Car Seat Safety 101 {& Big Mistakes We’ve All Made}

People.  This was not a post that I planned on writing, but over the last few days I’ve seen so many pictures on social media, both Halloween and voting selfies, that have shown kids improperly strapped in car seats that I think I’m about to lose my mind.  We’ve become so detrimentally PC that we are afraid to say anything to anyone at any time that may be perceived as “interfering”, but this is far too important to just keep your mouth shut.  When it comes to keeping people that I love safe, I will get all up in your business in half a hot minute.  End of story.  So on that note, here is a quick Car Seat Safety 101 lesson for those of you that have a kid, know people with kids, or have ever seen a kid in your life. 

Babies start in a rear-facing car seat.  The model that we used [this one] and loved because it worked with our stroller (literally just “clicks” into the car seat base and the stroller, so easy) was also pretty easy to install.  Well, as easy as it can be for a nine months pregnant human to wriggle around in a confined space in 90 degree temperatures and apply brute force to get that base as tight as possible.  Most newer cars have “child safety tethers”…  Yeah, before I had a kid I never paid attention to that catch phrase either, but it actually is a very handy feature.  They are those serious metal hook things that stab you in the butt when you sit in the back seat.  And they make it so much easier to install a car seat.

Car seats by child’s age and weight

What to know about installing a rear-facing car seat base:  It should. not. move.  Period.  Trust me, you can get the straps tight enough to keep this thing in place.  If you can’t do it, get the Momma bear to do it.  I promise her sheer will and determination to protect her newborn cub will get that sucker so tight that you will have permanent indentations in the seats of your car.  (Use this gadget to avoid permanent seat damage.)

Also, the base should be level – there is usually some type of line or indicator on the base that will tell you when it’s right.  When you place the car seat into the base, you should hear a solid “CLICK” and the car seat itself should not wiggle in the base.  Make sure that the front seat is moved up far enough to allow clearance to get the car seat in and out.

What to know about installing a forward-facing car seat:  They are different than the car seats with separate bases, but the same principles apply.  The straps use the child safety tethers, and it should be so tight that it doesn’t move.  The forward facing car seat that we use [this one] also has a strap that goes over the back of the seat and down to the child safety tethers on the back of the seat.  Yeah, they’re back there too.  Who knew?  I’m not sure if that is the case with all vehicles, but I have a 2015 Tahoe, so I know that those have it, and I would assume it’s the same for most SUV’s and minivans.  (My dream vehicle!  No, seriously.  Have you ever experienced a Town and Country?  It’s a dream on wheels.)

What to know about strapping a child into either a rear or forward-facing carseat:  For the love of God, the chest clip should line up with the armpits.  I REPEAT, the chest clip should line up with your child’s armpits.  If you don’t pay attention to me, maybe you’ll pay attention to Ryan Gosling with his shirt off?

The chest clip resting right on a baby’s soft little belly {CRINGE} as opposed to at the chest, armpit to armpit, is the number one car seat offense that I see on social media.  That, and babies in jackets and Halloween costumes in their car seats.  It’s not possible to get the straps tight enough with all that bulky stuff on a baby, so take it off before you strap baby in.  It literally hurts my soul when I see this.  And just an FYI, I was not always so high and mighty savvy.

When Lila was three months old, I got her out of the car at my friend’s house.  This friend also happened to be my doula and she literally helped me give birth to this child.  Why she is still my friend after that I will never know, but she’s a gem, so I try not to question it or remind her of the experience too much…  Anyway, she is the most supportive and non-judgmental person I’ve ever met.  We were walking into her house, and she took the car seat out of my hands and said, “Katie I would never interfere, but I love you and I love your daughter too much to not say anything.”  She proceeded to school me on the fact that I had the chest clip in the wrong place, and that Lila’s car seat straps were far too loose.  I. was. horrified.  For three months I’d been doing it wrong and it still haunts my dreams to think about what could have happened.

We weren’t tightening the straps enough (you shouldn’t be able to pinch more than 1″ of the straps) because Lila hated being put in the car seat, and we weren’t putting the chest clip in the right place because we just didn’t know.  Isn’t that LAME?  Ugh, I just hate past-tense us for it.

Don’t be past-tense us.  Strap your kid in right, no matter how much they hate it.  They will get used to it, and they will be safe as a result.  For more info on car seat safety, go here:  Car Seats / Parents Central and if you know someone who’s doing it wrong, get up in their grill and say something.  They will thank you.  They will be embarrassed and horrified at first, but they will thank you, I swear.

Or, feel free to repost this as just a general announcement if you’re the passive type…  you can even just tag a bunch of friends and be like “OMG I sooo didn’t know!”, or “check out this pic of half-naked Ryan Gosling!”  Or message me and I’ll be happy to anonymously educate anyone.  Unsolicited advice is my favorite to give.  The point is that no matter what, no baby should be in jeopardy because the parents just didn’t know how to do it right.

There’s plennnnty of other stuff that we as parents will jack up, car seat safety shouldn’t be one of them.   This concludes my soapbox PSA for the day.  Happy Friyay y’all!