Protecting Your Precious Cargo: 5 Common Car Seat Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

As any mom or dad will tell you, obeying traffic rules starts to feel extra important when you have children in the car. 

From the moment you drive your newborn home for the very first time, your brain rewires to focus on loving, nurturing, and protecting your precious bundle of joy. 

Sticking to speed limits, signaling properly, and stopping at red lights are second nature to most drivers. Still, there’s one safety concern that only becomes relevant once a person becomes a caregiver: car seats. 

Whether caregivers are strapping a sleeping infant in for a road trip or wrangling an older child before school, it’s critical to use car seats with caution. 

If you’re the proud caregiver of a baby or small child, keep reading to learn a few common car seat mistakes and how to avoid them. Some may seem obvious, and others unexpected, but all of them matter greatly when it comes to keeping children safe. 

1. Loose harnesses

When tucking your child into their car seat, it’s crucial to follow every safety precaution to a “T.” 

One common car seat error occurs when caregivers leave car seat harnesses too loose, putting children at risk of ejection if a crash were to happen. 

A properly tightened harness will have zero slack, and caregivers can monitor tightness by using the pinch test. 

Once a child is inside their car seat, try pinching the harness strap near their shoulder. If you’re able to pinch it between your fingers, this is a sign that the harness is too loose. Tighten it further, and repeat the pinch test until you can no longer grasp the seat belt between two fingers. This simple safety measure is an easy way to protect your child from harm.

2. Loose car seat bases

When you make a quick turn into the library parking lot or suddenly drive over a speed bump, an improperly secured car seat might shake, rattle, or even topple over. This is dangerous enough on its own, but the risks of a loose car seat increase tenfold when an accident takes place. 

During a car crash, a loose car seat can fly forward, slamming the child inside into the front seats or even through the windshield. To ensure that a car seat is properly secured, caregivers should strictly adhere to all procedures outlined in the manufacturer’s instruction manual. 

To verify that a car seat isn’t too loose, attempt to move it back and forth. If it can move more than an inch in either direction, the seat is not tight enough. Double-check the installation, re-secure the seat, and try again to move it.

Caregivers can even get their car seats inspected and approved by professionals before using them. This is done through some hospitals and via organizations like the AAA. 

3. Improper chest clip placement 

If you’re at all familiar with car seats, then you can probably visualize a chest clip. These small pieces of metal or plastic, sometimes called retainer clips, prevent car seat harnesses from slipping off a child’s shoulders. 

It’s plain to see what makes this car seat component so important, so positioning it correctly is a significant step when securing a child into a vehicle. 

When helping a child into a car seat, caregivers must verify that the chest clip is positioned at armpit level. If the chest clip is sitting at the stomach or neck, the harness might fall out of place. As touched on above, this can result in ejection if the vehicle is involved in a collision.

Before jumping into the driver’s seat, take a few extra moments to verify your child’s chest clip is in the right spot. This small step is key to protecting small passengers in case of an emergency. 

4. Facing forward too soon

There’s no better feeling than peeking into the backseat of your car to find a tiny face smiling back at you. However, though the prospect may be tempting, caregivers shouldn’t switch their babies to front-facing car seats before they’re developmentally ready.

From the time children are born until they’ve reached the height and weight required by their car seat’s manufacturer, the CDC recommends that they ride in rear-facing car seats with harnesses. 

Far from arbitrary or superstitious, this guideline is rooted in medical information. Small children are at an increased risk of suffering damage to their heads, necks, and spines if they’re in front-facing car seats when car accidents occur. 

Not all car seats are created equal, so it’s also important to shop for a car seat that suits your vehicle and accommodates your child based on age and size. When searching for your child’s car seat, look into each seat’s height, weight, and age limits before committing to a purchase.

By being diligent in your search, you’ll keep your child as safe and comfortable as possible. 

5. Putting car seats in the wrong place

Caregivers must also be mindful of arranging children appropriately based on age. Children should move slowly through car seat phases, only moving to the next stage when they’re developmentally ready.

Once a child is big enough to leave their rear-facing seat, they can transition to a front-facing car seat. Car seats can sometimes go in a car’s middle row, which some people consider to be the safest part of a vehicle. Just remember to read your car’s manual thoroughly to verify if its middle row is compatible with car seats.

They’ll generally stay in a front-facing car seat until roughly the age of 8, or until they reach the seat’s maximum weight limit.

After this period, it’s time to buy your child a booster seat, an elevating seat specifically made for older children. Booster seats use a vehicle’s seat belts instead of specialized harnesses, safely positioning children so that the seatbelt safely straps them in. Note: misplacing the seatbelt on a booster seat can be dangerous, as it prevents children from being fully secured.

In general, children are ready to move to the front seat at around age 13. However, booster seats might still be safer if an older child is under 4 feet and 9 inches tall. 

6. Failing to remove heavy outerwear

During the winter months, most children spend their time bundled up in coats, jackets, and sweaters that swallow them whole. While it’s certainly important to shield young children from harsh weather, these bulky items can actually impede the effectiveness of their seat belts.

With heavy materials in the way of a seat belt harness, children aren’t as tightly secured as they should be. Because thick outerwear can be an obstacle to safety, caregivers should consider dressing their babies and small children in more lightweight clothes for the car.

7. Failing to register the car seat

At times, errors during the manufacturing process sneak by supervisors and result in defective products. The last place you want any defects is in the car seats meant to protect your children, so it’s important to stay informed about safety notices and recalls.

Caregivers can do this by registering with the seat’s manufacturer, ensuring they receive notification when a product issue is discovered.

Register your child’s car seat sooner rather than later, so you’ll be made aware if you need to swap their current seat out for a new one. 

Drive safely with Transwest

At Transwest, keeping families safe is our top priority. If you’re seeking a new or used vehicle for school drop-offs, date nights, family outings, and more, view our selection of sturdy cars made by highly trusted brands. Check out our inventory online or stop by an in-person location today.