Behavior

Car-Seat Safety: A Lifesaving Guide

By Deborah Carpenter; photos by Wendell T. Webber, Parenting

Convertible Seats Forward

Convertible seats (forward-facing)
From at least 1 year old and 20-30 pounds to around 4 years old and 40-65 pounds (weight guidelines vary by seat).

1. For tighter installation, press your body weight into the safety seat and push with your knee to make sure the seat is pressed down and against the vehicle's backseat. Attach your seat's top tether (not visible here) to your vehicle's tether anchor.

2. Convertible and [XREF {http://www.parenting.com/parenting/article/0,19840,1618549_4,00.html} {combination seats}] can be used through multiple stages; this gives them an advantage over forward-facing-only versions (sometimes called toddler seats), which are less common these days.

3. Rethread the harness straps through the top slots, which have the extra reinforcement necessary to keep the harness secure when the seat is forward-facing. The straps should now be in slots at or above your child's shoulders, and the top of the clip should be at armpit level. Be sure the straps are snug.

4. If using the safety belt instead of LATCH, make sure it runs through the seat's forward-facing belt path.


[TOUT_ARROW_LINK {http://www.parenting.com/parenting/whitepage/magazine_pullouts/pdfs/convertible_carseats.pdf} {Get the printable version of this chart!}]


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