9 Car Seat Safety Tips that Can Save Your Child’s Life

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Making sure your child is safe in the car is such an important issue for parents!  Take a look at these life-saving car seat safety resources and tips!

This was originally a sponsored post from Cars.com and has been updated for 2020.

Little Lives in the Hands of Car Seats

I’ll never forget the feeling of leaving the hospital with my brand-spanking-new twins sons.  I felt so unprepared and inadequate, and my husband was certain they were making a mistake by letting us novice parents take them home.  You realize that the well-being of these babies who have just entered the world is completely in your hands.  Talk about scary!

As we drove home, we were so aware of every car around us, every pothole, every driver who rolled through a stop sign.  My husband, who on the rare occasion that he is pulled over thinks the cops are secretly admiring his Nascar-like driving skills, was actually driving under the speed limit.  We realized all at once just how dangerous the world can be.

Car Seat Safety Resources

Car seat safety is of paramount importance to the well-being of every child.  A lot of times, we are so overwhelmed with bringing this new life into the world, we don’t always think through to its conclusion how to ensure that our baby is safe in our car.  But in fact, deaths resulting from inadequate car seat safety are the #1 preventable death in children.

In order to make sure your kids are safe in your car, there are many resources at your disposal.  One of my favorites is from Cars.com. 

This website has so many great resources on their Car Seat Check page.  There are fantastic and informative videos such “Car Seat Safety,” “Car Seat Recalls,” “4 Car Seats Mistakes You Could Be Making,” and “Which Cars Fit 3 Cars Seats?“.

Not only that, but there’s also a feature where you can plug in the make, model, and year of a car you are considering purchasing, and it will give you a car seat check for that vehicle.  You can also see which cars scored high on car seat safety in their article “2019 Car Seat Check Honor Roll.“

The site also includes which car seats fit into which 2020 models.

I love this!  This is super-helpful information, especially if you are in the market for a new car for your growing family.

Life-Saving Car Safety Tips

There are some other important car seat safety ‘rules’ to keep in mind (“Momsplained” from Scary Mommy did a great job summarizing these points):

 

1| Make sure there is no slack in the chest strap. 

Pull up from the shoulders and tighten.  Repeat several times until snug. That also means no bulky coats, blankets or snuggies between the baby and the straps.

2| Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. 

He should be rear-facing until at least 2 years old, but the longer you can keep him rear-facing, the safer he is.  Check the guidelines of your car seat for weight and height limits.

3| Make sure the chest clip is in the right position.

And this is the right position: armpit level, between the nipples.  In the event of an accident, too low could cause damage to internal organs; too high could cause asphyxiation.  

4|Make sure your child is ready to be moved from a 5-point harness to a booster seat.

Before you move your child from a 5-point harness car seat to a booster seat that has a seatbelt, make sure your child is at least 5 years old, 40 lbs, and mature enough to sit properly and not remove the belt.

And don’t remove them from the booster seat too soon, either – not until the seatbelt can fit the same way as it would without a booster seat – usually 10-12 years old.

Here’s a great test you can use to see if your child is ready for a booster seat.

5| Be sure to use a tether once your child is forward-facing. 

Once your child is forward-facing, make sure you use the tether anchor on the top of the seat to keep it secure. This is usually found behind the vehicle’s seat.

You can see what this looks like in the image below, courtesy of The Car Seat Lady.

6| Be sure car seat is installed at the right angles and in the safest position.

For a rear-facing seat, it’s imperative for the seat to be installed at the right angle for it to have maximum life-saving protection.  All new car seats have a guide on the side of the seat. Also, the safest position in the backseat for a  car seat is the center.

7| Make sure shoulder straps are in the right position.

For rear-facing seats, shoulder straps should be below the shoulders. For forward-facing seats, shoulder straps should be above the shoulder. For more tips about positions of harnesses, shoulder straps, etc. safekids.org has many more resources as well!

8| Beware of using second-hand seats. 

If a seat has been in a crash, it should no longer be used.  Also, car seats have expiration dates! Be sure to check that! If you’re using a car that’s second-hand, make sure you are getting it from a trusted source who can verify the history and safety of the seat.

9| Have your car seat checked by a trained technician. 

You can go to this site and put in your zip code, and it will direct you to a trained car seat technician in your area. Note: it’s usually not just the fire or police department!  This site also has many other specific resources so you can find the perfect seat for your car and child as well as all the guidelines you need to follow!

A Few Small Steps Can Save Your Child’s Life

There are so many things that are out of our control as far as keeping our kids safe; however, car seat safety is completely in our hands.  With a little bit of research and some due diligence, we can make sure our kiddos are as safe as humanly possible when we are on the roads with them.

PS – If you’re planning on taking a road trip with your littles, check out this post for road trip with babies and toddlers – tips that can save your sanity!

What are your best car seat safety tips? Any resources that you love?