When it comes to using a baby car seat it doesn't take rocket science to figure it out, but common sense. Sometimes the world has more rocket scientist amongst the population than common sense.

The first mistake one could possibly make, considering you meant to have the bundle of joy you must safely protect in the first place, is choosing price over logic. By that I mean read the box, read the reviews, weigh your kid so that its chubby legs aren't turning beet red after being buckled in. Car seats will have instructions stating what the child's height and weight should be for that particular model, unless of course you found yours on the side of the street; which actually is a good indicator that things did not go so well for the kid in that vehicle. Weight considerations, though it may not seem like much, also include the baby's outfit and whether or not you've got a giant Elmo doll on the kid's lap.

Another common mistake from the get-go tends to coincide with the first, in not properly following state laws. The research to look up the proper methods for having your child riding in the car takes about as much time as it took to perform the baby creating act itself.

Once you have figured out the way the car seat is meant to face, latching it in securely poses the next issue. It is deathly essential that you have the seat strapped in tightly. Crawl into the vehicle, put your knee in the seat, and pull if you have to.

Buckling the child into the seat after it is latched in, nice and firm, is where the next problems arise. Once again the instruction booklet, if you've purchased a quality product, will give you tips on how to test that particular model's steadfastness. The chest clip needs to be at armpit level, not on the stomach. You also need to keep you eye on the harness height. Forward facing the harness should come out at or above the child's shoulders while rear facing the harness should be at or below the child's shoulders.

Once you have finally plugged that car seat into the vehicle and have your darling child blowing spit bubbles in it, comes the problem you should never have to face: double checking and keeping an eye on your child. I'm not saying drive with only one eye on the road, I mean that car seats have a habit of getting jostled around. The kid is going to eventually pry on everything it can reach with its fingers and the belts are going to loosen until they would be virtually worthless in crash.

So, for a quick summary follow common sense and directions, make sure you follow the laws and have the kid facing the correct way, make sure the seat is latched down tight, make sure the kid is strapped in, and for everyone's comfort make sure the baby has comfort along with safety.

Learn more about this author, Wes Laurie.
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