Installing the car seat
Rear-facing seat, snug harness
About 15 min Essential
Why it matters
A correctly installed, rear-facing car seat is the best protection for your baby in a crash. That includes the very first ride home from hospital; carrying a baby in your arms is never safe.
What you need
- A rear-facing infant car seat that fits your baby's weight and height
- The car seat and vehicle manuals
Step by step
- 1 Buy the seat a few weeks before the birth and practice installing it.
- 2 Install it in the back seat, facing the rear. Never put it in a front seat with an active airbag.
- 3 Secure it with ISOFIX/LATCH or the seat belt, routed as the manual shows. Held at the belt path, it shouldn't move more than 2.5 cm (1 in) side to side or front to back.
- 4 Check the recline indicator: a newborn's head must not flop forward.
- 5 Place your baby in the seat: on a rear-facing seat, the harness straps come from slots at or just below the shoulders.
- 6 Slide the chest clip up to armpit level.
- 7 Pinch test: after tightening, if you can't pinch any slack in the strap at the shoulder, it's snug enough.
- 8 Don't buckle them in over a bulky coat or snowsuit; tighten the harness over thin clothes and put a blanket on top.
Common mistakes
- Buckling your baby in over a thick coat.
- Leaving the chest clip down at the tummy.
- Turning them forward-facing before they reach the seat's rear-facing limit.
- Leaving your baby in the seat for long stretches, or letting them sleep in it once you are home.
When to see a doctor
- After any crash, have your baby checked even if they seem fine; the seat may need replacing, so ask the manufacturer.
- On the road, if their breathing sounds change, they turn blue, or their head drops forward and you can't wake them: stop, take them out and call 112.
This guide gives general information and doesn't replace a medical exam. If you're worried about your baby, talk to your doctor.