Myth: A rock-solid, shake-the-car installation is not ideal and you could break your carseat or damage the seatbelt
Is it bad or wrong to install your car seat so tightly that you shake the whole car when you’re testing to make sure it’s tight? That question comes up frequently so we wanted to explore the issue – look at the facts, talk to car seat engineers, and set the record straight once and for all.
First, a little background info – when child restraint systems are crash tested in a lab, the tension on the belt webbing has to measure between 53.5 N (newtons) and 67 N. That tension is measured by a load cell device placed on the webbing. This is done to maintain repeatability between tests. The tension range was chosen because it represents the average tightness achieved by parents in the field.
In the real world, no one expects parents and caregivers to measure the tension on the seatbelt or LATCH strap that is securing their car seat. CPS Technicians are taught that a car seat is properly installed if it moves less than 1” from side-to-side and front-to-back when you check for tightness at the beltpath.
But is it possible to install your car seat too tightly? To the point of it being a detriment instead of a benefit?
In most cases, there is no such thing as too tight – only too loose. If you’re just using typical human strength and maybe a few installation tricks like getting behind a rear-facing car seat or using the reclining seatback trick, you do not have to worry about getting the seatbelt or LATCH strap too tight. Car seats and seatbelts are not delicate objects that are going to be compromised by a really tight installation. You also don’t need to worry that you’re going to damage your car seat if you put your weight into it while trying to install it tightly. These products are designed to withstand crash forces!
Remember the <not technically accurate but simple concept used to make a point> weight x speed equation that we use to teach parents and caregivers how much restraining force is needed to keep their child restrained in a crash? Guess what? Your car seat is designed to withstand 1,200 lbs. of force or more in a crash! And the seatbelts and retractors in your vehicle are designed to restrain a 200 lb. adult in a 35 mph crash. That’s 7,000 lbs. of restraining force! Even an Olympic weightlifter cannot install a car seat with 1200 lbs. of force!
You don’t need to worry that somehow your very tight installation or putting your knee in your car seat while installing is somehow going to hurt your car seat or your vehicle. If you could damage a car seat simply by kneeling in it for 10 seconds while trying to tighten the seatbelt, then I don’t like its chances of maintaining structural integrity in a crash. Crash forces are intense and car seats are designed and engineered to be TOUGH, throughout the lifespan of that product.
FACT: The tighter you can couple the car seat to the vehicle, the better. This is why Rigid LATCH/ISOFIX attachments are so beneficial!
With that said, if you’re installing a car seat that has an integrated belt-tensioning feature – like a Britax with ClickTight, Graco with SnugLock, or Chicco with SuperCinch, you need to follow the manufacturer’s directions and guidance for proper installation.
For car seats that don’t have a built-in mechanical advantage, if you can use a few tricks or installation techniques and achieve a really solid installation, that’s great. However, if you’re fighting with the install and the best you can achieve is just a little bit of side-to-side or front-to-back movement and it’s not more than 1″ of movement, that’s perfectly okay too. It’s not always possible to get a rock-solid install but if you can – there is certainly nothing bad or wrong with that.
One of my vehicles has very stiff leather seats and I almost always need to put a knee in a forward-facing car seat to get an acceptable install in that vehicle. Occasionally, I will need to put a knee in the car seat and also use the reclining seatback trick. These are easy things that I can do quickly, and it sure beats wrestling with a challenging installation for 20 minutes.
Ultimately, you always want to read and follow the car seat manufacturer’s recommendations. There are situations where getting the seatbelt too tight will prevent you from closing a lockoff because there is too much tension on the belt.
There are also situations where a LATCH belt with hook connectors is so tight that you can’t get enough slack in the belt to loosen it when you have to take it out. Tip: if this happens on a vehicle seat that reclines – recline the vehicle seat back then apply downward pressure to the car seat or base and that should introduce enough slack to allow you to loosen the LATCH belt.
Obviously, in these cases, you have a compelling circumstance (key words) and you may need to lighten up a little on your regular installation technique.
Bottom line: Unless there is some compelling reason not to, install the car seat as tight as you can with reasonable effort (more key words) but don’t feel bad if you can’t get it rock-solid. On the flip side, it’s not bad or wrong if you can get that sucker installed like it’s part of the car with a reasonable amount of effort.
We’re going to say that this Myth is PLAUSIBLE simply because there are many car seats on the market that have some sort of belt-tensioning mechanical advantage feature and if you go overboard while using a mechanical advantage, that could potentially (yet another key word) create issues.
For car seats that lack any type of belt-tensioning mechanical advantage feature, this myth is definitely BUSTED.
I’m trying to put my Graco click connect base in my 3rd row. Since it doesn’t have a latch system, I have to use the seatbelt. When I tighten it with the seatbelt lock, the base starts to tilt up. Any advice?
@ Brook – does your Graco click connect base have a lockoff (red clamp) near the beltpath? If it does, use the lockoff and don’t lock the seatbelt at the retractor. The lockoff will keep the seatbelt at a fixed length and your base secure. If your click connect base doesn’t have a lockoff, then your 2 options are: 1) purchase a new Graco infant seat base with a Snuglock lockoff or 2) visit a local CPS Technician and have them show you how to apply a locking clip to your seatbelt. In any of these scenarios (lockoff or locking clip) you will NOT lock the seatbelt by pulling it all the way out because that is what is causing the tilt. The built-in lockoff on the base or applying a locking clip will hold the base securely so there is less than 1″ of movement when you test for tightness *at the beltpath*. HTH! Good luck!
As a tech, there have been a few seats that have come in (RFOs really) that took several of us to get out because they’d been installed too tightly by an over-enthusiastic dad who generally was using LAs AND the seatbelt over top of that.
@Emma – yes, this can definitely be an issue with hook-style LATCH connectors. It’s one of the main reasons that CPSTs, and many parents, prefer the nicer, push-on lower anchor connectors. They make UNinstalling the seat or base sooooo much easier! In 20+ years, I have never had to cut a LATCH strap to get it off the lower anchor bars but I’ve come *real close* a few times. The struggle is real! Lol.
Does the same principle apply to tethers?
Hi Diane – that’s a great question! I don’t think it’s as important for a tether strap to be guitar-string-tight but it can’t hurt either *as long as you do it AFTER your forward-facing seat is installed* (with either seatbelt or lower anchors). You definitely don’t want a loose tether strap but it’s not critical for it to be super tight either. Just wait until after the seat is installed properly to pull the tether strap tight. If you tighten it before you tighten the seatbelt or latch strap – it could impede your installation. HTH!
Thank you for this!
When telling someone I was able to get my Nextfit installed with LATCH with virtually no side to side movement, they were telling me that an inch of movement side to side was beneficial to help avoid whiplash.
Any information on why this would be false?
Hi Emily, to help avoid whiplash??? Really??? How is that even possible? Do they understand what whiplash is? This well-intentioned person clearly has no idea what they are talking about so I would just leave it alone. Or you could politely disagree and then ask them to prove whatever they’re claiming is true. That puts the burden of proof on them to find supporting evidence for their ridiculous claim. You could also tell them to call Chicco for clarification. HTH! Good luck!