Installing an infant car seat base in each vehicle your baby will be traveling in will make car seat instillation fast and easy. A car seat base stays in your vehicle and your baby's carrier connects to it keeping it securely in place. Most car seat bases are easy to install but ensuring that the base is level can take some experimenting with the placement of the base.
Step 1
Clean the backseat of your vehicle to ensure that no debris is underneath the base. Debris underneath the base can make achieving a level instillation more difficult.
Step 2
Locate the LATCH (lower anchors and tethers for children) connectors on the infant car seat base. These will be on a piece of webbing woven through the back of the base. Connectors are normally black metal. Some infant car seat bases have plastic connectors with a red button that will make instillation easier.
Step 3
Locate the LATCH anchors in your vehicle. Many car manufacturers have symbols on the back seat of the vehicle that show owners where the anchors are located. If your vehicle does not have any markings on the back seat, consult your owner's manual to find the anchors for your particular vehicle.
Step 4
Place the bottom of the infant car seat base in the center of the back seat in your vehicle. The center of the back seat of your vehicle is the safest place for an infant to ride. The base should be placed so that the side of the base with the LATCH connectors is against the back seat.
Step 5
Hook the LATCH connectors to the LATCH anchors in your vehicle. You may need to extend the tether strap on the infant car seat base. Make sure that the connectors securely connected to the anchors by gently tugging on them.
Step 6
Place your knee in the center of the car seat base and put your weight onto the base. Pull up on the LATCH tether belt to tighten the belt until it is tight. The infant car seat base should not move more than 1 inch in any direction. Continue to tighten the tether if you can move the base more than 1 inch.
Step 7
Check the car seat base to ensure it is level. Look on the side of the infant car seat base for a level indicator. Your car seats manual will help you find the level indicator if you are having trouble finding it. If the car seat is not level, loosen the tether straps and extend the foot of the car seat base.
Step 8
Recheck the level indicator before tightening the tether straps. If the car seat is still not level, roll a towel or cut a piece of pool noodle to place under the base against the back seat of your vehicle. Once the level indicator says the base is level, re-tighten the tether straps, ensuring that there is not more than 1 inch of give in any direction.
Tips and Warnings
- Always check the tethers before placing your infant's carrier in your vehicle to see whether they have not become loose. Visit with a car seat technician to double check your instillation.
- Not properly installing your infant car seat base can cause injury to your child in the event of a car crash.
Things You'll Need
- Towel or pool noodle
