Installing a Car Seat
Installing a car seat is a bit more complicated than some people might think simply because they do not understand the proper way to do so. Your car seat will come with directions, and usually they will be on the side of the seat itself so you can easily install it, but you may still have some questions. It's good to still have some questions because there is nothing more important than your child's safety, and there is no harm in asking as many questions you need to in order to make sure you have taken all the necessary precautions with your safe family vehicle.
Rear Facing and Forward Facing
Most car seats that are for infants will only have rear facing options. This is because an infant will grow out of the car seat by the time they are able to sit in a forward facing car seat. When a child is a certain weight and height, their seats need to be positioned in different ways to ensure maximum safety. Infants should always be placed in a rear facing car seat, meaning that the back of the child's head is facing the front of the car. This is because there have been many tests conducted and it has been proven to be far safer for the child. Once an infant grows out of the car seat, you will need to purchase another car seat, and this one will most likely have options for both rear facing and forward facing installation. Your child will grow with this seat for some time, but you need to keep the rear facing position installed until your child is at the right height and weight that is posted on the car seat.
Many of today's infant car seats are very easily installed, as they have a base. The base is latched into the back seat of the car on the side of your choosing using only the seat belt. Once the base is securely fastened by tightening the belt, you simply set the infant seat into the base and it will click into place, securing the seat. This is hugely convenient for new parents, as they already have their hands full and do not want to spend too much time removing latches when all they really need to do is push a button to release the seat. However, as the child grows older - getting taller and heavier - you will need to get a larger seat.
Larger Seats
Larger seats are a bit trickier, as they come with both rear and forward facing options. The fact is that your child will not be able to face forward for some time, so the seat you buy will have options to allow the child to grow into the seat. The seat will first face the rear of the car, and installation will depend on the model of seat that you get, although most are fairly similar. First you will want to put the seat belt through the appropriate slot as marked on the car seat. After tightening it down, you will notice that there are additional straps in the car seat that are meant to latch onto small metal loops within the seat of your car. Find the loops, latch the straps, and tighten until the seat does not move. The same will go for when you switch to forward facing, although the car seat will require that the seat belt be placed in a different place on the seat. The straps used before will still be utilized and should always be used when installing a car seat, even if you are making a quick trip.