How To: Install a Car Seat by Edmunds.com
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/womenfamilies/articles/104581/article.html
It’s as much a rite of passage as childbirth itself — the dreaded car seat installation. Fraught with anxiety about “doing it wrong,” millions of new parents nevertheless fight it out in a sweaty, grunt-inducing battle with the infant car seat, a hunk of white plastic that somehow holds the power of life or death over their fragile newborn. Upon the birth of their first child, even normally laid-back people have been known to worry about car seats with type A obsessiveness.
Chances are that they’re getting it wrong anyway.
Amazingly, research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that as many as 80 percent of all car seats are improperly installed and used. Eighty percent. It’s a significant factor in why automobile accidents are the number-one killer of children under 14.
The great difficultly in installing car seats has always been the almost limitless variety in the way that both car seats and vehicle seats are made. Getting a good fit between car seat and vehicle seat is more difficult than manufacturers on either side of the equation would care to admit. Vehicle seatbelts might have automatic locking retractors (ALR), emergency locking retractors (ELR) or ones that switch between the two. Seat cushions can be flat or rounded, wide or narrow. Most newer cars’ middle seats have shoulder belts, some older ones don’t, but all models post 2008 will. Add to this the wide array of child safety seat dimensions and configurations, and you’ve got literally thousands of combinations to contend with.
To ist the consumer and simplify installation, the federal government set a standard: New car seats and most vehicles made after September 2002 must feature LATCH, or Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. LATCH attachments come in rigid (a metal piece that snaps over the anchor — found on Britax-brand car seats) and flexible (a hook that clips over the anchor). (See our article, “Sitting Tight: A Car Seat Overview.”) If both your child seat and your car are equipped with LATCH, there’s no need to use the seatbelts to install the seat. But LATCH created its own set of problems, and not all LATCH seats will fit into all cars. NHTSA responded again by rating car seats for ease of use.
As publicity grows about the necessity of properly installed car seats, the situation is slowly getting better. There are now hundreds of safety seat inspection stations where you can have your installation checked by a certified child passenger safety technician who has passed NHTSA’s 32-hour course.
Most Web sites that talk about car seat installation are extremely general. This makes sense in light of the innumerable issues that arise. We’d like to go one step further, though, and point out some of the lesser-known tricks and traps. We’re only going to cover a rear-facing infant-only seat and a forward-facing toddler seat, because those are two very common needs. Although we can’t cover every “what if,” we hope you’ll come away more prepared, so that installing your car seat isn’t such a struggle. You can also check out our video, “How to Install a Car Seat,” to actually see how it’s done.
Duration : 0:4:49
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There was so much …
There was so much BAD info in this clip!! NEVER place anything between your auto seat nad your child seat, not even a seat saver! It can interfer with the car seat. ALWAYS read your manuals before installing a child seat, even if not using LATCH. If your not sure find a tech in your area to look at it, most police and fire stations have techs on hand.
Im glad I finaly …
Im glad I finaly found this clip, I was tired of all the lame Graco,Chicco clips that only told me nothing. This was more about the restraints and latches. Exactly what I wanted………….thanks
Thank you for the …
Thank you for the detailed instruction, I have been having a difficult getting my carseat installed in my car using the seatbelt but the small tips & tricks you showed I am sure will help, they’re just what I was looking for.
This video was very …
This video was very easy to follow and made it easy to varify that our installation of our seat base was correct. Afterwards we had it inspected by our local fire department just to be that much more sure, and low and behold, this video was correct. Thank you for this video!
EVERY car seat …
EVERY car seat maker and car seat tech seems to recommend either tightly wrapped towels, or pool-noodles (foam tube). They will also tell you to check the pads on a regular basis to ensure that the pad hasn’t compressed any more, and that the seat/seat base remains tight.
that is safer than …
that is safer than the leather, it won’t let slide. It shouldn’t matter anyway- if you have the seat in tight.
This was fast, easy …
This was fast, easy to follow and had detailed ideo to show how to do each of these steps. I was able to walk out to my car and install my car seat base easily thanks to this video and was left feeling confident in the carseat’s installation. Thank you!
Thanks for the …
Thanks for the video. This helped me confirm I did the installation correct.
who the heck made …
who the heck made this video? Any car seat tech should tell you to NOT use any pad below the car seat. The protectors are NOT ok or approved by car seat techs.
I don’t think those …
I don’t think those covers are crash tested.