A crucial life skill for any driver with a small child is how to properly install a car seat. Even experienced parents have installed them incorrectly. This can lead to serious injury. Here are a few tips to help you do it right.
Use the Right Seat
You may think your older child’s car seat should be fine now for your younger child. But what some parents overlook is that the important factors here are your child’s weight and height, as opposed to just her age. A perfect car seat for one three-year-old may be ill-fitting for another three-year-old of a different size. Always look at the manufacturer's weight and size specifications (in addition to age) and read the manual thoroughly.
How to Install a Baby Seat in the Car
Children under the age of one year need to be in rear-facing car seats. With rear-facing seats, you’ll want to use the slots located under your child’s shoulders. (You’ll want to use the slots at or above your child’s shoulder with forward-facing seats.) Check to make sure that the seat is secure and doesn’t sway more than an inch.
Babies’ heads are heavy and their necks aren’t very strong. That’s why it’s important to make sure the car seat is at a 30- to a 45-degree angle, so the child is comfortable and his/her airway is not impeded. Many car seats now come with angle indicators, so you know how and when to adjust. You can put something underneath the front or back of the seat to tighten the fit a little, such as a pool noodle or a rolled-up towel.
The LATCH System
The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system was developed to make it easier to correctly install child safety seats without using seat belts. LATCH can be found in vehicles as well as child safety seats, made after 2002. Since there have been such a variety of LATCH fixtures over the years, consult your car seat safety manual for proper installation instructions.
How to Install a Car Seat Without A LATCH System
If your vehicle doesn’t have LATCH, use a seatbelt to secure the seat. In most cases, the seatbelt goes through a section on the bottom of the car seat. Make sure the seat belt is tight, and the seat doesn’t shift more than an inch.
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