5 Common Car Seat Installation Mistakes (And How babyark Helps Caregivers Avoid Them)
Installing and using a car seat correctly is one of the most important things you can do to keep your child safe on the road, but car seats aren't always easy to use! Data from the National Digital Check Form (powered by NHTSA, Westat, and the National Safety Council) tells us that 66% of car seats checked by a Child Passenger Safety Technician in the US are being misused.
babyark’s advanced safety features and smart technology, featuring guided step-by-step installation with immediate feedback for our Smart and Premium models help caregivers avoid these common mistakes and ensure that your child’s car seat is installed correctly and securely for every ride. Let’s explore how babyark’s technology helps caregivers avoid five common car seat installation errors.
- The Car Seat Isn’t Installed Tightly Enough
One of the most frequent mistakes caregivers make is not installing the car seat tightly enough, and a loose car seat won’t perform as intended in a crash. A properly installed car seat should not move more than 1 inch from side to side or front to back when installed. A loose car seat puts your child at greater risk in a crash.
How babyark Helps:
- babyark’s guided installation walks you through how to install the car seat, with very little wiggle room. Pun intended. Further, smart sensors on Premium and Smart models detect whether the car seat is properly installed. During installation, the real-time feedback in the step-by-step screens will let you know if you’re installing the seat correctly and alert you if something’s not quite right.
- Additionally, babyark’s rigid LATCH system helps ensure a fast, easy, and secure installation, nearly eliminating the likelihood of your installation being too loose.
- Incorrect Recline Angle
Making sure your car seat is correctly reclined is critical. Car seats are crash tested using specific recline angles, so it’s important to make sure your car seat is recline correctly for your child’s direction (rear or forward facing) and their age/height/weight so that the car seat will perform as intended in a crash.
How babyark Helps:
- babyark’s guided installation and how-to adjustment videos include explanations about recline angles and instructions on how to make sure your babyark is reclined correctly.
- Clear labels show the safe recline zone and it’s easy to adjust the recline angle - even while your child is already snugly harnessed in their babyark!
- The Harness Straps Are Too Loose
A car seat’s harness is designed to keep your child safe in their car seat during a crash. In order to do their job properly, harness straps should pass the "pinch test" - they should lie relatively flat against your child’s body and be snug enough that you can’t pinch any excess strap material at your child’s collarbone.
How babyark Helps:
- babyark’s no-rethread harness makes adjusting the straps easy as your child grows, ensuring a snug fit at every stage.
- Incorrect Chest Clip Positioning
The chest clip plays a crucial role as a pre-crash positioner. It should be placed at armpit level to keep harness straps positioned correctly on your child’s shoulders before a crash. If the chest clip is too low or too high, it won’t be able to keep those harness straps in place. While chest clips are not required features on car seats in the US, if the car seat has one, it must be used.
How babyark Helps:
- babyark's quick lock chest clip features magnets to help easily connect it, and remains in place with the mechanical element that actually clicks in place.
- The quick lock chest clip only moves a couple of inches within the harness pads, making it easier for caregivers to position the chest clip correctly at armpit level.
- Switching to Forward-Facing Too Soon
Parents often turn their children forward facing sooner than is recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises keeping children rear facing as long as possible, or until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of the rear facing mode of their convertible car seat.
Rear-facing seats provide the best protection for young children because they support the head, neck, and spine during a crash, and the car seat shell takes the majority of the crash forces rather than the child’s body.
How babyark Helps:
- babyark’s convertible car seat is designed to keep children rear-facing up to 50 pounds, allowing them to stay in the most protected position for as long as possible. 11 positions on the no-rethread headrest and easy recline adjustment means you can keep your child comfortably rear-facing without the hassle of reinstalling your car seat. And when it's time to forward face? No need to reinstall, struggle, rethread, or get a Doctorate in engineering. Just turn the car seat the other direction and click into place.
- Unsure if it's time to forward face? Our experts are available to answer questions. Contact us.
Don't Stall Problems, Install Correctly
Avoiding common car seat installation mistakes is key to keeping your child safe on the road. babyark’s advanced technology and step-by-step installation guidance helps you install your car seat confidently, and correctly, every time. Premium and Smart models work with the babyark app to provide installation and misuse error alerts right to your phone in real time. From securing the seat correctly with the recommended install to providing insight into recline and positioning, babyark helps parents avoid common car seat misuse and provides peace of mind every step of the way.
