There is so much more to properly installing a child safety seat than most people know. These minor details can mean the difference between life and death of your child in an automobile accident. That is why the Safe Kids Coalition sponsors free child safety seat checks. And why should you go?...because your child is your most precious cargo.

Did you know?

How should my infant ride in the car?

An infant, less than one year or less than twenty pounds, should ride rear-facing as long as possible using either an infant only seat or a rear-facing convertible seat.

When can I turn my infant to a forward-facing position?

The infant must be both one year old AND twenty pounds. This means that if your 14 month old weigh 18 pounds or your 10 month old weighs 23 pounds he or she must still be rear-facing. Only if both conditions are meet can you turn your baby around, although the longer you leave your infant rear-facing, the safer your infant will be.

If I have a passenger side airbag, can I put my rear-facing infant in the passenger seat?

No! Never put a rear-facing infant in front of an airbag. Even in a 5 mile per hour crash, if the airbag inflates your baby has a high risk of being killed from the force of the airbag going off.

At what angle should my baby be in a rear-facing safety seat?

A 45 degree angle if the safest for your baby.

In a safety seat with an adjustable harness system what slot should I put the harness through?

The first thing to note is if this seat can be both rear-facing and forward-facing. If it is both, there is a differnce between which slots the harness straps go through. There should be a stronger, thicker area of plastic between the lower and higher slots. In a rear-facing seat use the slot(s) below the reinforced area and in forward-facing use the slot(s) above the reinforced plastic. In rear-facing, the straps should be at or below the baby's shoulder. In forward-facing, the straps should be at or above the baby's shoulders.

I think my safety seat is tight enough, but how tight is tight?

The seat should move less than one inch in any direction. This means if you grab the base of the seat and pull hard it should barely move. (Of all the areas of safety seat installation, this is the hardest to get right). That is why the safety seat checks are there to help.

For more information visit The National Safe Kids Campaign website.