Learning how to properly use your infant car seat is an important step to take for any new parent, and hopefully this article will help ease you through that process!

First of all, you must be sure that your infant has proper head support during your trip. You can find cheap car seats with head bolsters and/or inserts that will give the proper support to smaller babies.  Advances are constantly being made in the world of infant car seats, so be sure to check out the latest product availability to ensure that you are providing the best possible experience for your child.

Also, be sure to correctly put the harness straps in the provided slots.  Generally, you want the straps at or below your baby’s shoulder level.   Of course, you’ll need to adjust the harness as your child grows larger, so this isn’t a set it and forget it action.  You want to make sure your baby is safely secured in the straps every time you put him/her in the car!

check out this helpful video from the folks at monkeysee.com

Another factor to consider is the tightness of the harness.  Most people will do the finger test:  If you can fit one finger and no more under the harness, then your child is properly secured.  In order to double check whether the harness is secured properly, be sure that it is flat against your child’s thighs and shoulders.  You should be sure to position the harness clip so that it is flush with your childs’s armpits while the shoulder straps remain in the proper position.

If your child usees a booster seat, be sure that the shoulder belts are correctly worn.  Children will often tuck the shoulder belts underneat their arms because they get uncomfortable.  While this is understandable on the child’s part, it’s also quite dangerous so make sure not to let them develop a habit of doing this.  It also doesn’t hurt to glance back at your child once in a while to make sure he/she hasn’t repositioned the belts while you weren’t looking!  A seat-belt positioner device will be a great help when you’re trying to get the belts positioned properly and safely.  Even if your booster seat doesn’t come with the necessary positioner, you can find these devices on the internet to be purchased separately.  Even if you purchase one of the many cheap car seats available on the market, it should have the ability to be paired with this type of accessory.  Be sure to read your manual to make sure there aren’t any unexpected incompatibilities between your infant car seat and the seat belt positioners.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a baby car seat cheap with the proper safety rating as well as options for using accessories!