Things You'll Need:
- Car seat
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Step 1
The best rule of thumb for car seats is that they belong in the backseat. Unless you have a pickup truck or a two-seater sports car, your little one should be sitting in the backseat, with the front seat as one safety bumper and the trunk space as the other safety bumper. By the way, If you have a two-seater sports car and need to use a baby seat every day, it is time to exchange the sports car for a family friendly vehicle, or just use the sports car when only you need to go someplace.
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Step 2
Newborns should sit in a car seat that is specially designed for smaller babies and faces the back rear of the seat. Typically these seats come with a base that you can remove the actual car seat from. It is the base that you need to make sure is tightly strapped in with the lap/shoulder belt, depending on where in the back seat that you place the carseat.
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Step 3
Once you have the base installed tightly, always make sure that the car seat itself is properly latched to the base. You will normally hear a clicking sound once the locking mechanisms are correctly secure. In most models, the carrying handle of the car seat will need to be position toward the top of the car seat until it locks into place.
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Step 4
For older children, roughly about 20 pounds, the car seat can be changed to forward facing. Some children at this age still fit in the newborn car seats so the installation is the same but you face the base and car seat in the opposite direction as you did before.
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Step 5
To install a larger, forward-facing carseat, securely and tightly pull the seat belt through the opening in the back of the seat. Pull and push on the car seat once you have the seat belt latched and tighten as necessary to make sure that there is minimal shifting of the car seat.
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Step 6
With some vehicles, there are limited places in the back seat where you can place the car seat. For smaller cars with larger car seats, the only place for the car seat is either behind the driver's seat or the passenger seat. If at all possible, the best place for the car seat (though more inconvenient for loading the child) is in the middle of the back seat. This position provides buffers for the child in the event of a side collision.
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Step 7
In newer vehicles and with newer car seat models, there is a strap on the car seat and a hook in the car that you can use to provide extra stability for the carseat. If you have this option, use it.
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Step 8
In many towns, there are car lots and fire departments that offer to install car seats for free. This is your best and safest method of installing the car seat. Call your local fire department to find out where such services are provided.
