Car Seat Safety for Children: Are You Doing It Right?

Installing a car seat correctly is essential for a child’s safety during travel, if your infant or child has suffered injuries due to a faulty car or booster seat, reach out to Ramsey Law Group today for a complimentary consultation to understand your legal options and seek rightful compensation.

Here are some tips to ensure you are correctly installing your child’s car seat.

Choose the Right Car Seat

Selecting the appropriate car seat for your child’s age, weight, and height is critical. Defective child car seats could be dangerous for your child. There are several types of car seats available:

• Rear-facing infant seats: These are designed for newborns and young infants. They provide optimal support for a baby’s head, neck, and spine.
• Convertible seats: These seats can be used in both rear-facing and forward-facing positions, allowing for extended use as your child grows.
• Forward-facing seats: Once your child outgrows the rear-facing seat according to the seat’s manual, transition to a forward-facing seat with a harness for added protection.
• Booster seats: Booster seats are suitable for older children who have outgrown forward-facing seats. They help position the seat belt correctly across the child’s body.
• Seat belts: Once your child has outgrown the booster seat, they can use the vehicle’s seat belt, but Texas law requires that they be eight years or older or taller than 4 feet 9 inches.

Installing and Using the Car Seat Correctly

Safety experts state that a car seat will not be able to move any more than an inch in any direction if it is correctly installed. Therefore, consider the following:

The Car Seat Manual

Each car seat has specific installation instructions. Carefully read the manual before installing the seat to understand the requirements and specific guidelines.

Positioning

Place the car seat in the back seat of your vehicle. The center of the rear seat is generally the safest spot, but check your vehicle’s manual to determine the best location for your car seat.

Secure the Seat

Depending on the type of car seat, use either the vehicle’s seat belt or the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system to secure the car seat. Follow the instructions provided in the car seat manual for the specific method. If you are using the vehicle’s seat belt to secure the car seat, lock it according to your vehicle’s instructions. This is usually done by pulling the seat belt all the way out and then slowly retracting it.

Adjust the Harness

The harness straps should be positioned at or below the child’s shoulders for rear-facing seats and at or above the shoulders for forward-facing seats, with the chest clip moved to armpit level.

No Slack

The harness straps should be tight with no visible slack. If you can pinch any excess material at the shoulder, they are too loose.

Verify Seat Stability

Check that the seat cannot move any more than an inch in any direction.

Free Car Seat Safety Check

For peace of mind, parents have the ability to schedule free appointments with a Certified Child Passenger Safety technician at a SAFE KIDS Greater Houston Network of Inspection Station. They will work with you one-on-one to show you the proper installation and harnessing of your child’s safety seat.