How to Fix a Car Seat That Tips Over

Keeping a child safe in the car requires securing the youngster into a car seat. Purchasing a car seat and buckling your child into the seat aren̵7;t the only requirements for safety, however. You must also understand the specific instructions of your car seat and how to install it correctly into your vehicle. If your car seat tips over in the car after you install it, you must readjust the restraint system to keep the seat in place.

Things You'll Need

  • Latch clip (optional)

Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the car seat from the base and set it aside momentarily. Unbuckle the car seat base.

    • 2

      Press down on the car seat base firmly with your knee on the half of the base closest to the door of the vehicle, advises certified child passenger safety technician Judith Gearlds, with the Carseat-Safety.com website.

    • 3

      Buckle the car seat base with the seat belt while still pressing down on the base with your knee. Pull as much slack out of the seat belt as possible and then remove your knee from the base.

    • 4

      Place the car seat into the base and check the fit of the car seat. If it moves less than 1 inch when you try to move it back and forth, you have secured the car seat properly, according to the Safercar.gov website. If it moves more than 1 inch, remove the car seat and unbuckle the base.

    • 5

      Press down on the car seat base again with your knee, using the same technique.

    • 6

      Buckle the car seat base again with the seat belt and make the belt as tight as possible again. Grasp the seat belts firmly in your hand to keep them from moving and unbuckle the seat belt.

    • 7

      Thread the belts through one side of the clip and out the other side, inserting a locking clip onto both the shoulder and the lap seat belts. As you thread the seat belts onto the locking clip, do not allow the seat belt position to change or you could accidentally loosen or tighten it. Position the locking clip 1 inch away from the seat belt buckle.

    • 8

      Buckle the car seat base in again with the locking clip in place. The locking clip will secure the seat belts more effectively and prevent the car seat from shifting.

    • 9

      Place the car seat into the base and check the fit of the car seat again. It should not move more than 1 inch. Readjust the latch clip again if the car seat moves more than 1 inch.

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