What You Can Do Now To Improve Infant Car Seat Safety

Based on real-world crash data, we know that car seats do work in most cases. That doesn't mean the NCAP tests aren't valuable, but again, studying what happens in real-world crashes is also important. When an infant car seat is properly used, baby is likely the safest passenger in the car.

• Install infant car seats according to manufacturer and vehicle instructions.

• Be sure the car seat is securely snapped into the base every time.
• Adjust harness straps so they are at or below baby's shoulders.
• Tighten harness until you can't fit more than one finger under it at baby's shoulder.
• Put the chest clip at armpit level.

A baby can outgrow the infant seat by weight or height - there should be an inch of car seat shell over baby's head, but legs dangling over the edge don't matter at all.

If you're concerned about your baby's infant car seat coming off the base during a crash, remember that most infant car seats can also be installed without the base. Check the car seat manual to be sure your car seat model is OK to install that way first.

Another option is to move your baby to an appropriate convertible car seat. While infant car seats tend to fit newborns better, there are convertible car seats that provide a good fit for small babies, too. Look for a convertible car seat with a low set of harness slots, since they need to be below baby's shoulders. An infant pad is also nice to help a tiny baby fit better in a car seat that may be rated up to 65 lbs.

The majority of convertible car seats today have rear-facing limits of 35 lbs., so you should choose one with at least that much rear-facing room. Since rear-facing is by far safer the longer you can keep baby that way, there's no advantage to buying a convertible car seat with a lower rear-facing limit.

Aside from not being able to pop off of a base, convertible car seats may have some extra features that could add protection during a crash. The ability to use a top tether while rear-facing is one such feature. The tether adds stability in some side-impact crashes and reduces rebound, where the car seat pops up towards the vehicle seat in some types of crashes. An anti-rebound foot that braces the car seat against the vehicle seat is also available on one convertible car seat model.

If you want an infant-only car seat, keep in mind that not all models had significant problems in the NCAP crash tests. Not all models came off their bases, and not all showed significant injury to the crash test dummy. Chicco's excellent Key Fit infant seat did not come off its base or exceed head or chest injury limits, for example. Graco's popular SnugRide did not come off the base in any tests, and had several tests where it did not exceed head and chest injury limits, suggesting that results were dependent on the vehicle. Vehicle-dependent results may help some parents be more comfortable buying certain car seats. Though Combi's infant car seats performed poorly in several cases in the NCAP tests, the company responded to the results by recalling their infant car seats and fixing the problem (again, without having any reports of failures in real-world crashes). All of Combi's current infant car seats are tested at higher speeds using a different sled.

Certainly, there is room for improvement in U.S. car seat testing standards, even if the improvement is simply a solid way for parents to evaluate the types of crash testing each company is doing. However, it's important to note that even the safest car seat in the world, tested to every possible standard and speed, cannot work properly if it is not used properly.