Does the pinch test apply when you use the infant seat on a stroller?

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
It never occurred to me to loosen the straps when my child was in the car seat on the stroller. Seemed like a huge hassle to me to loosen and tighten all the time rather than leave them tight. There was one time, though, when we were at a restaurant and I'd taken the baby out to nurse and when we were putting her back in (to stroll, not to go in the car) my MIL asked if she needed to be tightened in. I said it was probably fine for them to be a little loose. When I saw my daughter in a loose car seat harness, though, my anxiety spiked and I tightened her in.

The point of my question is this:

Since then, I have heard that it is actually a strangulation hazard to have kids in loose infant harnesses even while out of the car. What I've always wondered is:

1. How loose does it have to be before it is hazardous? Is anything less than pinch-test-worthy unacceptable? 2 fingers, but no more? 3 fingers? What's the standard for stroller use?

2. Is it a strangulation hazard in the stroller? (where the parent is there and facing the child while pushing the stroller?) or is it more like if you have a baby napping in loose straps on the living room floor while you're in the kitchen and not attending to them? I have a hard time imagining how a kid could strangle in loose straps. It's just hard to picture.
 
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TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
For me, the car seat in the stroller is only even used to get from the car to destination, or destination back to car. Like when I'd go to mom and baby yoga. Or run into the store quickly. I never actually strolled with the baby in the car seat. If I was strolling, baby was in the carrycot or just flat in the stroller. As such, straps were always car tight as we were either just out of the car or going back into it.

I'd hesitate to leave them looser as in those tired days, I'd hate to click the kid into the car and then forget that the straps weren't tight already. Since for me, infants seats are always tightened somewhere other than the car, then child gets popped into car, so straps always tight before being in the vehicle.
 

SynEpona

New member
I'd hesitate to leave them looser as in those tired days, I'd hate to click the kid into the car and then forget that the straps weren't tight already. Since for me, infants seats are always tightened somewhere other than the car, then child gets popped into car, so straps always tight before being in the vehicle.

Same here, if the seat has a baby in it, it's set for it's intended use, so baby goes in, straps are snug. It just goes together. We also have only used our carseats for car use, not stroller or outings. Things will be different for a little while with two babies and they'll be in carseats in the stroller more than the other kids were, but still -- straps will be snug if seat is occupied, in a car, in a stroller, in the (safe, lower basket) shopping cart etc.
 

soph's mom

New member
I think you should keep it tight as well... If the seat were to fall over- on the stroller, dropped while carrying, etc you want the child to be as secure in the seat as possible for protection. Loose straps could let the child slide and be injured.
 

tiggercat

New member
I'd keep them snug to avoid forgetting, but I have also been known to check a booster chair for tightness after "installing" it on a dining room chair. LOL
 

jasminegrl

New member
keep them snug, i went to the mall with a friend when my daughter was 4ish months and took her out of the seat to nurse her, i just set her back in the seat and covered her up with a blanket when she was done because she normally wanted to nurse again 5-10 minutes later, she ended up falling asleep and because she had the blanket over her i totally forgot about the harness and didn't realize i hadn't buckled her until after we had driven home.
 

katymyers

Active member
I'd keep them snug to avoid forgetting, but I have also been known to check a booster chair for tightness after "installing" it on a dining room chair. LOL
Haha, I do that, my husband always gives me a weird look for it :p. Also, I agree on keeping the straps tight to prevent forgetting. A few months ago I was grocery shopping with my two year old and the baby, I had the two year climb into her seat and I closed the door and proceeded to put the groceries in the back. I got done, put the cart away, then got in my car and drove home, it wasn't until I got there and went to get the kids out that I realized I had forgotten to buckle my daughter in and she had 'done it herself'. I felt so sick, now I double check each and every time I go somewhere. I think forgetting to tighten the straps on an infant seat like that would be even easier to do, especially for a sleep-deprived mother of an infant.
 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Okay, so I agree about always keeping them snug. It seems though, that the rationale is more about establishing good car seat habits to avoid accidental misuse than strangulation or other dangers?

What would you say to a caregiver who insists that only "space cadets" make mistakes like these? Is there another good reason I can give? This is a touchy subject for her and I'd like to establish the correct habits without getting into a whiole "you don't trust me to take care of a child" thing.

If there's no other reason, I will try to just stick with the "everybody makes mistakes and we know how awful you'd feel if you made a mistake that hurt your grandchild, so this is the kind of good common sense that will help prevent that" line.
 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
I'd probably just say that the car seat is for the car. And in the stroller babe goes in it without the car seat. Then there's no question about anything else. It's not great for a baby to be in the car seat out of the car anyway, especially for long walks and such.
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
I don't think they need to be carseat tight all the time, just tight enough to not allow the child to wiggle enough to slide under the straps. I wouldn't forget to retighten because I tuck my keys in beside infant seat babies for handy retrieval. That being said, I can't bring myself to wander around in public without perfect straps because I start to dwell on the idea that people might see my perfect harness and a lightbulb will go off in their head about how their kid doesn't look nearly as secure with their loose straps and belly clip and follow my example.
 

Brianna

New member
The only time I felt comfortable with less than snug straps was when the car seat was on the floor. I was nervous in the stroller or while being carried that it would tip over or I would trip and drop the seat.
 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I don't think they need to be carseat tight all the time, just tight enough to not allow the child to wiggle enough to slide under the straps. I wouldn't forget to retighten because I tuck my keys in beside infant seat babies for handy retrieval. That being said, I can't bring myself to wander around in public without perfect straps because I start to dwell on the idea that people might see my perfect harness and a lightbulb will go off in their head about how their kid doesn't look nearly as secure with their loose straps and belly clip and follow my example.

I feel the same way. And this might actually sway the grandma in question -- she definitely feels that the rest of the world could learn a lot from her parenting expertise, so framing it as "people learn a lot by what they see others doing, so we want to make sure that our baby is always modeling correct use" might work.
 

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