to Fit a Baby Car Seat: 6 Essential Checks

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#carseat #stroller #childsafety #carseatbaby
Published
11/14/2022

Once you've chosen the best car seat for your child and are sure it will fit in your car, it’s recommended that you make sure it's installed correctly. Regularly inspecting your child's or infant's car seat will keep them safe. To ensure that your child will be safe in their car seat, here are six easy checks for you. You can also save this free checklist and keep it close so you can check your car seat often or when you decide to go baby car seat shopping.

6 Basic Baby Car Seat Checks

1.   Is the seatbelt's metal end positioned correctly? 

To secure the seat belt in the buckle, the metal portion (the part that goes into the buckle) should not twist around the child's car seat. This could result in it failing in a crash. In recent vehicle models, this is less likely to happen since the buckle is dipped into the adult seats, keeping the metal end of the seatbelt away from the child's safety seat.

2.   Is the harness or seat belt in place and untwisted?

The seatbelt that secures your child's car seat must be firm in order to prevent the seat from moving. If the seat is forward-facing, pull on the harness; if it is rearward-facing, press down on the seat from where your child's head would be to test this; you shouldn't be able to shift the seat. For the most comfortable toddler car seats, there should be no twisting of the seatbelt at any point.

3.   Is the handlebar positioned correctly if the seat is backward-facing?

The handlebar would need to be in a particular position for certain rearward-facing child car seats, either upright or totally back, since it can provide additional 360-degree protection in the event your car flips over in an accident. To figure out what position yours should be in, see the user guide for your child's car seat.

4.   Is the seat belt moving along the proper blue or red guides?

The safety of the seat will be compromised if the seatbelt is not properly fastened to the red or blue guidelines. Verify that the guides (red for seats facing forward and blue for seats facing backward) are in the proper places. Green belt guides are often included in seats that have been certified to R129 i-Size specifications.

5.   Is the headrest properly positioned and is the child's car seat positioned squarely?

The bulk of the child’s car seat's base should be flat, positioned equally and squarely on the seat. The seatbelt shouldn't be riding up, which occasionally occurs when it is too short. The headrest for the majority of child car seats should be taken out so it doesn't contact the seat at all. Check the directions for your specific seat to see if the headrest must be fastened in some children’s car seats.

6.   Are the harness and shoulder pads fastened securely, and are they in line with your child's shoulders?

The harness's shoulder pads should be as level as possible with your child's shoulders. The shoulder pads of a child's car seat should not move more than an inch in each direction while the child is facing rearward or forward. It shouldn't be too loose or tight on the harness. Make sure there is no slack in the harness and that you can fit two fingers between the child's collarbone and the harness.

Endnote

At the start, we recommend that you have your car seat installed by a qualified expert who works for the store where you purchased it or by a qualified fitter at any car seat-checking event. You must make sure you appropriately install the car seat yourself if you purchased it online from a merchant that doesn't provide a fitting service.

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