Car seats aren’t as easy as you remember, but they’re pretty self-explanatory, right? Wrong! Actually more people than ever are making big mistakes when it comes to fastening the seat belt on their little ones. But it’s not their fault these car seats are getting safer but SO much more confusing! So whether you’re a babysitter, an expecting parent, a new parent, or an expert parent I’ve got the do’s and don’ts of car seats

• The child is turned face-forward too early

• Babies must ride facing the rear until they are at least 1 year old and weight 20 pounds – Experts recommend waiting even longer but it is up to the parent
• Some parents don’t like facing the baby to the rear because they have trouble seeing the baby’s face, but it is important that the child doesn’t face forward in case of a crash. A solution is to get get a childproof mirror to hang on the backseat headrest to see the baby.

• The seat isn’t installed tightly enough

• Most people don’t know how tight they should be pulling the safety belt, the answer is as tight as possible. When you jiggle the area where the safety belt is pulled through, the chair should not move more than 1 inch in any direction!

• Harness straps are too loose

• A big mistake is not tightening the harness straps enough, this because they don’t want to make it too tight or uncomfortable for the child. The correct way is the straps should be tightened so that the slack can’t be pinched between an adult’s thumb and forefinger. This ensures that the child won’t slip too far down in the seat and that the child won’t fall out.

• Infant seat angled incorrectly

• The seat must be reclined no more than a 45-degree angle, just enough so the child doesn’t flop forward but if he/she is positioned anymore than that they could be thrown out between the straps headfirst.

• Harness straps are in wrong slots

• When the child is facing the rear position, the straps should be in slots at or just below the shoulder. If the child is old enough to be facing forward, the straps should come through the uppermost slots.

• Harness retainer clip is out of place

• The clip should always be at the child’s armpit level.

• The locking clip is out of place

• If needed, it should be positioned no more than an inch from the safety-belt latch.

• The safety belt isn’t in locked mode.

• This information will be provided to you in the owner’s manual of your car, determine what type of belts you have and follow the directions regarding how they must be used with a child-safety restraint.

No matter how new or old you are at caring for a child, the end goal is to protect them. Do just that next time you use the car seat. If your car seat remains in your car take a minute to make sure that it is correctly installed to ensure the best safety possible.