Whether you’re strapping your newborn into their infant seat for that first ride home or buckling your toddler for a quick trip to the store, making sure their car seat straps are adjusted correctly is crucial to keeping your little passenger safe and secure.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to ensure your child’s car seat harness is fastened and positioned correctly for each and every adventure.
Ensuring the safety of your child in the car is a two-step process. Step one is installing the car seat correctly in the vehicle. Once the car seat is in place, step two is to secure your child safely in their seat—this is where the harness comes in. Each part of the car seat’s harness is specially designed to keep your child firmly and safely positioned in their car seat as you travel.
Always refer to your car seat’s safety manual for information on how to use the harness straps, crotch buckle, and chest clip. Most car seats, except for belt-positioning booster seats, are equipped with a 5-point harness, securing the child at their shoulders, hips, and between the legs. In the unfortunate event of a crash, this harness plays a critical role in evenly distributing crash forces over the strongest part of the child’s body, reducing the risk of injury.
Regularly adjusting your child’s car seat straps as they grow is essential to maintaining a proper and secure fit.
Ensuring Your Car Seat Harness is Positioned Correctly
Before hitting the road, check that both straps are positioned at the same height, are the same length, and are not twisted or caught on anything. Incorrect use of the harness can compromise its ability to distribute crash forces evenly, potentially increasing the risk of injury. Consider the headrest height and proper use of infant inserts, as these factors can impact how the harness fits. If you notice that your little one is outgrowing their favorite outfit, that’s a good sign that their car seat straps may also need an adjustment.
Understanding the different parts of your car seat’s harness and how to adjust them correctly will help you avoid common mistakes that could compromise your child's safety.
Shoulder Strap Height
Proper shoulder strap positioning depends on whether your child is in the rear or forward-facing position. For rear-facing car seats, position the straps at or below the child’s shoulders, ensuring they stay securely cradled within the car seat at all times. Also, avoid having the straps too low by using the highest setting possible while remaining at or below your tiny passenger’s shoulders.
In forward-facing harness car seats, the straps should be at or above the shoulders. Remember to regularly adjust the height of the shoulder straps as your child grows, following your car seat manual’s instructions. In some car seats, this is as simple as raising the headrest, while in others, you may have to unhook the straps from the back of the seat and re-thread them.
The Pinch Test: Making Sure Straps are Snug
The car seat harness should be snug but not too tight, ensuring that your little one is both safe and comfortable on the road. Loose straps pose a risk, as a wiggly child might slip out of their car seat, compromising their safety, especially in the event of a crash. According to the AAP, parents should avoid putting their children in puffy jackets or bulky clothing when riding in car seats. Clothes with extra padding are easily flattened upon impact in car accidents, which creates additional space beneath the harness. This poses the risk of children slipping through car seat straps and being ejected from the seat.
To address loose straps, buckle your child into their seat, then remove slack by holding the crotch buckle and pulling up on the upper part of each strap. Slide the chest clip down and pull the front tightening strap, then slide the chest clip back up to the proper position at about armpit level.
After snugly adjusting the harness, perform a “pinch test” using two fingers to attempt pinching the strap lengthwise. If you can pinch the strap between your fingers, it’s too loose and requires further tightening. If the strap can’t be pinched, then the harness is properly tightened, and you’re ready to hit the road!
Proper Chest Clip Positioning
One of the most common mistakes parents make when securing their child in a car seat is improper positioning of the chest clip. Exactly as the name suggests, the chest clip should be positioned in the center of the child’s chest and should be lined up with the top of their armpits.
The purpose of the chest clip is to keep the harness straps secure and parallel over the torso in the event of a crash. If it’s too high, the chest clip could press into your little one’s neck, too low and it could press into their abdomen or allow the shoulder straps to slip off entirely. Additionally, if the shoulder straps are too loose, the chest clip could slide down during travel, so it’s important to make sure straps are snug and the chest clip is positioned correctly for every ride.
Troubleshooting Uneven or Twisted Car Seat Straps
Ensuring that both sides of the car seat harness are evenly snug is essential for maintaining safety and comfort. If you notice uneven straps, begin by taking your child out of the seat and fully loosening the harness. Next, pull the straps away from the car seat, keeping one hand under both sides to ensure they remain even. Then, put your little passenger back into the car seat and tighten the straps accordingly.
While all car seat harness straps should lay flat, they will inevitably end up twisted at some point. When dealing with twisted straps, first, identify the location of the twist. If the entire strap is twisted, simply untwist it. If only one section of the strap is twisted, fold the strap into a triangle shape and slide it through the buckle on one side of the twist. Then, check to make sure the strap is untwisted and can be properly buckled before securing your child for their next car ride. Sometimes, you may have to try this method a couple of times before the twisted car seat strap lies flat.
Ensuring your child’s harness straps are correctly adjusted is a crucial aspect of car seat safety. Regularly check and make adjustments as your child grows, and follow the guidelines in your car seat’s safety manual to make sure you’re using the car seat harness correctly.
Your child’s safety is our top priority, check out the Chicco Baby Talk Blog for more helpful tips. Safe travels!