Your children are your number one priority and protecting them as you travel California roads is critical. You’ll not only need to figure out which car seat is best for your child, but you’ll also need to know how to install it.
Here are a few guidelines to make sure your car seat is installed properly, and your child is strapped in the right way and absolutely protected while inside.
How Do I Know What Car Seat to Use?
Before you install a car seat and strap your child in, it’s critical to know what seat you should be purchasing. It’ll depend on your child’s age and weight.
The California Highway Patrol lists the requirements for minors on its website and also offers a helpful video.
- Children under 2 years of age shall ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds OR is 40 or more inches tall. The child shall be secured in a manner that complies with the height and weight limits specified by the manufacturer of the car seat. (California Vehicle Code Section 27360.)
- Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat.
- Children who are 8 years of age OR have reached 4’9” in height may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt. (California Vehicle Code Section 27363.)
California Rear-Facing Child Car Seat Installation Guidelines
Your first experience with a child car seat may be on the day or two after your baby is born. You’ll be required to bring your newborn home in a rear-facing car seat.
Here are some important guidelines for protecting infants in rear-facing car seats.
- Secure a Rear-Facing Seat Only in the Back Seat: All car seats and booster seats should be installed in the backseat.
- Check The Angle of the Seat: You’ll need to be concerned with the angle of the seat. If a baby is leaning back too much, your child could slide out of the safety straps in a collision. If the seat is too upright, the baby’s head may flop forward in an impact and make breathing difficult.
- Check Harness Strap Openings: In a rear-facing seat, parents must use the harness strap openings at or below the baby’s shoulder level. This will help hold the child low in the car seat so there’s less chance of sliding up the back of the seat.
- Check Slack on Harness Straps: The harness straps should hold the baby snugly in the seat. Use the “pinch test.” See if you can pinch excess webbing or folds at the shoulders. Pull the slack out of the hip area.
- Position the Chest Clip: Make sure the top of the clip holding the harness straps is positioned level with the child’s armpits.
- Don’t Secure Straps Over Bulky Blankets or Clothing: Don’t secure crotch straps between the legs over a bundle of fabric. Place a blanket over the child after all straps have been fastened if needed.
These are just a few of the things to remember when buckling your young child in. There’s a lot more to know before you should feel you are properly utilizing the safety functions of a car seat. Thankfully, California offers a lot more help online and in person.
The California Highway Patrol website is home to helpful videos that show parents how to install car seats and booster seats the right way. They are versions in English and Spanish.
It’s also important for parents to check with their closest California Highway Patrol office to find out when car seat checks will be held. You can visit this page to get the phone number of your nearest office and call for availability.
When It’s Time for a Car Seat Upgrade
Most children will grow out of their first car seats by one-year-old. It’s recommended that parents at this point buy a “convertible” or “all-in-one car seat.” This type of seat is bigger and can be used as a rear-facing or front-facing seat. This makes it possible to keep the child in the safer, rear-facing configuration as long as possible.
Children will likely need to switch to a front-facing model anywhere from one year old to three years old. It’ll depend on when the child reaches 40lbs or is over 40 inches tall. This graphic goes over the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ranges of ages for different safety devices.
(Source: NHTSA)
California Rear-Facing Child Car Seat Installation Guidelines
A few things to keep in mind when your child does go from a rear-facing model to a front-facing seat:
- Upright Position. You may need to change the child’s seat from a reclined position to an upright position depending on the manufacturer’s guidelines.
- Secure the Base. Make sure the base of the seat is firmly and tightly attached to the seatbelt and pulled tight to the back seat.
- Use the Pinch Test. Keep the straps tight. You shouldn’t be able to pinch a fold in the straps at the child’s shoulders.
- Car Seat Harness Straps. The car seat harness straps must be at or above your child’s shoulders.
- The Chest Clip. The clip must, again, be at armpit level.
- Knowing When Your Child Has Grown Out of a Car Seat. There are three ways to safely gauge when your child is ready to leave a front-facing seat. Your child’s shoulders may have reached the top of the seat’s harness slots. Your child’s ears may have risen above the back of the car seat. If your child has reached the maximum weight or height recommended by the manufacturer.
Watch these videos from The California Highway Patrol website for more information on keeping your child safe in a front-facing child car seat.
Finding Support for Families After a California Accident
If your child is ever injured in an accident caused by a careless driver, make sure the at-fault driver’s insurance company is held fully accountable.
Injuries to children, even relatively minor injuries, can lead to long, difficult recoveries. Children’s bodies are still maturing and an injury during certain stages may cause issues with growth and development in the years ahead. The costs of long-term care should never fall to victims and their families.
Talk to an experienced California personal injury lawyer about your case in a free consultation session before deciding on your next move.
