Infants & childreN
Car Seat Mistakes to Avoid
You’ve made the important decision to buy and install a car seat or booster seat to keep your child safe on the road. However, it’s easy to make mistakes that could jeopardize their safety.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can help ensure your child’s safety while traveling on the roadway.
1. Buying or Borrowing a Used Car Seat Without Checking Its History
When considering a secondhand car seat or booster seat, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you know the seat’s history? Has it been in a crash? If the history is unknown, it’s best not to use the seat. If you don’t fully trust the person who provided it, consider it unsafe for your child.
- Is the car seat in good condition? Check for any visible damage or missing parts.
- Are the labels intact? Ensure all required labels are present.
- Is the car seat expired? Check the label for the date of manufacture and consult the manufacturer about its lifespan. Car seats expire for several reasons, including material degradation and evolving safety standards. Over time, materials such as plastic, foam, and fabric can deteriorate from exposure to temperature changes, sunlight, and general wear and tear, which can compromise the seat’s integrity and safety performance. Additionally, as safety standards improve, newer models may offer enhanced safety features and updated regulations.
- If there’s a recall, has it been addressed? Use the model number and date of manufacture to check for any safety recalls.
Ultimately, the caregiver decides whether to use a secondhand car seat, and CPSTs cannot certify its safety.
2. Placing the Car Seat in the Wrong Seating Position
The safest position for your child’s car seat is in the back seat, away from active airbags. Always consult your vehicle owner’s manual and car seat owner’s manual for guidance and consider getting help from a CPST to ensure proper placement.
3. Reclining Your Child at the Wrong Angle
When installing a rear-facing car seat for a newborn or a child with limited head control, ensure you are parked on a level surface to accurately check the recline angle of the car seat. All rear-facing car seats come with built-in recline indicators to assist you. Babies should ride in a semi-reclined position to keep their airways open. Be sure to follow the car seat owner’s manual for instructions on adjusting the recline angle. In some cases, manufacturers may allow you to add a tightly rolled towel or pool noodle to help achieve the proper recline angle.
4. Moving to a Forward-Facing Car Seat Too Soon
While it may be tempting to switch your child to a forward-facing position, keeping them rear-facing for as long as possible is the safest choice—and it’s now required by Minnesota law. Here are key points to consider:
- Age and Size Requirements: Children must remain rear-facing until at least age two and until they have outgrown their rear-facing car seat by height or weight, according to the car seat manufacturer.
- Safety Benefits: Rear-facing provides significantly better protection for your child’s head, neck, and spine. The car seat absorbs the impact of a crash, ensuring your child’s body is protected. This is especially important during severe crashes, such as head-on collisions, as children’s heads are proportionally larger compared to their bodies. Protecting their head, neck, and spine is crucial, given that their bones are not fully formed, and their muscles are still developing.
- Common Concerns: Don’t worry if your child’s feet touch the back of the vehicle seat—this is a common concern. Children are very flexible and can comfortably adapt to this position.
5. Dressing Your Child in Bulky Clothing or Puffy Winter Jackets
Bulky clothing can prevent harness straps from fitting snugly, compromising safety. Instead of dressing your child in a heavy coat, buckle them in first, and then place a coat or blanket over the harness for warmth. Avoid using puffy coats, as they can compress during a crash, leading to dangerous slack in the harness and increasing the risk of injury. Keeping your child warm without compromising their safety is essential.
6. Using a Booster Seat Incorrectly
Always use booster seats with both a lap and shoulder belt—never a lap-only belt. It’s crucial that the lap belt lies low across your child’s upper thighs, providing the best protection during a crash. The shoulder belt should cross the middle of their chest and shoulder, away from the neck.
7. Removing the Booster Seat Too Soon
Booster seats are crucial for ensuring that the adult seat belt fits your child correctly. Minnesota law requires children to use a booster seat until they are at least nine years old, or until they’ve outgrown their booster seat AND until they pass the 5-Step Test. This test helps determine if the seat belt fits properly across the lap and shoulder.
Additionally, children under 13 should always sit in the back seat, whenever possible, for added safety. It’s important to note that some kids may need a booster seat until closer to age 12. Vehicle seat belts are designed for adult bodies, and children often require the extra boost that a booster seat provides to achieve proper fit. If a child rides in different vehicles or seating positions, they may pass the 5-Step Test in some situations, but still need a booster seat in others. Ensuring your child remains in a booster seat for the appropriate duration can significantly enhance their protection while traveling.
8. Using the Wrong Harnessing Position
Ensure the harness is positioned correctly:
For rear-facing seats, the straps should be at or below your child’s shoulders.
For forward-facing seats, the straps should be at or above their shoulders.
Always check the placement of the crotch buckle as well. Consult the car seat owner’s manual for specific instructions on how to achieve a proper fit of the harness.
9. Not Harnessing Your Child Tightly Enough
The harness should be snug enough that you cannot pinch any slack vertically between your index finger and thumb. If you can pinch the harness, it needs to be tightened further. A properly tightened harness is crucial for ensuring your child’s safety in the event of a crash, as a loose harness won’t provide adequate protection.
10. Chest Clip Too Low
The chest clip should be positioned at your child’s armpits, over their hard chest bones, rather than over their soft abdomen or centered on their torso. Proper placement of the chest clip is essential for keeping the harness straps securely positioned on your child’s shoulders.
11. No Top Tether
When using a forward-facing car seat, ensure the top tether is attached, regardless of whether you are using the seat belt or LATCH for installation. A tether prevents serious head and neck injury by securing the top of the car seat and minimizing forward head movement during a crash. All passenger vehicles manufactured after 2001 are required to have tether anchors. For details on locating the tether attachment, consult your vehicle owner’s manual.
12. Loose Installation
A properly installed car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back when checked at the belt path with the force of a firm handshake. If you’re unsure, consult a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician for assistance.
13. Using the Lower Anchors Past the Weight Limit
Ensure you are aware of the weight limits for using the lower anchors and do not exceed them. Consult both the vehicle owner’s manual and the car seat owner’s manual for specific guidance. Additionally, the car seat should have labels on its side indicating the weight limit for using the lower anchors.
14. Using Unapproved or Aftermarket Products
Never add items that did not come with your car seat, such as vehicle seat protectors, seat covers, attachable toys, harness strap padding, or additional cushioning. These aftermarket products can compromise safety and are often not approved for use with your car seat. If the item did not come with the car seat, it hasn’t been crash-tested and could void the warranty if an incident occurs.
Disclaimer:
The information and materials found on this website are intended for reference and education. To ensure all passengers are using vehicle restraint systems correctly, please consult with a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, as well as your vehicle’s owner’s manual and your child restraint owner’s manual.