(WXYZ) — Studies have shown that the very, very vast majority of car seats are misused, meaning the seat itself is installed improperly or the child is incorrectly restrained.
For all children in seats with a 5-point harness, including infant carriers, convertible toddler seats, and some boosters, the
guidelines are almost identical. You want to focus on 4 things regarding the buckling:
1. Make sure the child is not wearing anything bulky or puffy, like winter coats, snowsuits, even thick sweaters.
It is essential that the harness rests snugly against the child’s body. I know in Michigan, you may be
wondering how to keep the child warm during those chilly days. You can always put a blanket on top of the
child’s lap to keep them warm once they are in their seat. Just nothing underneath them. For our toddlers
and little kids, you may want to put their coat on backwards when walking to the car so you can easily remove
it and put it back on backwards once buckled. There are also specific “car seat coats” that are CPST approved
– such as the BuckleMe Baby Coat.
2. You want to make sure the shoulder harness is in the right spot. For rear-facing seats, that means the
shoulder strap should be coming out just at or just below the child’s shoulder. You can see here the entry
point for the shoulder straps is adjustable. Some require removing the straps through the back and
adjusting, and some have a no-rethread harness like this one where you can easily lift and lower. Now, when
kids are forward-facing, the harness strap should be in the position that is just at or just above their
shoulders. An easy way to remember this is if they face the back, they go below.
3. The next important step is tightening the straps and doing the “pinch test.” So as you can see here, we are
going to buckle the child, and pull tightening strap to make the harness snug on the child. To test if it is snug
enough, you’re going to pinch the strap at the shoulder and make sure that your fingers slip right off. If you
can grip the straps top to bottom, it needs to be pulled tighter. If it is too loose, you can see that a child’s
body could slip through in even the event of a hard stop.
4. The last thing is making sure the chest clip is in the right spot. This chest clip should be then positioned at
armpit level. I tell kids it needs to be on their “hard parts” and demonstrate by hitting my chest. It its on their
belly, that’s their soft parts and not the safe spot. By having the chest clip in the proper place, you’re helping
to ensure the proper placement of harness straps from the shoulders to the crotch buckle.
So to recap, you want to make sure the child isn’t wearing a coat or anything bulky. Make sure the shoulder straps are
in the right place. Tighten the straps so that it passes the pinch test. And then adjust the chest clip to the armpit level.
For more information on how to get you car seat checked, visit Cert.safekids.org/findatech or email Andrea at carseatgirlmi@gmail.com.
