Car Seat Safety

How to Install Baby Car Seat

All you have to do is hold your newborn baby (or anybody's baby for that matter) to get an idea that you are dealing with something fragile. Protecting and preparing an infant to endure an accident safely takes great care.

The infant's head and neck are at most risk, but it doesn't take much to cause injury to any part of the body. The idea behind the seat you buy is that if a collision does occur, the force will not be directed toward one specific area or limb, but rather evenly across the whole body.

Most parents don't realize the extreme importance of installing their child's car seat properly. The statistics for improperly installed seats are overwhelming! Amazingly, research shows that as many as 82 percent of all car seats are improperly installed (1) and used. Eighty-two percent. It's a significant factor in why automobile accidents are the number-one killer of children under 14 (1) .

The best child safety seat is the one that:

• Fits your child properly
• Is easy to use, and
• Fits in your vehicle correctly

The best way to ensure a proper fit in your vehicle is to try installing the child seat before purchasing. Don't just buy based on liking the seat, MAKE SURE IT FITS FIRST!

I recommend either having the seat installed professionally or installing yourself then have your install double checked by a professional if you are not 100% sure you've done it correctly. I highly recommend doing this PRIOR to the arrival of your little so from the ride home from hospital you know your bub is as safe as they can possibly be while travelling. Click here for a list of all RTA Authorised Child Restraint Fitting Stations around Australia.

With so many vehicle and safety seat models available, you may be confused about installing a child safety seat correctly. That's why it's so important to carefully read your vehicle owner's manual and your safety seat instruction manual.

Here are some tips on how to install your infant car seat:

Securing Your Child's Safety Seat:

Get a Tight Fit:

Installing a car seat too loosely is one of the most common mistakes parents make.

Always install the seat tightly, using your body weight to tighten and fasten the seatbelt. There should be no more than 2.5 cm (1") of movement of the seat from side to side or forward. Each time you place your child in the car safety seat, give it a tug to make sure it is still secure.

Using Locking Clips:

The seat belt must be locked to insure that your safety seat

stays tight. Some vehicles made before 1997 may need a locking clip to lock the seat belt. Newer vehicles have belt systems with built in locks. Be sure to read your vehicle owner's manual to learn how to use your seat belts correctly with your child safety seat.

Sometimes locking clips may be required to safely secure a child car safety seat in a vehicle. Consult your owner's manual to see if you need one. If so, install the locking clip on the seatbelt within 13 mm (1/2 inch) of the latch plate.

Put your knee in the seat and push down on it while you tighten the belt.

Angle Is Important:

Check your seats instruction manual for the correct installation angle. Some safety seats have angle adjusters built into the seat. When rear-facing, a seat should be angled no more than 45-degrees from vertical. If it is too flat, your baby may slide out between the straps. If the seat is too upright, his head may flop forward, making breathing difficult.

Some seats have adjustable bases that allow you to change the angle. If not, you may need to put a tightly rolled towel or a piece of a swimming pool noodle under the "foot end" of the safety seat.

Best Spot To Install The Seat

where possible, install your child restraint in the centre of your back seat, except in the case of a booster seat with a lap-only seat belt.

Tether Strap

Make sure the top tether strap and the adult seat belt that keeps the restraint in position are properly adjusted - they shouldn't have any slack.

Proper Cover Up:

Never put a blanket between your child and the harness straps, or underneath or behind him. For car travel, don't dress your infant in bulky outerwear. It can interfere with the harness's tightness. Instead, place a warm blanket over your child and harness.

Fill the Gap:

You can now buy wonderful, soft head support products which ensure your baby's head won't flop from side to side. Another option is to use rolled towels or receiving blankets on each side (but never under the head) of your infant's head to keep her head from flopping.

Position Handle Properly:

For most infant seats, the carrying handle should be down when your child is in your vehicle. Be sure to check your safety seat instruction manual.

Using Harness Slots:

Your child car safety seat's harness straps must be positioned correctly by ensuring they pass through the correct slots.

• Rear-facing child car safety seat harness straps should sit at or below the child's shoulders.
• Forward-facing child car safety seat harness straps should sit at or above the child's shoulders.

Securing Your Child in the Harness:

Ensure that the harness system is snug enough on your child's chest to allow only one finger width between the strap and the child's collarbone.

Positioning Harness Straps:

Ensure that harness straps lie flat and they do not twist or fold. Harnesses need to be straightened out each time the child is secured in the seat.

How Do You Know If You've Installed Seat Securely?

1. Holding the seat at the belt path, you should not be able to move the car seat more than 2cms from side-to-side or toward the front of your vehicle.

A Few Tips For a Safer Ride

• Purchase a baby carseat mirror which allows for a full view if your rearward facing baby. This takes the stress and anxiety out of driving as you can quickly check on bub and have a better idea of why they are crying or being quiet. I recommend a mirror large enough to easily see your baby, such as the Adore-a-View Baby Car Seat Mirror by Foxtot, as opposed to the smaller ones which take a minute to focus in on your baby and may shift while driving.

• Provide only soft toys and books for your child to play with while traveling. Your baby could be hurt by a hard object if you were involved in a crash.

For more up to date and accurate information on car seat safety visit www.CarSeatSafety.com.au

References:

1. From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

2. Partners for Child Passenger Safety, a research partnership of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm®, to help parents and caregivers learn more about child safety seats, booster seats and seatbelts. Since 1997, doctors and scientists at Children’s Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania have studied more than 300,000 motor vehicle crashes to learn more about child safety. The information on this site, and in our videos, follows current safety recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.