Car Seat Safety
The most important task of a parent or caregiver is to keep their children safe. Part of that responsibility is ensuring children are safely buckled up in the correct, and properly installed, car seats for their ages and sizes.
Children need to be buckled in, and in the right kind of seat, whether it’s a rear-facing car seat, a forward-facing car seat with a tether, a booster seat, or a seat belt in the back seat — every trip, every time.
Safety Seat Checklist
Make sure you are using your child safety seat properly by asking yourself the following questions:
- Is the car seat appropriate for the child's age, weight and height according to the manufacturer's directions?
- Is the seat belt routed properly through the child safety seat according to manufacturer's directions?
- Is the child safety seat rear-facing if your child is less than the maximum rear facing weight and height limits?
- Is the tether strap connected to its designated anchor point if your car seat is forward facing?
- Is the child safety seat installed tightly in your vehicle? (It should move less than one inch front-to-back or side-to-side when grasped at the belt path).
If your child safety seat uses a harness:
- Are the harness straps threaded through the appropriate slots in the child safety seat (below your child's shoulders for a rear facing seat or above your child's shoulders for a forward facing seat)?
- Are the harness straps snug (you should not be able to pinch any slack in the harness straps)?
- Is the harness retainer clip threaded according to manufacturer's instructions, and resting at armpit level when your child is in the seat?
If your child is in a booster seat:
- Does the shoulder belt ride across your child's collarbone?
- Does the lap belt ride across the top of your child's thighs?
Under Iowa state law:
- A child under one year of age and weighing less than 20 pounds, must ride in a rear-facing child restraint used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
- A child under six years of age who doesn’t meet the description above must ride in a child restraint system used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
- A child at least six years of age but under 18 years of age must be secured in a child restraint system used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions or by a safety belt.
To schedule your car seat check appointment, call (319) 654-2221.
Learn more about car seat safety in the videos below:
