7 Common Car Seat Mistakes To Avoid

It’s quite easy to mess up your car seat I found out. I already knew that I did not have what it takes to properly install a car seat. But then, we had to take one of our car seats out to haul brush to the town transfer station. When we tried to put the seat back in, something wasn’t quite right. We just didn’t know how very WRONG it was!

I took the car to car seat inspection in a nearby town. The officer had more than just raised eyebrows. She efficiently reinstalled our seat, and we had a chat about common mistakes people make with car seats.

Nobody tries to have an unsafe car seat, but many people are inadvertently reducing the safety of their child’s seat. Don’t make these mistakes with your car seat:

1. Too much padding underneath to level the seat. Steeply pitched back seats leave a gaping hole. It’s okay to use pool noodles to wedge up the seat, but no more than three styrofoam noodles. Using plastic or wood is a no-no because these materials provide no give in a crash
2. Seat angled too far back. A range of 30-45 degrees is fair when using a full sized seat (different from the baby carrier seat with base). 
3. No locking clip. Older vehicles don’t have the LATCH system. So you’ll have to use the seat belt to secure the car seat. However, the locked belt puts a sideways pressure on the seat, pulling it off balance. A locking clip should be provided with your car seat, to ensure the seat belt applies even pressure.
4. Seatbelt latch too long. Again, older cars have longer belt latches. Ours sticks out at least half a foot, putting a lot of “play” into the seat. Twisting the belt latch one full rotation pulls the latch closer to the seat.
5. Loose items in the car. Strollers, boxes, and bags should all be strapped down. For open trunk areas use the privacy screen where possible. Another danger is loose seat belts. In an accident these can fly around hit a child in the head. Always buckle empty straps to their matching latch and then tuck into the seat.
6. Twisted harness straps. With repeated use, inevitably the straps of your child’s seat will twist and tangle. This is particularly annoying to fix because the straps are threaded through different latches and buckles. Too often parents buckle their child in anyway. However, a twisted strap offers less surface area. In a crash, the force will be concentrated on the twisted areas instead of spread over a flat surface. Always adjust those twisted straps.
7. Frayed harness straps. We have this problem, and I’m keeping an eye on it. Since we always buckle our son from the side, we unconsciously are ratcheting the harness with a sideways pulling motion. This is causing fraying of the harness strap. Ours is minimal, but I’m glad the officer mentioned it. Years of fraying could cause the strap to break. In a crash, this could prove deadly. On an ordinary day, the strap could break, rendering your car seat inoperable.

It’s easy to not notice some of these small things. But these little mistakes can compromise the safety and functioning of your child’s car seat. Checking your car seat installation can go a long way towards keeping your family safe on the roads!

If you have concerns about your car seat, be sure to find certified passenger safety technician near you!

Do you have any other suggestions for improved road travel safety?