According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as many as 85% of all car seats are improperly installed. You’re carrying your most precious gift to the world in your car, so it’s important that the car seat is installed correctly. Follow these guidelines.

Installing an Infant Car Seat

Installing Convertible Car Seat

Installing Booster Car Seat

• The recommended placement for a car seat is in the middle of the rear seat, or the center seat in a van or station wagon, assuming LATCH attachments and/or a shoulder belt are available there. Never install a rear-facing car seat in a front seat equipped with a passenger-side air bag.
• Keep your baby in a rear-facing car seat until he reaches 12 months and 20 lbs. (10 kilograms) at a minimum – but the longer you can keep him in a rear-facing position, the safer he’ll be. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions for the rear-facing weight and height limits.
• If a baby under 1 year old grows too tall or too heavy for an infant car seat, a convertible seat with a higher rear-facing weight limit is recommended.
• Read the owner’s manual for your car to find out how to use your car’s seat belts or LATCH system with an infant car seat.
• Read the entire infant car seat manual.
  
  
• Use your knee to push down on the seat as you tighten the car’s seat belt or LATCH attachments belt through the car seat’s belt path. The car seat should not move more than 1 inch (3 centimeters) from side to side or forward and backward at the belt path. If the seat wiggles or moves on the belt path, the belt needs to be tighter.
• Some seat belts may require a special locking clip that is designed specifically to keep the belt from loosening.Locking clips are available from baby product stores, car seat manufacturers, and some car dealerships.
• Be sure to check the tightness of the car seat before each use.
  
  
• The car seat should recline at no more than a 45-degree angle.

Harnessing your infant

• Read the entire infant car seat manual.
  
  
• Your baby’s head should be at least 2 inches (6 centimeters) below the top of the car seat.
• Infant-only seats are usually designed with a 3-point or 5-point harness. The harness straps should always be placed in the slots at or below your baby’s shoulders. Most models have a chest clip that holds the harness straps together. Move the clip so the top of it is level with your baby’s armpits.
• All harness straps should fit snugly, especially over the shoulder and thigh areas. Straps should always lie flat, never twisted. If you can pinch any harness webbing between your fingers, it’s too loose.
• Dress your baby in clothes that keep her legs free. This will allow you to buckle the latch crotch strap properly between her legs. If it is cold outside, harness your baby first and then cover her with a blanket (never cover your baby’s head). Never buckle a blanket under or behind the baby.
• If your baby slouches to one side or the other in the seat (common among newborns), carefully place rolled-up cloth diapers or rolled hand towels on each side of his or her shoulders. There are supports specially designed for car seats, but only use them if they came manufactured with your car seat. Never place any kind of padding or blanket under your baby – this can affect the harness’s ability to restrain him.
• If your baby’s head flops forward (also common among newborns), check the angle of the seat. You can wedge a towel, blanket or other firm support under the front of the seat to tilt the seat back slightly (a 30- to 45-degree angle is best – never more than a 45-degree angle). Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the recommended angle of recline for the seat.

 
Go to nhtsa.gov for more information. And be sure to read the instruction manuals for both your vehicle and for the infant car seat before installation

Installing Convertible Car Seat

Many parents choose convertible car seats for their convenience and because they grow with the child, saving parents from having to upgrade with every growth milestone. Convertible seats are designed to protect kids from birth up to 40 pounds (19 kilograms) or more, depending on the model. Convertible seats are the only type of seats that are placed in different positions depending on a child’s age: They face toward the rear until a baby is 20 to 35 pounds (10 to 16 kilograms) and at least 1 year old. The seats can then be turned to face forward as the child grows. Follow these guidelines when installing a convertible car seat:

• It is recommended that you use the car seat rear-facing as long as possible (but always in accordance with the manufacturer’s limits for height and weight).
• An infant or small toddler should be placed in the back seat – preferably in the middle (assuming LATCH attachments and/or a shoulder belt are available there) – and must be facing toward the rear of the vehicle until at least 20 pounds (10 kilograms) and at least 1 year old.
• After your child has reached at least 20 pounds (10 kilograms) and at least 1 year of age, the seat may be turned to face forward. (Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for when to turn the seat.)
• Read the owner’s manual for your car to find out how to use your car’s seat belts or LATCH system with a child car seat.
• Read the entire child car seat manual. Be sure to check the recommended angle of recline for the seat when it is forward-facing and rear-facing.
• Use your knee to push down on the seat as you tighten the car’s seat belt (may be a lap-only or lap/shoulder) or LATCH attachments belt through the child car seat’s belt path. The seat should not move more than 1 inch (3 centimeters) side-to-side or forward and backward on the belt path. If the seat wiggles or moves on the belt path, the belt needs to be tighter.
• Some seat belts may require a special locking clip that is designed specifically to keep the belt from loosening. Locking clips are available from baby product stores, car seat manufacturers, and some car dealerships.
• Convertible car seats are usually designed with a 3-point or 5-point harness. The harness straps should always be placed in the slots and should always be at or below your baby’s shoulders for rear-facing car seats. For a car seat that faces forward, harness straps must be in a slot at or above the child’s shoulders. Most models have a chest clip that holds the harness straps together. Move the clip so the top of it is level with your baby’s armpits.
• All harness straps should fit snugly, especially over the shoulder and thigh areas. Straps should always lie flat, never twisted. If you can pinch any harness webbing between your fingers, it’s too loose.
  
  Go to NHTSA.GOV for more information. And be sure to read the instruction manuals for both your vehicle and for the convertible car seat before installation.

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Installing Booster Car Seat

You know your child is growing up when it’s time for a booster car seat. Many states have passed laws requiring booster seats for kids up to 8 years old and 80 pounds (37 kilograms),
or 4-feet 9-inches (about 150 centimeters) tall. Booster seats come in many styles. Belt-positioning boosters raise kids to a height where they can safely use the car’s lap and shoulder belts. They come in high-back or backless models: High-back boosters are recommended when the car has low seat backs, and backless boosters may be used if a child’s head is supported up to the top of his or her ears by the vehicle’s back seat or head support. Follow these guidelines.

• Booster seats should be placed forward-facing in the back seat, ideally in the middle of the back seat wherethere is a lap and shoulder belt.
• Read the owner’s manual for your car to find out how to use your car’s seat belts with a booster car seat.
• Read the entire booster seat manual.
• Be sure to check the tightness of the car seat before each use.

• Read the entire booster seat manual.
• Make sure the lap belt is low and tight across your child’s hips.
• The shoulder belt should lay flat and snug across your child’s shoulder and stay clear of his or her neck and face.
• Shoulder and lap belts should always lie flat, never twisted.
• Kids this age begin to understand the importance of buckling up and may want to buckle themselves in.
• Be sure to check their seat belts and offer praise when they voluntarily put on their belts.

• Check your local laws regarding booster seat requirements.
• Kids can generally stop using a booster seat when they’re big enough to use the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belts while sitting without slouching with their back against the vehicle’s seat back, with their knees bent over the edge of the seat and with their feet flat on the floor.
• The lap belt should rest low, on top of the thighs, and the shoulder belt should lie comfortably across the middle of the chest. The child should be able to stay this way through the entire trip.
• Transitioning from a booster seat usually happens when a child reaches a height of 4 feet 9 inches (about 150 centimeters), but every vehicle and every child is different. Be sure to do what is right for your child and legal in your state.
• Remember, the shoulder strap of the seat belt should never be fastened behind a child’s back or under his or her arm. And you should never buckle two kids (or an adult and a child) under one seat belt – a crash could cause their heads to collide.