Rear-Facing Convertible Seats: Attaching Your Baby Properly

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Rear-Facing Convertible Seats: Attaching Your Baby Properly

We all want to keep our children safe at all times. Driving is the most dangerous activity we partake in on a daily basis, but 4 out of 5 child passenger restraints are used incorrectly. I’m happy to partner with Hawaii Pacific Health and Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children to present an entire vlog series starting with infant car seats and working our way up to booster seats. How to attach your child, how to install the seat in the car and expert tips on how to keep your kids safe.

This is such IMPORTANT information – not to be dramatic – but the kind that saves lives! I learned SO much from Lisa Dau, Kapi’olani Medical Center’s Injury Prevention Specialist… things I didn’t know… things I hadn’t been doing. I am one of those 4 in 5 people!

If you want to get a FREE car seat safety check, mark your calendar and head down to the 6th Annual Child Safety Fair Saturday Sept, 23!

It’s at Waipio Shopping Center from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. – in addition to the free car seat safety checks they will also be giving out free helmets! You can also make an appointment at Health Connections to get a FREE check — Just call, 877-709-WELL (9355). There are other events across the state on Kaua’i, Big Island and Maui, plus information on how you can get checked on Molokai and Lana’i just click HERE for those details.

Okay, so now let’s get to the nitty gritty! Watch the video below to learn how to properly secure an infant into their convertible car seat. Much of it is the same as for an infant in an infant car seat. Watch THIS VIDEO to see how to secure your infant. Below, I will list the differences or the ‘NEW’ stuff that you need to consider once you move baby to the next stage – a convertible, rear-facing seat.

Differences Between Infant Car Seat & Rear-Facing Convertible Car Seat

Check for the recline indicator. It doesn’t look like the infant seat angle indicator. Follow the instructions on your seat to make sure the angle is correct.
Read instructions on when to remove the padding and remove it when they outgrow that stage. Untangle any straps so that they lie flat.
As with the infant seat, make sure the straps are snug around the legs first, drop the chest clip low so you can tighten the straps, push the chest clip back up to armpit level and then check to see if it’s tight enough by trying to pinch the strap near the shoulder. If there is slack, it needs to be tighter. If not, you are good to go!
Infant car seats do not have a tether. Most convertible carseats, when used in the rear-facing position – do not use the tether as they are away from the tether anchor.
Keep your child in a rear-facing, convertible car seat until at least the age of 2. You can keep them rear-facing until they outgrow the specifications of the car seat. Read the instructions to find out what that is as it varies from seat to seat.