How To Put a Baby Into a Car Seat the Right Way

Chances are, your baby will not be happy about getting strapped into their car seat for the first (or hundredth) time, but securing your newborn in a car seat correctly is one of the most important things you can do to keep them safe. When you strap your baby into a car seat, you can reduce their risk of injury by 82%.

But simply strapping your baby in won't offer full protection in the event of an accident. Experts say that to keep your baby safe in the car, your baby must be within the car seat's height and weight limits, the car seat must be installed correctly in the car, and you must buckle them in properly. That may seem simple enough, but research suggests that a whopping 59% of car seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness. Learn how to ensure that you are choosing and using your baby's car seat correctly with these expert tips.

Make Sure the Car Seat Is the Right One

Car seats are not one-size-fits-all. You need to find a car seat model that suits your baby's age and size and replace it as your child outgrows the seat's limitations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a helpful Car Seat Finder Tool that provides recommendations based on your child's age, height, and weight.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), babies should ride in car seats with a five-point harness from birth until they reach the maximum weight limit advised by their car seat's manufacturer, anywhere from 65 to 90 pounds. Babies and young children should ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible; most convertible seats can be used rear-facing until a child is 40 pounds, though some have higher limits.

Use the Correct Harness Slots

All car seats for babies and toddlers should have a five-point harness. That means the buckling system comes in contact with five points on your child's body—both shoulders, both hip bones, and their crotch area—dispersing the force of a sudden stop or crash across their small frame.

The backrests of car seats have various slots that you can thread the five-point harness system through. If your child is in a rear-facing position, use the slot for the harness strap that lines up at or just below your child's shoulders. If your child is facing forward, use the slot that positions the harness strap at or just above your child's shoulders. Because most car crashes happen when cars are in forward motion, these different harness positions are most likely to keep your baby's body secure in the event of a crash.

Recline Newborn's Car Seat

New newborns do not have enough strength in their necks to hold their heads up in their rear-facing car seats. "Their heads tend to flop sideways; this is OK," says Alisa Baer, MD, a pediatrician and co-founder of The Car Seat Lady. "But when the car seat is too upright, their heads tend to flop forward, and this is not OK because it can interfere with baby's breathing."

To support your baby's head, slightly recline their rear-facing seat, so the angle of the car seat naturally keeps their head back and their chin off their chest. As your child grows older and can hold up their head, you can move the car seat into a more upright position, Dr. Baer says.

Ensure a Snug Fit

A car seat won't protect your baby unless they are strapped in snugly. Once you buckle your baby's five-point harness and tighten the straps (ensuring that the chest clip is at armpit level), you'll want to do the pinch test to make sure the straps are tight enough.

To do this, gently try to pinch the strap at the place where it goes over your baby's shoulders. If there's no slack, and your fingers slide off the webbing material, your baby is likely safe and snug. If you can easily pinch the webbing material away from your baby's shoulder, you should tighten the straps more.

Don't try to use the "two-finger test" to see if your baby is strapped in safely. Because everyone's fingers are different sizes, testing whether you can stick a finger or two underneath the straps is considered an outdated method of ensuring a snug fit.

Remove Bulky Clothing Before Buckling

It's dangerous to have anything other than the baby under the straps—even a snowsuit or winter jacket. It may seem like a child in a blanket or jacket is strapped in tightly, but if they are wearing a coat made of fluffy materials that could compress in a crash, there is a good chance that there is too much wiggle room between their body and the straps. That space can be just enough for your baby to be jostled or even thrown from their car seat in the event of an accident.

The AAP recommends that you dress your baby in close-fitting layers when they are riding in their car seat. You can drape a jacket or blanket over their buckled car seat if they need extra warmth during your drive.