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Where Should Infant Car Seat Be Placed

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Common Mistakes To Avoid When Fitting A Baby Car Seat Or A Child Safety Restraint

How to place your baby in a car seat

One of the most important safety decisions you will make for your child is choosing a suitable car seat . This handy guide provides practical information to help you select the best car seat for your needs.

While the following information provides some tips on how to install a car seat, every car seat is different, and you must follow the manufacturer instructions for your particular model of car seat.

Child Car Seat Safety Tips

Here are some tips to help you install a car seat and transport children safely.

  • Using a car seat that has a CMVSS label is required by law in Ontario. All new car seats sold in Canada have this label.

  • Reading both your vehicle manual and car seat instructions is essential for knowing how to install and use your car seat.

  • It is easiest to install seats with two people, one person kneeling or pushing down on the car seat, while the second person tightens the LATCH or seat belt.

  • After you have installed the seat, try to pull it towards the front of the vehicle and side to side where it is belted. It should not move more than 2.5 cm .

  • Make sure a rear-facing seat is reclined at approximately a 45 degree angle.

  • For a forward-facing car seat, make sure the top tether strap is used and also has less than 2.5 cm movement.

  • Make sure the car seat harness straps are snug you should only be able to fit one finger between the straps and your child’s collar bone. The top of the chest clip should be at armpit level

  • Try not to dress your child in clothing that is too bulky. Place a blanket over the harness straps to help keep your child warm. .

  • Pregnant women can best protect themselves and their unborn child by always wearing a seat belt, snug and low on hips.

Safest Place For Car Seat

When driving around with your baby, you want to make sure they are as safe as possible. While you work hard to drive carefully and not hit anyone, you cant always control the other drivers on the road.

Being prepared and choosing the safest place for a car seat in your vehicle will make a difference in case an accident does happen.

The safest place for car seat is usually in the back seat, right in the middle. This keeps your child as far away from any potential impact locations in case of an accident. If there is more than one car seat, or there isnt a middle seat available, then any seat in the back of the vehicle is safe too.

Knowing where to place an infant car seat to keep your child safe will depend on the type of car seat and the type of vehicle you drive. To choose the safest location, consider the following:

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How To Securely Install An Infant Car Seat With A Base

If your car seat came with an installation base, as most of the best infant car seats on our list do, it will make the installation much easier. Note that a base doesnt make the seat safer, but it does make the proper installation of the seat much easier, resulting in overall safer conditions.As always, you should carefully read your car seat manual for specific guidelines. But in general, heres how to securely install an infant car seat with a base:

  • Detach the seat from its base.
  • Install the base at the back of your car. Prefer the LATCH system if both your base and your car offer that option.
  • Once the base is tightly installed, attach the car seat on its base.
  • You can see in the video below how to install an infant car seat with a base and a LATCH system. This is for the Chicco KeyFit 30, our top ranking infant car seat thanks to safety ratings and great value. You can read our review of the Chicco KeyFit 30 and .

    The great thing with a base is that you can leave it in your car and only take the car seat with you. Check our infant car seat and stroller compatibility guide if you need help finding the right stroller and adapters for your car seat.

    Helpful Note

    Safest Place For Forward

    Common baby car seat installation mistakes

    If its the only car seat, the safest place to put a forward-facing car seat is on the center seat of the back seat. The same can be said for a rear-facing car seat as well. Its statistically proven that the center seat is the safest place to put a car seat.

    One study, conducted in 2008 to evaluate the association between a car seats placement in the backseat and risk of injury, showed that children seated in the center, between the ages of 0 and 3, had a 43% less chance of injury in a collision than children seated on the driver and passenger side of the vehicle.

    Also, in a study investigating the survival rates of children in car seats involved in a fatal collision, the results showed that when placed in the center, children have a 13% increased chance of survival.

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    Tip : Practice Using The Harness And Straps

    As well as providing safe and secure support, it is important that child car seats, harnesses and straps are correctly adjusted.You will be dealing with straps every day, so it is highly recommended to test the ease of use before you make your purchase to ensure safer harnessing.Some car seats also the feature harnesses that do not require threading/unthreading thus enable automatic shoulder height repositioning. These are important features that make using a car seat easier and less stressful.

    Center Seat Safest For Children

    In this study, researchers looked at whether those recommendations were still valid by analyzing data on child occupants of motor vehicle accidents from 1998 to 2006 based on insurance claims and a telephone survey.

    The analysis included children from birth to age 3 who were seated in a child-restraint system in the rear seat of motor vehicles that were involved in a crash in 16 states.

    The results showed that the passenger side rear seat was the most popular position for the baby or childs car seat followed by the left rear seat and center seat .

    Researchers also found use of the center position decreased as the child got older. For example, 39% of baby car seats for infants under age 1 were placed in the center rear seat vs. 18% of child car seats for 3-year-olds, regardless of any additional passengers in the rear seat.

    Children seated in the center had a 43% lower risk of injury than those in either side position, which researchers say revalidates current child-restraint safety recommendations.

    Although placement in any rear seating position provides excellent protection, write the researchers, those in the center have the lowest risk of injury.

    Researchers say recommendations should continue to encourage families to install child and baby car seats in the center of the rear seat.

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    Which Is The Safest Place For A Car Seat In A Minivan Or Suv

    Regardless, there are different factors to take into consideration when determining where the safest spot is for your babys car seat.

    The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of one be kept in a rear-facing position in the backseat, so ideally youll want to install your infant car seat in the middle.

    Different seats have different rules about how they should be installed, but the answer to your question is contingent on a few variables.

    -Does your seat come with any special restrictions for installation? If so, follow those directions before anything else.

    -Do you have a car or truck? In many cases, car seats can go in the middle, adjacent to each other. Truck beds are often flat and wide enough that there is plenty of room for them too.

    -What kind of restrictions do you have with space around the seat itself? Is there a console between where baby would sit and where an adult would sit? Is there another person sitting directly next to their baby when they travel in their backseat?

    Let it be a van or SUV still the safest place to install the car seat is in the middle.

    Learn How To Keep Children Safe In Car Seats

    Car Seat Safety by Age: Rear-facing Car Seats for Babies

    BOOK APPOINTMENT:

    PLEASE NOTE: Your CAR SEAT must display the CMVSS Canadian maple leaf label to qualify for our workshop services. We operate by appointment only on a first come first serve basis and we welcome your donations to help assist in the operation of our volunteer divisions.

    READ: What to bring with you “When Attending Our Workshop” in “About Car Seat Safety Workshop” section.

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    Is It Safe To Put An Infant Seat Behind The Drivers Seat

    It is safe to put an infant seat behind the drivers seat. The safest spot is to have the child in the center seat in the back. However, if there is no center seat, then either seat, as long as it is in the back, is safe.

    Many parents choose to place the infant seat on the passenger side. This allows them more room to move their seat on the drivers side and helps them see their baby better while driving. Any seat in the second row is seen as safe for your baby.

    Safest Place For A Car Seat In An Suv

    In general, the safest place for an infant seat is the second row in the middle. By placing the car seat in the middle you protect against side collision and back collision.

    However, the best location for the car seat in an SUV will depend on the size of the vehicle. Some of the newer SUVs are a little smaller and the third row is close to the back of the vehicle. This doesnt provide a lot of protection and you should not keep your child there.

    If you have an SUV that is lower to the ground and doesnt leave a lot of room between the third row and the back of the vehicle, the safest place is in the second row. This is where you should keep your baby.

    For larger SUVs, the safest spot may be in the third row. These SUVs are often larger, making it harder for an impact in the back of the vehicle to do much damage. This also puts the child further from the front, which is where most accidents happen.

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    Which Is The Safest Place For 2 Car Seats

    Well this depends on the type of car seats are you using.

    For example if you have an infant car seat and a convertible or a booster than its better to put the front facing car seat in the middle because the infant car seat typically offers a cocoon like protection.

    Most infant car seats come with side impact protection so it means that your baby will be safe and sound no matter what and the middle can reduce risk of injury for the older kids who dont have side impact protection.

    Safest Place For Car Seat : What Studies Say About The Best Place To Put Your Car Seat

    How Long Does a Child Need a Car Seat or Booster Seat?

    January 1, 2022 by Sam Webster

    When buying a car seat for the first time, there are so many safety regulations and recommendations that you either won’t be aware of or that you’re confused about – and that’s okay!

    There are many things you can do to ensure that your child has a safe car seat experience. One of these things, believe it or not, includes installing your car seat in the right place. But, what do I mean by that?

    In this article, we’ll be taking a quick look at what research has to say about the placement of car seats, and from there I’ll explain the safest place to install your car seat, depending on the type of car you have, how many car seats you have, and if you’re installing the car seat in the rear-facing or forward-facing positions.

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    Maximum Car Safety Standards: Wheres The Correct Installation For A Rear

    According to the SafeRide4Kids and National Library of Medicine research studies, all newborns, children younger than three, and children up to 3-years-old kiddos have the same car seat setup process.

    In addition, the study showed that the safest car seat for a rear-facing child is the back seat of your vehicle. But what position?

    Furthermore, in the research, the experts state that the center position of the back seat reduces the risk of injuries by 43%.

    Also, the rear center position is the furthest place from any impacts and external forces in any type of car crash.

    However, numerous experts state that most parents place their rear car seat in the rear passenger side.

    Although Im not entirely familiar with why they do so, I can only assume they want to keep an eye on the baby better. Wrong!The safest place is the center position!

    Still, they always have an exception, and some of the common reasons are:

    The LATCH installation is impossible in the center

    They cannot properly install a rear-facing car seat in the center position

    The center position is just too narrow for a rear-facing car seat

    Other reasons.

    My advice is to follow the rules strictly, visit the authorized centers and organizations that can help you install the rear-facing car seats in the right place, or search for a Child Passenger Safety Technician.

    These people are verified experts, and they will best guide you through the installation process.

    NEVER!

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    How Do I Install A Car Seat With A 5

    • Place the car seat in the back seat of the vehicle.
    • Secure the car seat using the Universal Anchorage System or the vehicle seat belt, carefully following the vehicle manual and the car seat instructions.
    • Make sure that the car seat is tightly secured to the vehicle and does not move more than 2.5 cm in any direction where it is attached to the car.

    For a rear-facing seat:

    • Install the seat at the reclined angle required by the car seat instructions. Check the instructions to see how you adjust the seat to get the correct angle.
    • If you are using a seat with a handle, place it in the position required by the manufacturer.

    For a forward-facing seat:

    • Always use the top tether on a forward-facing car seat. A tether strap attaches the top of the car seat to a designated tether anchor for that vehicle seat.

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    When Can A Baby Use A Restaurant High Chair

    Your child can sit in a restaurant High Chair when he or she can sit unsupported for at least 30 minutes. Depending on the development of your child, this happens somewhere between 6 to 9 months. Please make sure that the High Chair meets all the safety standards as issued by the JPMA.

    How To Make Sure Your Car Seat Is Installed Properly

    Is your baby’s infant car seat fitted correctly?? Please watch this video to make sure!

    According to a 2014 report by the AAP, fewer than 10 percent of new parents install or use car seats correctly, with most strapping the harness or the car seat too loosely. So its always a good idea to get someone to double-check your handiwork.

    Try any one of these options:

    • Check with your local police or fire station, baby store or car dealership. Most will do a safety check for you for free.
    • Find a car seat inspection station near you through the NHTSA directory or call 866-SEAT-CHECK.
    • Keep in mind that only a certified car seat safety technician is likely to be up-to-date on all the latest recommendations, so for peace of mind search for one in your area through the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Program.

    From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

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    All Children Taller Than 4’9 Should Be Restrained In A Seat Belt Even If Your Child Is 8 Years And/or 80lbs But Shorter They May Not Be Tall Enough For A Seat Belt

    Even if your child is eight years old and/or 80lbs, they may not be tall enough for a seat belt alone it is safest to keep using the booster seat for as long as they are within their height limits of the seat.

    Is your child tall enough for a seat belt alone?

    • Check to see that when sitting up straight and against the back of the vehicle seat:

    • Your childs knees bend over the edge of the seat, with his/her feet on the floor

    • The lap portion of the seat belt fits snugly over his/her hips

    • The shoulder portion the seat belt crosses over his/her shoulder and chest

    • Make sure your child can sit properly for the entire trip.

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