Installing Car Seats for Toddlers

If you have experience with an infant car seat, you'll find transitioning to a toddler seat to be fairly simple. Nevertheless, reports show that 80% of children aren't properly secured in the car. Make sure you install your child's car seat with care and always have it checked at a Car Safety Seat Inspection Station.

Once babies are at least one year old and 20 pounds or over, you have the option to move them into a forward-facing seat but experts recommend keeping them in a rear-facing seat as long as possible. Rear-facing seats keep children safer in the case of a crash. Check the height and weight limits that the manufacturer has set for your particular car seat to find out when it needs to be replaced. There are five different types of forward-facing seats: convertible seats, forward-facing toddler seats, combination forward-facing/booster seats, built-in seats, and travel vests. Convertible seats can be used rear-facing and forward-facing. They come with two types of harnesses: 5-point harness and overhead shield. The five-point harnesses are preferred by safety experts. Forward-facing toddler seats can be used up to about 40 pounds, depending on the manufacturer. Once the child reaches 40 pounds they need to be put into a combination seat or a booster seat. Combination forward-facing/booster seats can be used with a harness up to 65 pounds usually, and then without the harness as a booster up to 120 pounds. Built-in’s come with the car and you will need to consult your driver’s manual or the manufacturer for instructions on how to use it. Travel vests can be used between 20 and 168 pounds and are ideal for cars that have lap-only seat belts in the back.

When buying a car seat, you’ll want one to fit your individual needs. You’ll want one that is easy to use, fits your child and fits your car. Check the buckle release and snap in the store, try changing the straps, and try it in your car. Make sure seats with a tray shield will work if you have a low ceiling in the car. Those with a tray shield can end up being too small to bring down over the child’s head - this does not mean that the child has outgrown the seat, just that you’ll need to adjust the straps every time. Used car seats are fine as long as they are not cracked, older than 6 years old, missing a label with the model and manufacturer, have no instructions, are missing parts, were recalled or were involved in a moderate to severe crash. If the seat was involved in a crash where the car could drive away after, the passengers were not injured, or the air bags did not go off, then it’s able to be used. Make sure you send in the registration card that you receive with a new car seat, this allows manufacturers to contact you if there is a recall.

Something else you might consider when purchasing a car seat - children under 4 years old are required to be safely secured in an infant restraining device when on a plane. Booster seats and travel seats are not adequate for flying, but convertible and forward-facing seats are.

When you install a car seat or booster seat read the instructions that come with the seat as well as your car’s manual. The safest place to put the car seat is in the center of the back seat (if possible) because it has the least chance of impact. A car seat should not be placed in the path of an airbag. Car seats or high-back boosters usually have harness slots at or above the child’s shoulders that should be used when being put in a forward-facing position (make sure the belts go through the forward position slots). Convertible seats will need the angle adjusted from a reclined position to an upright position if you are facing it forward before installing it. Pull the seat belt all the way out before inserting it into the slots. Make sure the seat is flush against the seat by using your body weight to push it down as you run the belt through the slots and make sure the seat belt locks. 

Newer cars need few add-ons for safe car seat installation. Cars made after 1996 are all required to have seat belts that tighten around safety seats. Older cars may require locking clips, which often come with the car seat. They are 3 inches long, larger than a regular clip and should be threaded through the belt near the latch plate. Cars with seat belts attached to the doors will need “attaching belts” installed by the car’s manufacturer to work with a car seat. The only safe way to shorten a belt is to use a car manufacturer’s heavy duty locking clip. If you have a pick-up truck, the car seat must be in the back and the back of the car seat must be 80% on the back of the seat. Side-facing seats are not acceptable. If you have side-airbags, read your car’s manual about safely installing a car seat.

Cars made after 2003 have a LATCH (lower anchors and tethers for children) system which helps to make installation easier. The LATCH system removes the need to use seatbelts and provides hooks instead with a forward and rear facing path. If you use the LATCH system, do not use the seatbelt. Lower LATCH anchors might have weight limits (usually 40 or 48 pounds), consult the car’s manual. Unless the car’s manual specifically states that the LATCH system should be used in the center of the backseat, it should not be used in the center. Most car seats come with a tether strap, which is used to anchor a forward-facing seat to the car and keep the child’s head from being forced forward in the event of a crash. There are kits available if you have an older car or used car seat without a tether anchor and some car manufacturers will install one for free. The car seat is still safe without the LATCH system or the tether strap and just using a seat belt. 

There are a variety of ways that a seat belt can lock; either using the seatbelt retractor or the latch plate. Seat belt retractors can lock when you come to a sudden stop, be locked all the time when pulled out (some can do both) and some lock if the belt is at the correct angle against the car seat. Lightweight latchplates lock when they are flat against the seat belt but will move when they are at a 90 degree angle, locking latch plates are usually on lap-only belts and are always locked, switchable latchplates have a switch that must be flipped to ensure that it is locked (common in Volvo’s), a sewn on latch plate has the lap belt and the shoulder belt sewn on separately to the latch plate. When dealing with a sewn-on latchplate, check the lap belt, if it does not lock you will need a heavy-duty locking clip from the car manufacturer. To make sure your seat belt locks, pull the shoulder strap all the way out and then slowly let it click back about 12 inches, then pull on it. If you’re seat belt does not lock, you will need a heavy duty locking clip from the car’s manufacturer. Check how tightly a car seat is installed by trying to move it side to side and forward, if the belts loosen more than an inch, than the child is not safe and you should try another position in the car.

When you are ready to put the child in the car seat or high back booster, make sure the harness clip is at the child’s mid-chest or armpit area. The forward-facing combination seats should have the harness straps positioned at or slightly above the child’s shoulders. If the harness straps are below the shoulders, then it’s time to remove the harness straps and use the shoulder/lap belt. The straps should go around the strong parts of the body; namely the shoulders and hips. Once the child is in the seat, use one finger (index for women, pinky for men) to measure how tight any harness straps are around the shoulder. If you want to cover the child with a blanket, do so after securing her in a car seat. Bulky clothing can cause a harness to be too loose. If the child slumps, place a rolled up diaper or cloth between the legs, behind the crotch strap. Oftentimes the instructions for a carseat are difficult to understand. If this is the case, contact a local car seat technician or the manufacturer.

To find a car seat technician near you:

www.seatcheck.org

866/SEATCHECK (866/732-8243)

For car seat ratings, to locate a fitting station or find up to date information on car seats:
www.nhtsa.gov
888/327-4236

Have you transitioned to a new type of car seat for your toddler?

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [Website]

Car Seat Mistakes [keepkidshealthy]
Car Seat Site [Website]
How to Install a Toddler Car Seat [eHow]

Installing a car seat [babycenter]