How to Know When to Move the Straps Up on a Child's Car Seat

Transporting a baby or child safely in a vehicle is an critical responsibility for parents. An appropriate car seat for your child̵7;s size and age helps you ensure your child̵7;s safety in the car. Once you have the right car seat and you install it properly into your vehicle, the next important detail to check is the harness straps that fit around your child. As your child grows, you will need to move the straps on the car seat to ensure they hold your child properly.

Instructions

    • 1

      Check the height of the top of your child̵7;s shoulders against the straps where they protrude from the slots in the back of a rear-facing car seat or a convertible car seat in the rear-facing position. For optimal safety and restraint, the straps should be even with or slightly below your child̵7;s shoulders, according to the OrbitBaby website, a car seat manufacturer.

    • 2

      Move the straps up to the next slot for the rear-facing car seat or convertible car seat facing the rear when the straps become uncomfortably snug for your child. Snugness of the car seat straps should not involve any excess strap -- you should not be able to pinch any amount of strap after fastening the harness, according to the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. Straps that are overly snug would press into your child uncomfortably or force her to sit in an awkward position in the car seat.

    • 3

      Read the manufacturer recommendations for strap placement in the slots for a forward-facing car seat. Some convertible or forward-facing car seats only feature reinforced slots as the top slots, requiring you to use the top slots only for the forward-facing position, according to physician Michael K. Sachs, author of ̶0;Car Seat Safety,̶1; published at Carseat.org. If more than the top slots have reinforcement on your car seat, adjust the straps so they sit at or slightly below your child̵7;s shoulders for the safest fit. If your car seat has more than one set of reinforced slots and the current strap position causes discomfort for your child because the straps are too tight, move the straps up to the next slot, according to manufacturer recommendations.

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