the time to install a car seat is when your baby can sit with little assistance, usually somewhere between 6-9 months of age. babies are not able to sustain their head in the event of an accident while they are still very young. the american academy of pediatrics offers additional reminder that the safest place for children under 13 years old are in the back seat, but superadvise them on turning around periodically to check behind them while driving or if cars are passing closely on either side of vehicle.
it's also really super important that you fasten your child into his/her safety belt and use the car seat! your child needs to be restrained so their
when should i install the car seat during pregnancy?
it varies from person to person, but the general rule of thumb is to install a car seat in pregnancy at 24 weeks gestation because there may be an increased risk of miscarriage if the infant spends 500 miles or more driving in a vehicle during pregnancy. the installation needs can vary depending on how pregnant you are. you should call your local police station and ask for a collision technician, they will tell you what you need based on when your due date is because it varies by how close birth is to that specific day. if its going to be closer then 500 miles then dont hesitate and have them do it early just because miscarriage can happen thats at any time in pregnancy even outside labor so its much safer to do this before labor starts.
should car seat go behind driver or passenger?
in the absence of a safety instruction from your car's manufacturer, it is advisable to place a baby's car seat behind the occupants driving.
if you do not follow these instructions and need help in finding out what you should do- here are a set of rules that will help.
1) who sits in the backseat – booster seats for older children or adult restraint only? this video might answer all your questions, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkbxhhbdcsc into this one specifically at 1:30 when it talks about car seats for infants into adult passengers in back who must be restrained by either an autoglide belts or a lap belt with chest strap and diagonal buckle
what side of the car should the car seat be on?
you should always put the car seat closest to the back of the vehicle.
studies show that in head-on collisions, people sitting in seats closer to the driver's side are more likely to be seriously injured than people sitting in seats on the passenger side. additionally, most cars (especially newer ones) offer airbags for both front and back occupants; cars with passengers seated on either side of an airbag may not offer enough protection against injury in a head-on collision because they do not protect one side of their body adequately. this is important if you will be driving on highways where there is less visibility when passing another vehicle than on city roads which have more view when approaching intersections or when waiting at red lights. remember, passenger
where do you put the infant car seat?
it depends on the type of vehicle. check your vehicle's manual for where it says.
generally, weight distribution (and especially in smaller cars) is better with the back seat rather than in front or rear seats, so i would start there to check out what the manual recommends. there are some newer car models with latch anchors built in that make it possible to put your infant car seat anywhere in the car since you no longer need the latch straps (instead they use latch anchors). make sure you have a top tether strap installed if using this type of mounting system for safety reasons.
one word of caution about putting an infant car seat near airbags: one study found that placing an occupant under 12 months old at
