The top mistakes parents make with car seats

Learn about: The top mistakes parents make with car seats from Jennifer Beall, MBA, CPST,...
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The top mistakes parents make with car seats

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89%-90% of the car seats are improperly installed. I often say even the Stanford dads get it wrong. It is really hard to get your car seat installed in your car correctly. You need to read the car seat vehicle manual and the car seat manual and make sure to find the correct position for your car seat. One of the most common mistakes we see is a car seat installed in the center back seat position using the luges form the outboard seats. Unless you vehicle specifically okays this that is absolutely incorrect if you are going to stay in the center position you need to use the seat belt or you need to put the car seat to the side where you can use the luges. Another really common error is the car seat is not installed tight enough. You should make sure your car seat doesn't move more than 1" side to side, front to back otherwise it's going to move around a lot in a car accident which would be unsafe for the child. Also people have trouble finding the right belt path for their car seat especially in convertible seats where switching from forward to rear facing. There is multiple holes and paths where you can stick that seat belt or those luges before you click them in. Another one is we see people using their luges upside down, when they are installed in the car. I often say if you push that little red button you want it to look like a stapler, with the little hook coming down like this and install it up right like a stapler. That's a good tip to remember when you are installing you car seat. If you have trouble you can always reach out to a certified safety technician to help you or visit www.SeatCheck.org for other instructions.


Learn about: The top mistakes parents make with car seats from Jennifer Beall, MBA, CPST,...

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Jennifer Beall, MBA, CPST

Founder of Tot Squad

Jennifer Beall is the Founder and CEO of Tot Squad formerly known as CleanBeeBaby, an eco-friendly cleaning service for strollers and car seats that is at a different neighborhood retailer or preschool every day. Professional safety technicians help properly reinstall car seats after they are cleaned.Certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician since 2009, Jen is passionate about helping parents properly use their car seats given that 85% are incorrectly installed. She also serves on the Los Angeles committee for Baby Buggy, a charity that helps collect used baby gear to redistribute it to families in need.Jen received her MBA in 2010 from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University where she focused on Marketing and Entrepreneurship. CleanBeeBaby was created through her coursework, for which she won first place in the Kellogg Cup Business Plan Competition and the Student of the Year award in Entrepreneurship. Prior to business school, she worked in management consulting as well as internal strategy for a food and beverage company. She also received a BS in Mathematics from Duke University after leaving her hometown of Austin, Texas.Jen now lives in Los Angeles but remains a loyal fan of the Texas Longhorns and the Duke basketball team. She enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling. She has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, Daily Candy, and Crain's Chicago Business.

Car Seats, Car Seats, Car Seats
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Transcription: 

89%-90% of the car seats are improperly installed. I often say even the Stanford dads get it wrong. It is really hard to get your car seat installed in your car correctly. You need to read the car seat vehicle manual and the car seat manual and make sure to find the correct position for your car seat. One of the most common mistakes we see is a car seat installed in the center back seat position using the luges form the outboard seats. Unless you vehicle specifically okays this that is absolutely incorrect if you are going to stay in the center position you need to use the seat belt or you need to put the car seat to the side where you can use the luges. Another really common error is the car seat is not installed tight enough. You should make sure your car seat doesn't move more than 1" side to side, front to back otherwise it's going to move around a lot in a car accident which would be unsafe for the child. Also people have trouble finding the right belt path for their car seat especially in convertible seats where switching from forward to rear facing. There is multiple holes and paths where you can stick that seat belt or those luges before you click them in. Another one is we see people using their luges upside down, when they are installed in the car. I often say if you push that little red button you want it to look like a stapler, with the little hook coming down like this and install it up right like a stapler. That's a good tip to remember when you are installing you car seat. If you have trouble you can always reach out to a certified safety technician to help you or visit www.SeatCheck.org for other instructions.