When you're pregnant, you agonize over everything — the coming-home outfit, the perfect crib, the perfect color for the walls, your baby's name, the "right" car seat. The last one there — the car seat — is one that parents-to-be spend tons of time researching. But all of that researching may be for naught, because a new study shows that less than 60 percent of rear-facing infant car seats are properly installed in cars. And it's not the installation that is to blame. It's the fact that the car seats just aren't compatible with the cars.
According to a study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention [1], many car seats just don't fit in the seats of the cars where they're installed. Researchers compiled the dimensions of 61 cars and 59 popular child car seats and then compared them to see which configurations were the least compatible. Less than 60 percent of the rear-facing infant car seats were properly installed. And when a car seat didn't fit properly, many parents were using rolled-up towels, pool noodles, and anything else they could find to fill in the gaps.
Among the reasons car seats may not fit properly:
- Headrests: Headrests often tilt forward, making it hard for forward-facing seats to be installed at the proper angle (flush against the back seat). See if you can remove the headrest completely before installing the seat — they're often easily removable.
- Seat Size: Car seats come in various widths, and parents need to take the time to research whether the car seat and the vehicle seat are compatible. Oftentimes the front and back of the seats are different widths, so while a convertible seat may fit when it is rear-facing, it won't fit when it is forward-facing. Make sure all angles of the seats are measured before installing them.
Improper installation is one of the biggest car seat errors parents make [2]. Before driving your baby around town, take the time to have your seat installation inspected — from local firehouses to independent certified experts, there are plenty of people around to make sure your child will ride safely.