How to properly install your child's car seat
BOSTON - Halloween is officially in our rearview and that means the holiday season is upon us! This is the time of year grandmas, aunties and uncles live for. They'll finally get to meet the new addition(s) to the family.
That means some parents are going to be spending a considerable amount of time in the car. We collaborated with Consumer Reports to focus on the tiniest—yet most precious—members of the family.
Dr. Emily Thomas, the Manager of Auto safety at Consumer Reports, visited the station to give WBZ's Courtney Cole the rundown before you take your first trip.
Buying that first car seat for your child can be intimidating.
"There's a lot of options for parents and it's really difficult to make the decision and know that you're making the right choices, right?" Dr. Thomas said.
If you've ever had to shop for a car seat for your child, a niece, nephew, or godson, then you know the answer to that question is yes. That's why we took the time to talk to Dr. Thomas, so it doesn't have to be.
Let's start here, don't leave the house without cash of course – but also make sure you know your child's age, height, and weight.
"Once you get your seat, it's important, don't wait until the last minute. Open up the box, make sure your seat has all the proper labels, instructions, the registration card, that it has the right language on it...that says it has met all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards," Dr. Thomas said.
We know that can be a lot of reading, but make sure you're not skipping out on your car's manual, too.
"There is a whole section that is dedicated to child safety and will instruct you on how to use the vehicle seatbelts. Where to find the lower anchors, where to find the top tether anchors in your car, how to properly route things, how to lock your seatbelt," explained Dr. Thomas.
This brings us to the next part of our conversation.
"There are some common installation mistakes that could happen and it's important to be aware of them and to know what to check for when you do your own car seat install," said Dr. Thomas.
Starting with making sure your car seat is in the right position.
"So, for a seat like this, that can be used both forward facing and rear facing, you want to make sure that you're using the right belt path. You'll find labeling on the seat that identifies each of the belt paths and tells you which one that you should be using," Dr. Thomas told WBZ.
Next, make sure the installation of your seat is tight enough.
"So, what does that look like? You're making sure that once you've installed, with the seatbelt, or the lower anchors...that when you move side to side and front to back, at the belt path, pulling on to the belt path, that it doesn't move more than 1 inch in any direction," Dr. Thomas continued by sharing the third point: check your harness height.
"So, for rear facing children, that should be at or slightly below their shoulders. Where the harness is going over their shoulders into the car seats shell, it should be at or slightly below. For forward facing, it should be at or slightly above," Dr. Thomas explained.
Next, she says to make sure your harness is "nice and snug."
"How snug? So much so, that when you go to pinch the webbing at their shoulders, with your thumb and forefinger, you're not able to get any fabric between your fingers," Dr. Thomas told Cole.
It is also important to make sure you're recline is right.
"For rear-facing car seats, make sure that the recline is properly set for every trip. Check the car seat manual, check the labels on the seat near the recline indicator, it might be a line, it might be a level bubble," Dr. Thomas said.
Finally, she said to make sure your tether is tight.
"And that's for your forward-facing installations. For all forward-facing installations, always make sure that you're using your top tether. You're attaching it and tightening that strap. Check your owner's manual to tell you where to find that tether anchor and how properly route it," Dr. Thomas said.
Parents, be sure to register that car seat as well. It's how you can make sure you get any of the important recall information!
Consumer Reports has a plethora of resources. You can check them out here:
Information about various baby products here! (More than 1,000!)
