It’s no secret how important a car seat is to the safety of your little bundle of joy. It will be one of the most important purchases you make in your child’s first year. However, car seats tend to be a little tricky to understand and figure out. Because car seats don’t tend to be ‘click it in and go’ like a regular seatbelt, a lot of mistakes tend to happen. And even if it is a tiny mistake, the outcome can be a big one. If your baby’s car seat isn’t properly installed they could fall out, tip over, stay strapped in but the seat could roll around, all leading to your baby injured or worse.

This week we wanted help new and veteran mom and dads finally conquer the car seat, the correct way. Below we have outlined the top car seat mistakes and how to fix these mistakes. If you find that you have fallen victim to the car seat, be sure to fix the issue before putting your child back in the seat. Also be sure to have the car seat instruction manual near you. Every seat has variations and you want to make sure that you install properly for your specific car seat.

Car Seat Do’s and Don’ts

The child is turned face-forward too early:

• Babies must ride facing the rear until they are at least 1 year old or weigh 20 pounds or longer!

The seat isn’t installed tightly enough:

• When jiggled in the area where the safety belt is pulled through, the chair should not move more than 1 inch in any direction.

Harness straps are too loose:

• The strap should be so tight that an adult’s thumb and forefinger can’t fit in between

Infant seat angled incorrectly

• The seat should not be reclined more than 45 degrees from vertical to ensure that the child does not flip over

Harness straps are in the wrong strap

• In rear-facing position, straps should be in slots at or below the shoulder. In a forward facing position, straps should come through the uppermost slots

The harness retainer clip is out of place

• The clip should ALWAYS be at armpit level

The locking clip is out of place

• If needed, it should be positioned no more than an inch from the safety-belt latch.

The safety belt isn’t in lock mode

• Check vehicle’s owner manual to determine what type of belts you have. Then follow directions regarding how they must be used with a child-safety restraint.