Putting a baby in a car seat seems like it should be easy.
Instead, it is pretty easy to make a mistake that could leave your baby less protected than she should be.
Rear Facing Car Seat Limits
One of the more common mistakes that parents make is that they don't understand that their baby should be in the back seat facing backwards until they are at least 12 months old AND they weigh 20 pounds. So if you have a bigger baby who reaches 20 pounds before her first birthday, then she still needs to face backwards until she turns 12 months old.
Reviewing infant growth charts, you can see that some babies actually reach 20 pounds as early as 6 to 7 months. These babies should move from their infant carrier type car seat, which usually has a 20 to 22 pound weight limit, into a rear facing convertible car seat. A convertible car seat can have a rear facing weight limit up to 35 pounds, so will allow you to keep your baby rear facing all through her first year.
Car Seat Mistakes
Other common car seat mistakes that parents make include:
- putting car seat harness straps in the wrong position or allowing them to be too loose
- putting the harness chest clip in the wrong position
- not using the LATCH system correctly
- dressing their baby in a heavy coat or covering them with a heavy blanket and then putting the harness straps over the winter coat in the car seat
- placing a child in the wrong car seat or wrong position in the car, for example forward facing versus rear facing
- putting their baby's car seat in the front seat when it has a passenger side air bag
If you are unsure if you are using your car seat correctly, consider getting a car seat inspection at a local fire station (not always available though) or visiting an official car seat inspection station.
