How good are you at buckling TSK (that special kid) into that car seat? According to a study reported at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting, only 7% of parents buckled the baby correctly.  Of the 93% who didn’t attain perfection, 90% made 2 errors and a whopping 50% made 5 or more errors.

First take home message; read and keep your car seat manual available for reference. That means LOOK at it periodically.

Second: be sure someone trained in car seats helps you with the seat before you take the baby home.

Third; have an authority check your technique once or twice as the child grows through the next few years.

So…the most common infant car seat placement errors?  A loose harness, you have to pull it tighter than you think, in most cases.

The next most common error was the placement of the harness clip.  The clip needs to be at armpit level, which is higher than many families think.

Next was using the wrong buckle. You know,  the one NEXT to the one you should have used!!!

Most of the other errors related to other installation problems, failure to lock the seatbelt, or having the wrong recline angle, or having too much motion.

You you probably paid close attention to how to put that car seat and TSK in the car before the ride home from the hospital.  But now that you have been “at it a while”, are you SURE you are doing it safely, or might you have added a few “short cuts”?

Check in with a specialist at the Highway Patrol or anywhere in your area who has trained safety seat experts. After all, TSK is growing and changing, so there may need to be adjustments to the safety seat placement.

Click that belt safely every time, and give that kid a hug, Gene.