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Quick Disclaimer: We recommend having your car seat reviewed by a certified CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician) before using it with your child. You can typically get this done for free at any EMS or Fire Station in your area. Contact us if you have any questions regarding this.
When it comes to keeping your baby safe, we tend to primarily think about what goes on in the home. Is the bed/bassinet set up properly? Is the bottle temp just right? Are my outlets childproofed? But, we rarely think of car safety! Well, in today’s article, we’re going to focus on best practices that you can start doing today to help ensure that your newborn is safer in your car.
Mistake #1: Installing the Car Seat Too Loosely
You may think that if your baby’s car seat is buckled securely that it is safe and ready to go, but you may be wrong. A seatbelt only protects at its best when the thing or person it is protecting is snugly pressed against it. One of the things that causes the most damage in a crash is when your body is allowed to move freely before being stopped either by the dashboard or your seatbelt. If your belt is allowed to hold you stationary during a crash, you will greatly reduce the risk of injury.
How to fix: Make sure that there is only an inch or less of movement allowed when trying to move your baby’s rear-facing seat after it is strapped into the base. If you can move it more than that, then it is too loose and needs to be tightened. Er on the side of over tightening rather than under tightening.
Mistake #2: Harness Straps That Are Too Loose
Now that your baby’s seat is safely strapped into your car, make sure that your baby is securely and snugly strapped into the seat. Make sure that after they are buckled that you tighten the harness so that it is flat against their body on all sides and that you are not able to get more than one finger’s width of a gap between the harness and your baby’s chest. If the strap comes up too much, then it needs to be tightened. Additionally, if you try to pinch the strap, you should not be able to do that.
Mistake #3: Incorrect Harness Strap Height for Rear-Facing Seats
For rear-facing car seats, which is the only appropriate position for newborns and infants, the harness straps must be at or below your baby’s shoulders. Many parents mistakenly position the straps at shoulder height or above, thinking this provides better support. In reality, this positioning can allow your baby’s body to slide up and out of the harness during a crash.
How to fix it: Most if not all modern car seats have multiple positions for the straps to come out of. As your baby grows, make sure that you are also moving the strap anchor to the rear of the seat up to match your baby’s shoulder position. If it is too high or too low it won’t provide proper care.
Mistake #4: Incorrect Recline Angle
Since newborns and young infants can’t fully support the weight of their heads, it’s important that a car seat be on a slight incline that allows the head to rest backwards comfortably, but without being too far back as to diminish the safety potential of the seat. If it is too far forward, then your baby’s head is at risk of falling forward, which can cut off their airway and is just very bad for them overall.
How to fix it: Look for your car seat’s incline angle indicator, usually on the base of the seat, that will help guide you to setting the correct angle for your child’s size, age, and position.
Before You Go
We hope that this blog about car seat safety was helpful to you. If your little one is still fussy after feeds, struggling to settle, or having trouble sleeping, we’re here to support you.
From sleep consulting to in-home 24/7 sleep training and overnight newborn care or in-home newborn care services, we offer personalized guidance to help your little one (and you!) get the rest you need.
Have questions? Let’s Chat — we’d love to help your family rest easier.
Katie B.
Expertise You Need:
- Certified Master Pediatric Sleep Consultant
- Certified Advanced Newborn Care Specialist (2016-2022)
- Board Certified Holistic Healthcare Practitioner
- 16 years professional childcare experience
- Certified Postpartum Doula (2015-2022)
- Travel & ROTA Nanny
Katie has over 16 years experience working with children of all ages. As a Pediatric Sleep Consultant and Newborn Care Specialist, she has professionally supported families and babies worldwide over the last 10 years. Her mission is to help the entire family unit get better sleep, utilizing a holistic approach that supports the baby or child’s natural biologic drive to sleep. She has personally served hundreds of families, holds 20,000+ hours exclusively caring for infants & babies and has 69+ 5-⭐️ Google reviews.
The content contained in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice or to replace the advice of any medical professional. It is based on our opinions and experience working with newborns and their families. Other’s opinions may vary. It does not represent the views of any affiliated organizations. The reader understands that the term “Babynurse” is often a word used to describe a newborn caregiver. However, unless otherwise disclosed, we are not licensed nurses in any state. By reading and/or utilizing any information or suggestions contained in this blog, the reader acknowledges that we are not medical professionals and agrees to and waives any claim, known or unknown, past, present or future. This blog may contain affiliate links.
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