Car Seat Safety: What Every Parent Should Know
Hey everyone, Elizabeth here, writing with a personal perspective on a big safety topic. Next week (as I write this) I’ll be traveling to Mexico with my husband and three-year-old daughter. Planning for this trip has been a logistical puzzle (as traveling with young children always is), and one of the top things on my mind has been how to get my kid from point A to point B as safely as possible. It’s gotten me thinking about how foundational figuring out car seat safety is, not just during travel but from the very beginning—before your baby is even born.
Whether you're preparing for your first ride home from the hospital or navigating big-kid booster decisions, safely restraining your child in vehicles is one of the most important things you can do to protect their life. And yet, it’s often overwhelming—not because guidance is hard to find, but because there’s so much of it. It’s easy to get lost in the details. But this topic is of utmost importance if you ever travel by car with your little one, so let’s break it down in the most straightforward way possible.
At Wildwood, we love Safe in the Seat—an evidence-based, judgment-free resource for all things car seat safety—and wanted to share some essential takeaways borrowed from their brilliance, to help support you wherever you are in your journey.
1. Start Before the Birth: The First Big Safety Decision
Did you know that every state in the U.S. requires you to have an appropriate car seat to take your baby home from the hospital? Even if you don’t plan to drive much, having a correctly installed car seat is a non-negotiable safety must.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers (ages 1 to 4) in passenger vehicles.
Yet, nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly. This is where certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) and trusted resources like Safe in the Seat (and others like them) make all the difference. They provide installation videos, consultations, and step-by-step guides that go far beyond the often-confusing instruction manuals.
Pro tip: If you're preparing for birth, aim to install your car seat around 36–37 weeks and get it inspected by an expert if possible. Many hospitals offer car seat checks for free!
2. Strapping in an Infant: What to Double-Check
In those first weeks (and months!), getting your newborn into their seat can feel like an awkward origami project. But a few key principles can help:
1. Harness at or below shoulder level:
When rear-facing, the harness straps should come from at or just below the shoulders, not above.
2. Chest clip at armpit level:
The chest clip should sit right at your baby’s armpits, not on their belly or neck. It helps keep the straps in the correct position—over their ribcage—in a crash.
3. Snug is safe:
You shouldn’t be able to pinch extra slack at the shoulder. A good rule of thumb: “snug like a hug.”
4. No bulky layers or head inserts:
Remove puffy coats, thick sweaters, and any aftermarket head positioners or padding that didn’t come with the seat. These can interfere with the harness working properly.
5. Support the head—but safely:
If your newborn's head flops to the side, that’s OK as long as their airway stays open. Use rolled-up receiving blankets (outside the harness) for gentle support if needed.
Safe in the Seat has excellent visual guides and videos that show exactly how a safe infant fit should look—and what to avoid.
3. The Toddler Years: Facing Forward (Eventually)
There’s a common misconception that once kids turn 2, it’s time to turn their seat forward-facing. But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of their rear-facing seat (usually 40-50lbs). Age isn’t the deciding factor, fit is.
My own daughter is three and still rear-facing. She’s about the same size as our neighbor’s five-year-old, which just goes to show how much size varies among kids—and why car seat stages should be based on their body, not birthdays.
Bonus safety note: Rear-facing is five times safer than forward-facing in a crash. Rear-facing seats better support a child’s head, neck, and spine, which are especially vulnerable in young children. It’s the safest position for them as long as they still fit.
4. Traveling with Car Seats: Plan Ahead, Stay Flexible
When we travel—especially without our own vehicle—the car seat question gets trickier. Do you bring your own? Rent one? Hope a rideshare has one (they usually don’t)? We’ve rented carseats for most trips up to this point, but the quality has been so lacking that we’ve worried for our daughter’s safety.
Safe in the Seat has amazing guides on travel-friendly car seats for every age and stage, plus tips for navigating air travel and ride shares. Some key tips:
FAA-approved car seats can be used on airplanes, and using one can actually help your child stay safer and (depending on the kid) more calm during flights.
For rideshares, you’ll typically need to install your own car seat—plan ahead with something portable and practice quick installs beforehand.
Sometimes, hauling a car seat around simply isn’t an option — what then? For this trip, we’ve opted to use two solutions: the Cares Child Aviation Restraint System for the airplane (it’s FAA-approved), and the RideSafer vest for the car. The RideSafer vest is crash-tested and safety certified, and it “meets or exceeds Federal standards in FMVSS 213,” according to their website.
5. Booster Basics and Big Kid Milestones
Eventually, your child will graduate to a booster seat—but not too soon. Boosters are designed for kids who have outgrown forward-facing harnessed seats and are mature enough to sit properly for the entire ride.
Here’s the guideline:
Most kids aren't ready until at least age 5, often closer to 6 or 7.
The seat belt should lie flat across the shoulder and chest and low on the hips, not the stomach.
Safe in the Seat’s booster readiness checklist is super helpful for knowing when it’s time (and when it’s not).
6. A Resource You Can Trust
The world of car seats is confusing, especially when you’re piecing together advice from friends, social media, and manuals you can barely read. Find your favorite resource, whether it’s a trusted blog or YouTube channel, or follow along with Safe in the Seat on Instagram like I do. Refer to these excellent resources as your children grow so you can feel confident in the car at each stage.
Closing Thoughts:
I’ve spent the past week triple-checking car seat travel logistics for my three-year-old—because, like so many parenting decisions, this one feels both practical and deeply emotional. We all want to get it right.
But not every decision has a perfect answer. You do your best with the information, resources, and circumstances you have. This isn’t about fear, and it’s certainly not about judgment. It’s about giving our kids the safest ride we can—whether that’s their very first trip home from the hospital or an international travel adventure.
So here’s to making thoughtful, informed choices, one stage at a time.