How To Properly Tighten a Car Seat&#39;s Straps

!±8± How To Properly Tighten a Car Seat's Straps

The vast majority of parents spend a tremendous amount of time and energy selecting the best car seat for their child. Unfortunately, statistics from safety seat technicians demonstrate that over 50% of children are not properly secured in their seats, as the tension on their harnesses is too loose. If your toddler is not properly secured, then she will actually be able to wiggle her arms out of the straps, and have her entire torso unsecured, a very dangerous position in case of a crash.

Children's spines are more delicate than adults', and a stretch of even one-quarter of an inch during a motor vehicle crash can cause irreparable damage to a child's body.

How can you be sure that the harness of your child's straps is tightened to the optimal tension level? You don't want the harness to be too lose, as that will result in a dangerous forward-propelling motion in case of a motor vehicle accident. On the other hand, you don't want the harness to be too tight, as that would make your child uncomfortable.

The pinch test is the first thing that you want to do after buckling your baby into her car seat and tightening the straps. Are you able to pinch the strap together between two fingers? That is a sign that the strap is much too lose and must be tightened to the point where there is no slack available for pinching.

Avoid dressing your child in a thick coat. Parkas that have puffy fabrics will induce slack into the harness in case of a crash, which would render the safety features less effective. Dress your child in winter coats that are thin to touch, which are widely available at retailers such as Lands End or LL Bean. Alternatively, you can buckle your child into her seat without a coat and then lay the coat over her backwards during your travels. A hot water bottle or heated bag of rice will also keep your baby warm for those first few minutes of driving until the heat has spread throughout your vehicle.

Never soak the harness straps, as that can weaken their fibers and eliminate their fire protection safety features. Use a damp cloth to clean the straps with mild dish detergent. Additionally, an old toothbrush will do a marvelous job of removing crumbs or stains.