5 car seat mistakes experts want you to unlearn, and what to do instead

I’ve installed and reinstalled more than 15 car seats over the years for my three kids, ages 1, 2 and 4 years old. I still pull out the manual every time I switch a seat or move one to a different car. Car seats look simple until you’re actually buckling a squirming toddler into one at 7 a.m. And as it turns out, I’ve been getting small things wrong the whole time, right along with most other parents. “Kids grow fast, and sometimes you don’t realize how much they’ve grown until you’re buckling them in one morning and those straps suddenly look different,” says Michelle Pratt, CPST and founder of Safe in the Seat, a website dedicated to car seat safety. So I talked to three child passenger safety experts about this and the mistakes they see most, even from parents who are trying hard to get it right. They shared the small changes parents and caregivers could make to ensure that kids are strapped into car seats properly in order to avoid accidents and worse. The best car seats for infants and toddlers These picks held up against the same questions I ask before buying any seat: Does it fit my kid? Does it fit my car? Can I install it correctly every single time? To find these products I thoroughly researched them, digging through shopper reviews, Reddit threads and Facebook parenting groups and following Instagram chats for real-world takes. Then I went to stores like Bambi Baby or the Babylist Showroom to test seats in person before testing them with my kids. Car seats aren’t cheap, and I’ve learned the hard way that buying the wrong one the first time doesn’t save money, it just means buying another one a year later, so I’d rather spend more up front buying the right one the first time. Best car seat overall The Cybex is built to go the distance — literally. It’s been on more than 40 road trips since my son was born, adapting across both rear-facing and forward-facing setups so I’m not constantly rebuying as my kids grow. It feels sturdier than most seats I’ve installed, and it’s held up to years of daily use — snacks, spills, and all. It can stay installed rather than clicking in and out like an infant seat, and it’s a bigger price tag upfront, but for a seat we’ve used daily for years, it’s been worth it. Cybex recently released its Callisto T360 rotating car seat, an upgraded version of my beloved car seat. It’s officially the thing I’ll be gifting my closest family and friends when they have kids because I know they’ll have it for several years. Best infant car seat The newest Doona is a next-generation version of the classic Doona: lighter, with a new foot lock and a longer shade hood. It still clicks out of its base and rolls away on built-in wheels instantly, which meant more to me with my second kid than my first, once I actually understood the work that goes into getting a sleeping baby from the car to the pediatrician’s waiting room without a stroller. The catch: It’s infant-only, so you’ll likely outgrow it and need a new seat within a year. Best travel car seat The Wayb Pico folds down small enough to get through airport security with ease and use on the plane. It’s become my carpool go-to too — easy to toss in a trunk for a last-minute pickup. It’s pricier than most convertibles, with noticeably less padding, which my kids have never once complained about, though I notice every time I lift it. Best booster car seat Nuna’s AACE takes kids from a harnessed booster all the way to belt-positioning booster, so it’s lasted my eldest child years longer than I expected. It’s comfortable enough that our longer drives to see family don’t end in complaints (at least not about the seat), and it’s narrow enough that I’ve actually managed three-across in the back of our sedan — something I didn’t think was possible until I tried it. It costs a lot upfront, but it’s held up and stayed clean through years of use, and with a 120-pound weight limit, I haven’t had to rebuy. Best 360 car seat What are the most common car seat mistakes people make? Moving to the next stage too soon With my oldest son, I wanted to take him out of his rear-facing car seat when his legs started bending against the seat in front of him. But according to experts, kids should stay in each stage until they hit the seat’s height or weight limit, not until they seem too big for it, or hit a certain birthday. Data from the National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF) found that nearly 87% of children were transitioned to an adult seat belt too soon in 2025, and 19.1% were moved to a booster seat too soon. The order should be: rear-facing until the seat’s rear-facing limit, then forward-facing with a harness and tether, then a booster until the vehicle’s own seat belt fits correctly on its own. This includes the transition from infant to toddler car seat. You get to decide when you’re done carrying an infant seat’s removable carrier. You don’t have to switch seats just because you’re tired of hauling it around. “If you’re over carrying it, leave it clicked into the base and use it like a stationary car seat, or move your baby into a rear-facing convertible seat,” says Pratt. “You’re still rear-facing. You’re just done carrying the carrier.”What to do: Look at the height and weight limits on the seat you’re actually using, don’t go by your kid’s age. The seat isn’t tight enough I’ve questioned more times than I can count whether the car seats my kids are in are actually secure. It always feels like I can wobble them. A seat can look installed correctly and still move too much. Grab it at the belt path and give it a firm shake. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it shouldn’t move more than an inch side to side or front to back. NDCF data shows installation is one of the most common problems technicians find: Nearly 70% of rear-facing car seats and just over 83% of forward-facing car seats were not used correctly in 2025. One rule I didn’t know about until I started reporting this: Don’t use the vehicle’s seat belt and the seat’s lower anchors, at the same time. Combining them doesn’t add extra protection, the two systems can pull against each other. “Crash-test data does not support using both restraints at once, so choose the method recommended for your seat and vehicle,” says Joshua Dilts, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), and the lead car safety product manager at Chicco. What to do: Check for movement at the belt path, don’t test the seat from the top. *Any product recommendations in this story were made independently of Dilts, who we only consulted for guidance. We did not ask her for product recommendations. The harness isn’t as tight as you think it is I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve caught my kids’ harnesses slipping off their shoulders as we’re driving, or the chest strap sliding down toward their belly. To prevent this, try the pinch test: Buckle your child in, tighten the harness, then try to pinch the webbing at their shoulder. If you can grab a fold of it, it’s too loose. Harness height matters too. For rear-facing seats, straps should come from at or below the shoulders; for forward-facing seats, at or above. The chest clip belongs at armpit level. Check your manual, since it varies by seat. Fit isn’t a one-time check either. “Kids grow fast, and sometimes you don’t realize how much they’ve grown until you’re buckling them in one morning and those straps suddenly look different,” Pratt says. All three experts told me to do a quick check before every ride, and a closer one after a growth spurt or a jump in clothing size. What to do: Do the pinch test after buckling in your child, before you pull out of the driveway. You’re skipping the top tether I didn’t know this was a requirement until recently. It took two years of my son riding forward-facing before I understood the tether reduces movement in a crash. Once a seat is forward-facing, there’s a top tether in addition to the harness, and it’s easy to miss, since your child never sees it. NDCF data found that nearly 42% of forward-facing car seats did not use a tether when tether use was possible in 2025. “Many caregivers are unaware of its purpose or importance, even though it plays a critical role in reducing a child’s forward movement during a crash,” says Erica Tun, the Senior Director of Product for Child Restraint Systems (CRS) at Dorel Juvenile. What to do: If your child’s seat is forward-facing, check both the car seat and vehicle manuals to make sure you’re using the tether correctly. *Any product recommendations in this story were made independently of Tun, who we only consulted for guidance. We did not ask her for product recommendations. Your child’s winter coat is under the harness Winter is when I second guess myself the most: Do I dress my kids at home and strip off their coats in the car right before buckling them in, or leave the coats on for a five-minute drive? What if they overheat with it on, or get too cold without it? A bulky coat under the harness keeps the straps from sitting snugly against your child’s body. “You might tighten the harness and think you’ve got a great fit, but you’re really tightening it around all that puffiness,” Pratt says. What to do: Buckle your child in with a thin layer, tighten the harness properly, then add the coat backward or a blanket on top once they’re secured. There are a few products that make this easier. A Buckle Me Baby is designed to give kids winter-coat warmth without the bulk that interferes with harness fit, and a wraparound car seat cover, like the 7AM Helsinki or Benji Applique, zips on and off around the seat itself, so you can bundle your baby up right before you go and unzip them once they’re buckled in. If you’re not sure, have the seat checked. Getting a car seat checked by a certified child passenger safety technician is worth it anytime you buy a new seat, move your child to a new stage, or install a seat in a different car. Even experienced parents miss small details — I certainly have. NHTSA and Safe Kids Worldwide both have directories for finding certified technicians and car seat check events, and most local police and fire stations offer checks too. Remember that none of this means you’re doing everything wrong. It means car seats are complicated, kids grow fast, and the way you used a seat six months ago might not be right anymore. Take the extra few minutes to ensure you’re using it the way the manufacturer intended. Why are car seat mistakes so common? Nearly three-fourths (73.7%) of car seats checked by certified child passenger safety technicians in 2025 were incorrectly installed or used, according to the NDCF, a joint research effort from AAA, the National Safety Council and data collection company Westat. NHTSA estimates that correctly used child restraints cut fatality risk by 71% for infants and 54% for kids ages 1 to 4 years old. “The 71% figure is an effectiveness estimate, not a car seat usage rate,” Dilts told me. In other words, it’s the payoff for doing it right, not a measure of how many parents actually are. How to know whether a car seat is right for your child Before installation is even a consideration, there’s a shorter checklist that tells you whether a seat is the right fit at all: Does it fit your child? The minimum weight printed on the box doesn’t mean a seat fits every baby at that weight. Check the seat’s actual specs against your kid’s size, not just the headline range. Does it fit your car? The same seat that installs easily in a friend’s SUV might not work in your sedan’s back seat. Dilts recommends checking compatibility before you buy, especially if you’re dealing with a tight back seat or a three-across setup. Can you use it correctly every single time? “The best car seat is one that fits the child properly, fits the vehicle correctly, and can be used consistently and correctly on every ride,” Tun says. More features don’t help if they make the seat harder to install right. What does your family actually need? Do you want a car seat with stroller compatibility? Rotating designs? Three-across width or long-term convertibility? You’ll want to consider these features when shopping. Just remember, they’re all nice to have once fit and installation are covered, but they’re not a substitute for either. Frequently asked questions Go by the height and weight limits printed on your specific car seat and whether your child still fits it comfortably, not your child’s age, to determine when it’s time to go to the next stage. “The best practice is to keep children in each stage of car seat use until they reach the seat’s stated height or weight limits, rather than transitioning based solely on age or convenience,” Tun says. A car seat harness should be tight enough that you can’t pinch a fold of webbing at your child’s shoulder. Harness height matters too: rear-facing, straps sit at or below the shoulders; forward-facing, at or above. The chest clip belongs at armpit level, not lower, where it wouldn’t hold in a crash. It depends. Your child can’t wear a coat underneath the harness. A bulky coat compresses in a crash, which leaves slack in a harness that looked snug beforehand. Buckle your child in with a thin layer, tighten the harness, then add their coat backwards or a blanket over the top once they’re secured. Yes. It anchors the top of the seat to the vehicle and limits how far it, and your child’s head, moves forward in a crash. It’s required for a proper forward-facing installation, not an optional extra. Meet our child passenger safety experts At NBC Selected, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also aim to ensure that expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest. - Joshua Dilts, certified child passenger safety technician (CPST), is the lead car safety product manager at Chicco. Any product recommendations in this story were made independently of Dilts, who we only consulted for guidance. We did not ask her for product recommendations. - Erica Tun, is the Senior Director of Product for Child Restraint Systems (CRS) at Dorel Juvenile. Any product recommendations in this story were made independently of Tun, who we only consulted for guidance. We did not ask her for product recommendations. - Michelle Pratt, CPST, is the founder of Safe in the Seat, a website dedicated to child car seat safety. Why trust NBC Selected? I’m a mom who’s tested children’s gear through the most realistic daily scenarios: three kids under 5 years old and plenty of chaos. I’ve written about the products that make beach days with small kids easier, and the best no-screen travel toys my kids will actually play with. The products that make my lists solve real parenting problems. For this story, I talked to three child passenger safety experts about the mistakes they see most often with car seats, and tested more than 15 car seats across infant, convertible and all-in-one stages with my own three kids to see which held up to daily use. Catch up on NBC Selected’s in-depth coverage of tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok to stay up to date.