How to set up rear facing Car Seat-Don’t compromise your child’s safety
Infant car seats or the only rear facing car seats are the things that the first car ride for your baby. Since Newborn to toddler, all of your children are safe and suitable in this seat as well as you also followed the safety rules of American traffic. So, it’s vital to know how to set up a rear-facing car seat. Because car crashes and baby injuries or death are reduced by using this car seat at the back-side passenger seat, therefore, your goal should be to keep your child riding this backward facing way for as long as possible.
Hello, I’m Alina Jones. Today I will show you how to fit a rear-facing car seat.
Why using a rear-facing car seat is so important?
While traveling in a car, we should always prioritize our baby’s safety. For kids’ safety, American law made the rules to use a rear-facing car seat. And car seat manufacturers also make some car seats rear-facing only. Parents never compromise for the protection of their children. That’s the reason parents should use a rear-facing car seat for their babies from birth to 4 years old.
So, parents must know the installation process of their infant’s and toddler’s car seats before each trip.
How to set up a rear-facing-only car seat?
We already know that this rear facing mode and only rear facing car seats are very important for newborns to 4 years old babies. As rear-facing car seats, you can use three types of car seats. Here we only discuss about the rear facing only car seat installations.
These car seats you can install in two international ways. Like-
A. Rear-facing car seat set up with a car seat base.
B. Baby car seat rear-facing without a base.
Let’s know about both one by one –
First, I’ll discuss with all of you about infant car seat installation process with a handle on it. It is a portable car seat. So, we put our smallest babies in this seat. Now we will discuss how to set up it with a car seat base.
A. How to fit rear-facing only car seat with a base for your baby?
It is very easy and simple way to install a rear-facing car seat on its base. After learning it will take only a few minutes for you to install it.
In one of my other articles, I informed you about “Car Seat Base Installation with or without a Passenger Belt” in detail. This topic is very important to know before setting up the car seat on its base in the car. We should always set it in the rear-facing position because it only goes rear-facing. That means it faces the back, we cannot face the front, and it should always be facing the back.
So, I have requested all of you to read that article before reading this one. Then you will know A to Z of the car seat base installation system that has a base. After setting up the base we should place the seat and press it on the base. You may hear clicks when it is set up perfectly.
We set up our only rear-facing car seat for infants to toddlers who are born to 4 to 5 years old as per their height and growth.
B. How to set up rear facing car seat without a car seat base?
Now I’m going to show you how to set up rear facing infant car seat without a base. That means installing it by using the seat belt.
Maybe you are thinking why would I want to install it without the base?
Think. Can we always travel in our own car? If sometimes you want to travel without a base, or if you’re going in someone else’s car. If you are traveling on holiday and are renting a car, or if you do not have a car of your own. Somehow you don’t have a base available when you might need it, or when you need to install this car seat.
What happens then?
Should you compromise your baby’s safety?
No! Never.
That’s the reason I’ll demonstrate to you all how you can install it without the
base –
There are 2 ways you can install your rear-facing infant car seats.
- One is the American system, and
- the other is the European system.
It is also not that much difficult to set up rear-facing only car seats without a car seat base. Because you can use your car seat shoulder belt to set that up.
How to adjust/ lock the proper seat belt position?
Since 1996, most car shoulder belts have had a locking feature designed to keep your child in the car seat. To engage that locking feature, you pull the belt all the way out. Now let it go back when it’s done coming out, it will make a click-click sound as it goes back and tightens.
It just locks when you slam on the brakes. While that works well for us, that doesn’t work very well for the car seat. If you lock your baby’s car seat like adults, then the car seat will get loose while driving. If your vehicle seat was loose and wobbly, would you ever get in the car if this happened to you? The same thing goes for your baby too. That’s why pay attention carefully, the car’s seat belt locking system of your car.
So, follow the instruction that I’m giving now –
Rear facing car seat setup in the American system
Step 1: First, before getting the seat tight, you must ensure that your baby is properly reclined. Many seats have a line on the side of them. And when the line is parallel to the pavement your baby is properly reclined.
Step 2: To stand behind the car seat you have to move the front seat forward to give you some room. Put the top of the car seat on the regular seat of your in a way so that your thighs and can push the car seat to place it properly and your knees should be straight. If you bend your knees and crouch down your leg then tend to lift the seat more upper position that’s not what you want to do. You would want to push the car seat straight into the back of the vehicle seat.
Step 3: Put the carrying handle up, you’re going to be pulling on the shoulder belt. The best way to pull it is by taking your hands inside/under the handle not upside or beside the handle, Now grab the shoulder belt and pull it towards you.
Step 4: Now, aim for your belly button use your thighs to push the seat into the back and wiggle the seat side to side. You’re then going to forcefully push all of this slack to the back of the car, right where the shoulder belt starts.
[ Be noted: If you pull and let go you’ve worked for nothing, and it won’t get tighter.]
Step 5: Pull, wiggle, and feed all of the slack up to where the shoulder belt starts.
If you find that you can’t fit behind the car seat you can also try installing it from the side.
Step 6: Now try to put one knee on the cushion, and your other knee behind the car seat use the hand that’s closest to where the seat belt has buckled in to pull the belt and use your other hand to push.
[Caution: Be careful not to push near the baby’s feet, as all you’ll do is sit the car seat too upright. rather push closer to where the baby’s elbows are.]
Step 7: Wiggle the seat side to side and feed all of the slack to where the shoulder belt starts.
Step 8: Ok! You’re finally ready to check that it’s tight. hold the car seat on either side of where the lap belt is, pull the car seat torsion away from you and you’re checking to make sure that it moves less than one inch on the seat cushion.
If it moves more than an inch side to side then it’s too loose. Then again follow the instruction from steps 4,5,6 and 7.
Final step: Please double-check the owner’s manual to your car seat to see where you’re allowed to leave the handle, many allow it to be up. but some don’t.
At last, if anyone is sitting in the back with the baby the most important thing they can do not just for their safety but everyone else’s safety in the car is to buckle up.
Car seat installation in the European system:
All those steps are safe enough for your rear-facing car seat installation with the seat belt. But if you are not satisfied sufficiently, you can do the following: This system is also known as European Style car seat installation.
- First, do steps 1 to 6 accordingly, which I informed you of above.
- While pulling all the slack out of the lap belt, you must put your knee in the footwell and push the seat to make it tight enough.
- Then Take the seat belt around the car seat.
- Some car seat has a guide to hold the seat belt middle of the back. If your car seat has that, then please it in that direction.
- If any seat does not have this type of guide, place the seat belt in the middle position of the back of the car seat.
- Make sure there’s no slack left in the belt at all. The seat belt is really tight.
- I think now you will be satisfied, and after practicing few times, you can route perfectly anchored down by this part of the lap belt.
- When tried to tug the seat, it’ll rock solid and doesn’t move at all.
Final Verdict…
Taking a car trip with your child for the first time is an unforgettable experience. The joy of your outing can be ruined in an instant by just one car accident. However, feel free to avoid this issue by using a rear facing car seat for your child. And enjoy a family fun trip.