8 common car seat mistakes every parent needs to know! Learn how to install your car seat in the right way!
Last November, my family was driving and we had to swerve and hit a curb to avoid T-boning a car that had slid on some ice right in front of us. My whole family was in the car, including both of our kids. It is a really scary thing to have the airbags go off and smell burning smell and know that both of your kids are in the back seat of your car. We frantically jumped out of the car and got them out, and luckily, we were all okay (except for the car). We were all safe, and our kids didn’t have any injuries because their car seats were installed correctly.
Guys, I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people make some serious car seat mistakes. When we got a convertible car seat for Little J, I had no idea what to do so I took it to the police station and had an officer who was trained to install it put it in my car correctly. They have to take a class in order to get certified to check car seats so they learn how to do it right. She told me so many things I didn’t know, and I’m sure a lot of other people don’t know, too.
Now I am no expert, so I HIGHLY recommend taking your car seat to the local police station or car seat inspection location and having someone who has been trained show you how to put in your car seat correctly. You can check here to see where the closest location is. I just wanted to write this post and talk about some mistakes that I have seen, and also point out a few things you may not know about car seat safety.
1. Chest clip not on the chest. Guys, it’s called a chest clip for a reason. It is supposed to be at the child’s armpits, not down by the latch part. So once you buckle it all up, slide it up so it’s on your child’s chest. This is definitely one I have seen a ton, even with some of my friends.
2. Buckling your child up with their coat on. I don’t think very many people know that you aren’t supposed to do this. Having a coat under the harness can compromise the tightness of the straps in an accident. So get your child in the car wearing their coat, take their coat off, buckle them in, then put a blanket or something over them to keep them warm.
3. Loose harness. Another super common mistake people make is not tightening the harness on their child. You have to do more than just buckle it, guys. It should be snug and you shouldn’t be able to pinch any extra at your child’s shoulder. The straps also need to lay flat and not have any twists.
4. Straps should be at or below your child’s shoulders when they are rear-facing, and above when your child is forward-facing. This was something I actually didn’t know that I was surprised by when I had my son’s convertible car seat installed. I think a lot of people either don’t know this at all, or they just know that the straps should be at or below your child’s shoulders. You have to readjust the straps when you switch the car seat around!
5. Loose car seat in the car. Your child can be buckled in nice and tight, but if the car seat isn’t actually in the car tightly, it’s not going to do much good in an accident. Your car seat needs to be tight enough that it shouldn’t move more than 1 inch either way at the belt path. In a convertible car seat, the belt path is pictured below. And in an infant carseat, the belt path is the part where the belt goes through the base. And if you aren’t using the latch system, then you need to lock the seatbelt (pull it out as far as it can go and lock it so it can’t loosen. If your car has seatbelts that don’t lock, then you need to use a locking clip.
6. Turning child forward-facing too soon. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping your child rear-facing until two years old. I know that it can be super hard to keep your child rear-facing when their legs are long and they just want to face forward, but it actually makes a huge difference in their safety. I read on Parenting.com that a study found that kids under two are 75% less likely to die or to be severely injured in a crash if they are rear-facing. Another study found riding rear-facing to be five times safer than forward-facing. So really, why would you take any chances? Just wait! Your child needs to be two-years-old or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat.
7. Leveler is not in the green. Most car seats have a little leveler on the side of the seat with a little ball that is supposed to be centered in a green section. If you haven’t noticed this on your car seat, go look! The leveler is there for a reason (to make sure your car seat is at a 45 degree angle) and you should use it!
8. Expired car seat. Did you know car seats expire? Well they do. Most car seats last from 5-9 years, so if you are lucky, you can use the same one for your kids (depending on how many you have). Our Graco car seats have the dates on the bottom, so look there. If you can’t find it on the bottom or side, check your user’s manual, or call the company and ask! It’s not worth taking the risk to use an expired car seat just so you can save money on buying a new one.
So did you learn something? I hope so! As parents I know we all want to do what is best for our kids, and we all want to keep them as safe as possible. These car seat safety tips can help protect your little ones and give you peace of mind that they are safe driving around in the car. And even if you think you’ve done it right, I recommend taking your car seats into an inspection check, just to make sure!!!
Have you done any of these? Which ones did you not know?
Kersten says
GAH! I did NOT know about the coat one! I’ll have to remember that next winter! Thanks for sharing that information!
Chelsea Johnson says
I didn’t know that for a long time! You are welcome! When we got in our accident it was winter, and I was so glad that I had taken the kids’ coats off before it happened!
Katie says
Car seat safety is one of those random things I totally obsess over, so I love seeing posts like this! All your tips are right on. I honestly wish I could ride rear facing – my little guy is three and we still rear face him because he’s within the limits (he’s a lot shorter than most kids his age, though). Great post!
Chelsea Johnson says
That’s awesome that you can keep him rear facing still! He is definitely safe in there! And thanks! I hope more people can see this so more kids can be safe! Like I said, I see these mistakes all the time!
Jessica Dimas says
AMAZING info!!! I didn’t know the one about the straps and where they should be positioned in regards to forward and rear facing. Also I don’t think I knew about the leveler. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this, I thought I knew everything there was to know. So glad you and your family were kept safe in your accident, how scary. Definitely going to check my carseats now!
Chelsea Johnson says
Yeah, the straps are a tip I found out pretty recently, and I’m so glad I did! You are welcome 🙂 That accident pretty much ruined me for driving in the snow, so I would love to live somewhere warm now. But until then, I’m glad I know how to keep our kids safe in their car seats!
Anita says
Great info! I’ll remember these. I love the photos you took that helped a lot. Our son was such a heavy weight (he’s actually lighter at 2 1/2 than 1 1/2) so we were able to forward face him since he weighed more than the rear facing car seat limits but our daughter will be rear facing until two because she isn’t nearly as big as her brother- at least not yet. Thanks for the tips. They are great! So glad you and your family were safe during that crash!
Chelsea Johnson says
Isn’t it crazy how different kids can be? You would think with the same parents they might be similar in size! I’m glad we were safe, too! Hopefully we can spread these tips and make sure all kids are safe!!
Jenni says
One that I was surprised about when learning about car seats for my first kiddo was that it is not recommended to use a used car seat unless you know that it has never been involved in a wreck. Even if a car seat looks fine, you aren’t supposed to use them after a collision and it’s hard to know if it’s safe or not when getting used.
Chelsea Johnson says
Yes! That is why I would recommend never buying a used seat unless you know the person you are buying it from. If you just buy it off of craigslist or something the person could be lying about it never being in a wreck. It’s just safer to get a new seat!
Candace says
I would add, NEVER buy a used car seat. Once a seat has been in an accident it has to be replaced whether there is visible damage to the seat or not. Someone selling their old car seat could have had an accident with visible damage to their car, but not the car seat. They may not know any better than to not sell that seat after the accident. Even though there doesn’t appear to be damage to the seat it may not perform as well in another accident.
Chelsea Johnson says
Agreed! Unless you can be 100% sure that it was never in an accident (like if you’re buying it from a sibling or best friend) then I would always buy new!
Brandon Roberts says
I am so glad that I was able to find this! My wife and I are trying to look for a new car seat for our son, but we are having a hard time finding the right one. So thank you so much for sharing with me some things to look for when buying a car seat. I’ll definitely start looking for these few things.
Chelsea Johnson says
Good luck!
Bennett Fischer says
I’m so glad I was able to find this! My wife is due in a few days, and we just bought our first car seat. We want to make sure we install it and use it properly. That being said, I really appreciate you sharing with me some mistakes a lot of people make when dealing with car seats. I’ll make sure I avoid these when I install it. Thanks a ton for sharing this with me.
Chelsea Johnson says
Congratulations! That’s so exciting! Learning car seat safety is so important, and I think some people don’t realize a lot of these mistakes. Good luck!
Jelica says
Hi Chelsea . Thanks for all these tips and advice. It’s nice to know all those things before baby arrives. I just wanna ask if you used a convertible car seat instead of infant car seat after you gave birth to baby j? I don’t know if I misunderstood your blog or you didn’t buy a infant car seat. I saw you have a Graco snug ride 30 but not sure it you only used it for your baby girl. I’m torn between buying infant car seat or convertible car seat for our baby due in May. I would love to hear you advice. Thank you.
Chelsea Johnson says
You are so welcome! I would recommend getting an infant car seat. That’s what we got until our kids were about 9 or 10 months and then we got convertible car seats. The reason I recommend getting an infant car seat first is because you can carry baby around in it. If you get a convertible car seat first, you will have to take baby in and out of the car seat anytime you go inside somewhere. It’s so nice to have the infant car seat because if they are sleeping you can just let them sleep, and if you go somewhere like the grocery store you don’t have to take them out of the car seat (especially when they are too small for the seat in the cart!). I hope that helps!
Jelica says
Thanks Chelsea! I appreciate your quick response. I would definitely consider your advice. I purchased Uppa baby vista stroller on sale and buying the same brand infant car seat makes me think twice Or I have to buy another brand and spend more money to buy an adaptor. . I read on some blogs that they were able to use their car seat for 4 months and have to buy another one . I know it depends on the weight or height of the baby but how would I know if my baby will outgrow it fast like the other bloggers… Would you suggest to buy an infant car seat that has only 22lbs max ? It’s much cheaper than to buy 30-35 lbs max car seat.. Thanks
Chelsea Johnson says
I’ve never heard of Uppa baby so I can’t tell you much about them. I’ve always just gone with Graco products for car seats and strollers. I haven’t ever heard of car seats that only go to 22 pounds. I personally liked being able to have my kids in their car seats as long as I wanted. My daughter is 18 months and still isn’t 30 pounds. It just sort of depends on how fast your baby grows, which you can’t tell until they’re here, you know? Our car seat was for up to 30 pounds and it was only about $150, which isn’t bad for a car seat.
Tyler Car says
Great information. These mistakes that we should learn in order to avoid the unexpected troubles. I just wonder if you give me permission to re-blog your post on my website. BTW, thanks for your guides and tips. I will try to learn and apply for my case.
P/S: which car seats nowadays have good quality that can protect babies?
Chelsea Johnson says
Thanks, Tyler! And please email me to discuss reposting.
Christina Scott says
Hi, thank you so much for this informative post. I had realized I was doing it wrong for a long time.
Chelsea Johnson says
Glad I could help!