Need List of Basic Carseat safety

A friend of mine asked me what are the basics of carseat safety for a convertible seat. I want to make sure I give her the correct info and all the info she needs. PLEASE add to the list I made if I forgot anything. Thanks!

-Chest clip even with child's armpits
-No twisting of the harness/straps
-Fitted harness/straps. Should only be able to fit a one finger under straps.
-Carseat should not move more than 1 inch after installation. For a snug fit putting a knee in the seat to get a tight install helps.
-Keep baby rear facing as long as possible. (Check rearfacing weight limit of carseat)
-Keep the harness straps at or below the shoulders while rear-facing
-Keep the harness straps at or above the shoulders while front-facing


Can anyone think of anymore???

Oh, her son is only 3 and she already bought a booster for him So I am trying my best to give her more information than she asked for... so any info you can give me for not having him in a booster will help to.

sholoulou said:

-Fitted harness/straps. Should only be able to fit a one finger under straps.

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That's old advice. Whose fingers? Mine? Piper's? The fireman's? You don't want to be able to pinch anything horizontally at the shoulders. If you can it's too loose. If you can't it's fine.

-Carseat should not move more than 1 inch after installation. For a snug fit putting a knee in the seat to get a tight install helps.

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No more than 1" at the beltpath. That's important. Otherwise you get people scared and stressed that their non tethered rear facing seat is moving too much at the head.

Also, we don't tell people to put their knee in the seat unless we find that that's really necessary in their car. We're taught not to, anyway. We want parents to feel like they can recreate an install on their own, and if we're standing on our hands and chanting, well, it scares parents into thinking they cannot do it themselves. I'd just say to make sure to add weight to the seat and pull snugly. Then if they're having troubles say add a knee.

-Keep baby rear facing as long as possible. (Check rearfacing weight limit of carseat)

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And head has more than 1" of hard shell above it.

Can anyone think of anymore???

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Check the car's manual for LATCH placement.

Forward facing seats should be tethered if one is available, and if not see if one can be retrofitted.

Harness until a mature booster age (5-6 years old).

Wendy

sholoulou said:

A friend of mine asked me what are the basics of carseat safety for a convertible seat. I want to make sure I give her the correct info and all the info she needs. PLEASE add to the list I made if I forgot anything. Thanks!

-Chest clip even with child's armpits-good
-No twisting of the harness/straps-good
-Fitted harness/straps. Should only be able to fit a one finger under straps.You should not be able to pinch any slack at the childs collar bone
-Carseat should not move more than 1 inch after installation. For a snug fit putting a knee in the seat to get a tight install helps. It should move less than one inch when pulled side to side with your non dominant hand
-Keep baby rear facing as long as possible. (Check rearfacing weight limit of carseat)Children should rearface until they meet the height or weight limits for their convertible car seat.
-Keep the harness straps at or below the shoulders while rear-facing-Good
-Keep the harness straps at or above the shoulders while front-facing-Good


Can anyone think of anymore???

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Read the manual before installing the seat. Do not use aftermarket products like mighty tights and bundle mes.

Well, I must say my carseats are in very snug!! I thought they could not move more than an inch. period. Now I know they can not move more than an inch at the belt path. Thank you for correcting me. No wonder my family just steps aside and lets me buckle in the seats when I am around LOL

As far as keeping him from going into a booster yet- go to youtube and find the videos for Kyle David Miller and Belle's Gift. Those should help.

Straps should be below the shoulders when RFing and above the shoulders FFing.

sholoulou said:

Well, I must say my carseats are in very snug!! I thought they could not move more than an inch. period. Now I know they can not move more than an inch at the belt path. Thank you for correcting me. No wonder my family just steps aside and lets me buckle in the seats when I am around LOL

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no, they CAN'T move more than an inch AT THE BELT PATH... you dont check for movement anywhere else...

Can't and can not mean the same thing Got it. Thanks for your input.

CelticLabyrinth said:

sholoulou said:

A friend of mine asked me what are the basics of carseat safety for a convertible seat. I want to make sure I give her the correct info and all the info she needs. PLEASE add to the list I made if I forgot anything. Thanks!

-Chest clip even with child's armpits-good
-No twisting of the harness/straps-good
-Fitted harness/straps. Should only be able to fit a one finger under straps.You should not be able to pinch any slack at the childs collar bone
-Carseat should not move more than 1 inch after installation. For a snug fit putting a knee in the seat to get a tight install helps. It should move less than one inch when pulled side to side with your non dominant hand
-Keep baby rear facing as long as possible. (Check rearfacing weight limit of carseat)Children should rearface until they meet the height or weight limits for their convertible car seat.
-Keep the harness straps at or below the shoulders while rear-facing-Good
-Keep the harness straps at or above the shoulders while front-facing-Good


Can anyone think of anymore???

Click to expand...

Read the manual before installing the seat. Do not use aftermarket products like mighty tights and bundle mes.

Click to expand...

I've heard "less that 1" side to side w/ non-dom hand" from people before, but I was taught to always check for more than 1" movement in any direction (not just side to side, but front to back as well) at the belt path, and I know I've seen at least a couple seat manuals that specify <1" front to back and side to side at the belt path. Is that not typical? (I tend to skim that part when I'm reading manuals... )