How To Fix A Baby Car Seat? 6 Facts To Maintain

Do you know? 1 out of every 366 cars traveling 1000 miles gets involved in a car accident. 

Undoubtedly, car accidents are one of the leading causes of injury and death for both adults & children. As a parent, you can dodge that by ensuring your baby’s car seat is installed correctly along with driving safely. 

While ensuring a proper installation, you may find something broken or abnormal there, which is an unintentional event. Now you want to fix it? But do you know? How fix baby car seat? 

Fixing your baby’s car seat is very simple. Just make sure you’ve installed it as per the manual, following your local law, and replace it if damaged, and the warranty period can’t expire. Want to know more? Follow me.

How to Fix A Baby Car Seat? Common Facts With Solutions

You may have already searched online about how to fix your baby car seat but got installation guidance mostly. 

Trust me, I had to go through the same experience a few times. From this experience, I decided to dig for some resources and fix the seat on my own.

While digging resources, I found that most fixing problem occurs due to improper installation of those car seats. Below, I’ve listed some of the common problems with easy solutions.

1. Extra loose

Before going for the solution, confirm that your car seat is installed with a loose fighting indeed. To do that, check if you can move the seat side-by-side. If it moves, then it is loose or else perfectly installed.  

How To Fix

Before starting the process, first, read the car seat and the vehicle’s manual on the car seat. If you’re using the seat belt method, then put all your weight on the seat through your knee and tighten the seat as necessary.

2. Improper Reclining

Rear or front? Which way do you prefer to install your car seat? But every way needs to be reclined properly or else your baby can be at risk. Though as per law, rear-facing car seats are preferred to install in your car. And every seat comes with a reclining indicator.

How To Fix

Most car seats come with a reclining indicator, which you can follow and adjust the right angle. 

The most common angle for your baby is 45° as it allows a nice way to breathe. Besides, the angle, along with the safety harness, creates a negative impact on collision, which keeps your baby safe from accidents. 

3. Wrong Placement Of Harness Chest Clip

A harness, aka a 5-point harness, is one of the major pieces of equipment (safety) for a car seat. 

But it has to be placed in the right place, and this is where some parents make mistakes. The harness set has a chest clip, which needs to be in the center of the chest.

How To Fix

It’s no big deal. Just undo all the harnesses and rejoin them one by one. 

First, start with the right and left harnesses and then attach the final harness between the legs. 

After attaching all the harnesses, try to pull off the harness’s chest clip with medium force and see if it pulls off or is extra loose or not.

4. Harness Strap’s Wrong Slot Attachment

5-point harnesses come with 3 slots for attachment. 

When parents are in a hurry, they often attach the straps to the wrong slots, which results in an overly tight or loose setup. If you have ever made this kind of mistake, just follow the steps below.

How To Fix

The very first step here is to undo all the attachments. 

And now, reattach the harnesses one by one. Start with the right and left one here you have to attach the right one with the left or vice versa, depending on the model. Finally, attach the strap between the legs.

5. Baby Is Not Fitting In

As I mentioned earlier, car seats come in 3 variations: infant car seat, rear-forward facing car seat, and booster. Here, all the types are dependent on some metrics, such as weight, seize, and height. In simple words, a kid outgrowing the seat is ready to switch. 

 What To Do

It’s a simple matter. When you see your kid has outgrown a car seat with a harness or weighs around 65 lbs or around 49” tall, you must change that forward-rear facing car seat and switch to a booster car seat. 

Just purchase a new booster and replace it in the car.

6. Used Car Seat Issues

It’s not always like parents are selling their kid’s car seat just because they’ve outgrown the capacity. 

Used car seats are sold when there are some issues with them, such as torn or broken ones. So if you’re running short on budget, you can follow the steps below

 What To Do

There are some that my colleague Patricia taught me. They are:

• Consider the age of the seat.
• It can’t be recalled product.
• No major wear & tear.
• The label has to remain as it is.
• Can’t be older than 6 years or beyond the expiration date.

Following these criteria, you can easily filter the best product for your little star.

How To Choose & Place the Right Car Seat

Choosing the right car seat is not that hard, but it can be a tricky job for sure. There are plenty of options available to a person, but not all of them are suitable for your child. 

Select a car seat that matches your child’s age, weight, and height. Manufacturers provide guidelines for each type of car seat based on these factors.

Types of Car Seats  

First, determine the appropriate type of car seat for your child. Options include rear-facing infant seats, rear-forward-facing car seats, and booster seats. 

Below, I’ve made a chart to help you decide quickly.

Car Seat Type	Required Age	Required Weight	Height (Optional)
Infant	0-12 Months	22-35 lbs	30-32”
Rear-Facing	2-4 Years	35-50 lbs	30-35”
Forward-Facing	4-7 Years	40-50 lbs	49”
Booster	8-12 Years	65-120 lbs	4.9’

Follow the chart, measure your little star, and then decide your car seat type. Though there are some exceptional models, such as combination car seats, all-in-one car seats, built-in car seats, and custom car seats (for special children) you can select from.

Reading Some Reviews

The vehicle manual is quite an important part here as you have to know your car type so that you can choose a model accordingly. Again, product reviews also contain important facts like pros & cons. 

So you have to check carefully both the car seat reviews and your vehicle’s manual to understand how to install the car seat properly in your specific vehicle.

Manufacturer’s Guidelines and Local Laws 

For individual car seat types, manufacturers always include guidelines in manuals that you should first go by. Also, you have to obey local car seat laws, that go by states like California, New York, Ohio, and so on. So, follow the local laws and manufacturers’ guidelines, and ensure your baby’s comfort then purchase.

Positioning the Car Seat

Do you know a study from 2011 around 59% of car seats are misused, and it increases up to 85%? Now, where’s the connection between this misuse and car seat positioning? 

The very simple answer to this query is if you can install the seat properly, then you’re risking your baby for your silliness.

So, where is the right place to put the car seat? The priority for positioning should be the center-back seat of your vehicle. This is the most widely used and safest location for a child car seat. 

Secure the Car Seat

If you’re fond of using the LATCH System Installation first, attach Lower anchors. Just connect the lower anchors of your car seat to your car’s native seat anchor. 

After that, try to pull the seat. If it remains steel it is properly installed, or else try further attaching.

Some parents love to use The Top Tether Strap, though it’s not available for all car seat models. 

So, if your car seat has a top tether strap, attach it through the two curved paths down the back part of your car’s seat and tighten it appropriately.

Seat Belt Installation is the oldest technique of installing baby car seats. For that, thread the seat belt through the designated patch holes on the car seat and buckle it. Finally, pull the seat belt tight to remove any slack.

Check The Harness Straps

This is for your child’s safety. First, adjust the height of your child’s shoulders so the harness straps remain at the perfect height of his/her shoulders. 

Rear-facing car seat harnesses mostly remain parallel or slightly below the shoulder level. Don’t forget to adjust the harness straps to fit for your child.

Your baby’s neck needs the best support possible, even though I favor rear-facing installation since it is the safest. In most states, it is mandated by the local law. 

Adjust the Recline Angle

Verify that the car seat is at the correct recline angle according to your child’s age and weight. In general, a 45° recline is enough for all three types of car seats. 

Some models come with recline-level indicators with specific directions for particular weight groups.

 Replace as Needed

You can replace the item for two reasons: first, car seat expiration, and second, post-collision replacement. 

Just like every product on the market, car seats also have an expiration date. Thus, you can replace your car seat if the date has already expired. You can do it even if the condition is still good.

Again, if your car seat has a history of involvement in an accident or bears any damage sign, you must replace it. As you’re not a smith to fix, there’s no need to risk your baby.

Double-Check Everything

Before going for a trip, don’t you run your car in neutral for 1-2 minutes and check all the necessary parts? 

I think you do. That’s why I expect you to check your baby’s car seat before each trip, just like your car. It’ll confirm your car seat is installed correctly and your child is safely & sound in it. 

Wrapping Up 

Proper installation is always desired. When it’s about your little star, their safety will be your main priority. That’s why, before going on a car trip, confirm your baby is properly placed in the car seat, and the car seat is installed exactly as it should be. 

By following the car seat manuals and the local laws, you can expect the safest possible trip for your child. Besides your kid’s safety, you must follow the safety regulations in driving, or else both can be in danger.

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