9 Things Parents Should Know About Car Seats

Installing a car seat for your baby seems like it should be easy. But many parents and caregivers make small mistakes that could make a huge impact on their child's safety in the event of a vehicle accident.

Making mistakes in car seat installation is not unusual, even for seats that have a 5-star rating for features like ease of use, researchers reported in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

"A lot of parents think that they do have their car seat installed correctly," said Norva Perkins, RN, a certified child passenger safety technician at Franciscan Health Mooresville. "They look at the manual, and they think they're installed correctly. But in reality, about 59% of all car seats are installed incorrectly. I've seen this a lot when I walk parents out to their car. I've asked them if they want a car seat check and they say, 'No, we've got it, we got it,' and then we get out there and I can show them things that they've done wrong."

Researchers recommend that parents seek out safety technicians to learn the proper techniques for seat installation, even if they have a highly rated car seat.

Child restraint systems cut the risk of crash injuries by 50% to 85%, but only if properly used, the researchers noted.

Should A Car Seat Move?

Perkins said movement of the car seat is a common problem she sees in car seat installation.

"When a car seat is installed correctly, it shouldn't move back and forth more than an inch, and you shouldn't be able to pull it away from the seat back," Perkins said.

Should I Use Both Seat Belts And Lower Anchors For The Car Seat?

While there are a few car seat manufacturers out there that make seats that can use both seat belts and lower anchors, most use one method or the other, Perkins said.

'It seems that it would make sense to use both: Double security," she said. "But in reality it's not safe that way."

"The car seats aren't tested with using both the seat belts and the lower anchors, and what happens is it puts stress on the car seat from two different angles, which can cause damage to the car seat or cause it not to hold properly," she said.

"Think about as if you wear prescription glasses and you have contacts. They work great separately, but if you put them together, you can't see a thing. It's kind of the same with seat belts and lower anchors so, you want to use one or the other."

"It depends a lot on your individual car, the type of vehicle seats in your car, and the type of car seat you're installing," Perkins said. "Use whichever one that the parents or caregivers can install correctly and securely every single time, and if you're having any issues, look up a car seat technician that can help you figure that out."

Unlike car seats, many high-back and backless booster seats are not secured to the vehicle seat with the seat belt or lower anchors and tether. Instead, many boosters rest on the vehicle seat and are held in place with a fastened seat belt. Regardless of the type of booster seat, they must be used with lap and shoulder straps in a car.

Is It OK To Have "Wiggle Room" In Car Seat Straps?

"The other common misuse we see in car seats is that the straps are not in the correct slot. They're too loose," said community health specialist Shelly Tansy, with Franciscan Health Lafayette East. 

Harness straps should not allow slack; the strap lies in a relatively straight line without sagging yet does not press into the child's shoulders creating an indentation.

"To put a child in a seat correctly, you need to make sure that the seat straps are at or below the shoulder level for an infant," said Shirley Tansey,. "The chest clip goes at armpit level, and then you tighten it tighten up so that when you pinch here, you cannot pinch an edge or pinch at all."

How Long Should My Baby Or Toddler Be In A Rear-Facing Car Seat?

“One of the new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to rear face as long as possible, now for the height and weight of the car seat,” said Sharilyn Wagner, RN, with Franciscan Health Indianapolis car seat safety program.. “You want to make sure that you take care of your precious cargo.

“Now, people are always worried about their feet. It's okay. A broken ankle is a lot easier to fix than a broken neck or spine. With forward facing they have (the potential of) more damage to their legs. I know that rear facing can be a pain for parents. They might consider it a hassle, but remember, you've got precious cargo, and you want to keep them nice and safe."

The key change? Infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat, even if it’s after the age of 2.

The AAP now recommends:

• Infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat. Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear-facing for 2 years or more.
• Once they are facing forward, children should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness for as long as possible, until they reach the height and weight limits for their seats. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.
• When children exceed these limits, they should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly. This is often when they have reached at least 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years old.
• When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.
• All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, using the right car safety seat or booster seat lowers the risk of death or serious injury by more than 70 percent. In a crash, the car seat’s hard shell supports the child’s head, neck, and spine, and the car seat absorbs most of the impact. When the child is forward-facing, however, the harness straps restrain the body, but the head can get thrown forward, which can cause injuries to the head and spine. 

While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children remain in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible, the law on how long a child should be in a rear-facing car seat varies by state.

In Indiana, the law states children under the age of 1 year and less than 20 pounds MUST be restrained in a rear-facing child safety seat. Best practice recommendations are that children ride rear-facing as long as the manufacturer’s height and weight limits allow it.

In Illinois, children must remain rear-facing until age 2.

Many car seats available today accommodate children rear-facing until they weight 40 pounds or more.

"You want to allow your kids to ride as long as they can rear-facing based on the height and weight limit of that convertible seat," Perkins said. "It's just a safer way to ride. There's less injury associated when they're riding rear-facing."

When Can My Child Move To A Booster Seat?

Children should ride in a rear-facing car seat in the back until age 4, and in a forward-facing car seat until at least age 5, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Many forward-facing car seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds. Once your child has outgrown height and weight limits for the forward-facing car seat you're using, it may be time to look at a booster seat.

"The way you know that it is time to change seats is if the child outgrows the seat, either height or weight," Tansy said. "Every car seat has a height and a weight limit on them, and they are in the owner's manual. They're also generally on the side, on the labels on the side, so when that child hits those height and weight limits, then it's time to move to the next seat." 

Indiana law requires all children under the age of 8 years to use a child restraint system, typically a booster seat, in accordance with the child restraint system manufacturer's instruction, which are based upon the child's height and weight.

In Illinois, "Children should be secured in a forward-facing safety seat with an internal harness system until they reach the upper height or weight limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer. When a child outgrows the forward-facing seat, he or she may transition to a belt-positioning booster seat."

When Should I Move My Child Out Of A Booster Seat?

"I see a lot of kids getting moved out of a booster seats and into a regular seatbelt too quickly," Perkins said. "Indiana state law requires that all children under the age of 8 must be properly restrained in a car seat or booster seat, but that's not the only precursor."

Illinois law states that children should stay in a belt-positioning booster seat until they are tall enough to properly fit in an adult lap/shoulder belt.

"Every child is different, their body shape is different. What they need to be able to do is sit in the vehicle seat correctly with their bottom all the way back against the seat back, their knees bent over the edge of the seat properly where their feet touch the floor, and then the shoulder belt should wrap just across the mid-collarbone," Perkins said. "If it's up on their neck at all, then they really need to be in a booster seat. That's what a booster seat does. It raises the child up so that the seatbelt fits them correctly. So you don't want to take them out of that too soon.

“Make sure that if you're going to take them out of a booster seat, can they sit in that vehicle seat correctly and the seatbelt fit them the way it's supposed to. If not, they need to stay in that booster seat."

When Do Car Seats Expire?

Car seats typically expire within 6 years from the date of manufacture. Check with your manufacturer.

"Everything breaks down over time, and car seats are in the heat in your vehicle, in the cold in your vehicle," Perkins said. "So generally manufacturers give car seats an expiration date of six years from the date of manufacture, and every car seat should have a label on it that tells you when that car seat was manufactured. Go six years from that date unless the seat has an actual expiration date printed on it. If you don't see an actual expiration, you just want to go six years from the date that seat was manufactured and don't use it past that."

Warning signs that you may need to retire that car seat early include:

• There are visible cracks on the car seat.
• The car seat does not have a label with the date of manufacture and model number to check for recalls
• You have no instructions for correct installation.
• The car seat is missing parts.
• The car seat has been recalled. (You can find out whether a car seat was recalled by calling the manufacturer or checking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
• The car seat has been in a moderate or severe crash.

Don't donate or resell old car seats, instead remove the fabric and take the old car seat to a recycling or trade-in event.

Why Should I Not Get A Used Car Seat?

Cost-conscious parents often rely on pre-owned baby equipment, but car seats and booster seats are not the place to scrimp. Second-hand car seats are not a deal. You can't be sure of its history.

"Don't ever buy used car seats from a secondhand shop or a yard sale because you just don't know if they've been in a crash or not," Perkins said. "All the car seats are good for one crash and one crash only. And it could be just a fender bender, but there was stress placed on that seat and it might not show on the seat, but it's just not going to be as safe."

It’s not a deal to buy a used car seat or not replace your car seat after an accident. Hairline cracks in the car seat may not be easily visible. You should  NEVER use a car seat that has been involved in a moderate to severe crash. Most insurance companies will replace your car seat after a crash. The old car seat can be recycled as well.

Are Car Seat Accessories Safe?

“When you first get a baby, you get all these fun things. You get harness covers, mirrors, shade covers, all these different things that are all fun,” Wagner said. “They're really cute, but none of them are recommended. They all could be hazardous in an accident.”

"Harness covers, mirrors, shade covers, all these different things that are all fun. They're really cute, but none of them are recommended. They all could be hazardous in an accident.”'

Need To Install A Car Seat?

Buying a new vehicle or a new car seat? Many Franciscan Health centers offer free child safety seat inspections. Each local program is overseen by a nationally certified child safety seat technician who will inspect seats and instruct families in how to properly secure them in vehicles.

Ensure Your Child's Safety On The Road

As children grow, how they sit safely in a car, truck, van or SUV changes. Franciscan Health helps parents and caregivers follow smart steps to keep children safe when riding in a vehicle. Book your spot now for a car seat safety check near you. Don't leave it to chance – let our experts secure your peace of mind.