Health

1 Not reading the manual It’s amazing how many problems can be avoided by simply consulting the instructions. “Read the manual that came with the seat and the child-restraint section in the vehicle’s ownership manual,” says Edmonton technician Lacey Hoyland. Read them again when converting a seat from rear- to front-facing, or to a booster.

2 Moving up too soon Many parents are too anxious to move their child from a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat, or from a child seat to a booster. Resist this urge. The age, weight and height recommendations have been tested for your child’s safety. Think about your child’s development too, says Transport Canada’s Barbara Baines. You can start using some forward-facing seats at 22 pounds, but a baby that size who can’t yet pull himself up unassisted should stay in a rear-facing seat.

3 Leaving the belts too loose Ideally, installing a car seat is a two-person job, with one of you pressing the seat down with a knee while your partner adjusts the seat belt. If the seat moves more than an inch in any direction, tighten it more. The same acrobatics apply with a UAS connection, though it’s often simpler.

4 Misusing Infant/Child and Infant/Child and booster seats As parents convert a seat from rear-facing to forward-facing, “there are so many alternatives that people get confused,” says Shelley Bauer of Kids in Safe Seats in St. John’s. For example, the top harness slots in most convertible seats are only to be used in the forward-facing position. Another common mistake is not removing the harness when converting the seat to a booster.

5 Using the harness incorrectly There should only be enough room for one finger between the harness strap and your child’s collarbone. “Parents worry that the straps are too tight,” says installation instructor Erick Abraham, “but if you don’t feel compression, the harness isn’t tight enough.” Adjust the straps to accommodate bulky clothing and make sure they lie flat. Finally, make sure the straps are in the right slots for your child’s size: They should be at or just above the shoulders in a forward-facing child seat; in a rear-facing infant seat, they should be at or just below the shoulders. In both cases, chest clips should be at armpit level.

6 Attaching the tether strap incorrectly — or not all The tether reduces the forward force on your child’s head in a collision, says Linda Reid of BC’s Child Passenger Safety Network. Yet this critical component is often too loose, or absent.

7 Using cuddle bags All our experts advise against using products designed to fit inside infant seats. “They add too much padding and are not safe,” says Ottawa technician Sarah-Jane Ward Badenoch.

8 Having a potential projectile in the back seat If you need to place something under your rear-facing seat to get it to a 45-degree angle, don’t use a two-by-four! A sudden stop could turn it into a missile. Use a pool noodle or a tightly rolled towel.

9 Installing a car seat in front of an airbag Transport Canada and our experts advise against putting a car seat in the front. But if you must — because your back seat is too small or you have a pickup truck — do so only if you can switch off the airbag. Then slide the front seat as far back as possible. You can apply to Transport Canada for airbag deactivation if the front seat is your only option. (Back-seat, side airbags inflate differently and are not a problem near car seats.)

Originally published in Today's Parent, May 2007