A properly purchased and applied car or truck seat is a product that parents consistently spend vast amounts of money on. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2005, discovered that unfortunately, those parents that so often want to protect their child are wrongly applying child safety seats almost eighty percent of the time. The study states that although it was accidental, many people jeopardized the very person they were trying so hard to protect by messing up the application of the safety restraints. Many of the seats in the study were found to have safety belts which were too loose or harnesses that were the same. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls these misuses 'critical' because they can cause some of the greatest potential for injury.

Keep in mind three things as you pick out a car safety seat: your child's age, weight, and the position of the seat. Newborn car seats are the ones that allow a baby that is less than a year and under twenty pounds to ride in a rearward-facing position. These tiny seats are custom-designed for newborns; after all, they wrap around him or her tightly and allow the parent the ease of carrying the child wherever they need to go. All seats designed for infants only should always be rear-facing, and should always be placed in the back seat.

Instead of an infant-only seat, many parents choose convertible seats which they can use as the child grows. These types of safety car seats will not be tiny - if they were, they could not support the child as it grew. They are used in the rear-facing position for children under one year of age and for children over one year who do not yet weight 20 pounds. The one year and twenty pound children then are allowed to upgrade to a forward facing convertible seat until they reach 40 pounds. Every parent must make sure that whichever style or type of safety seat they go with, they use correctly. Make sure to read the manufacturer's instructions, as well as your vehicle owner's manual. Two sets of buckles must be snapped correctly for the car seat to function as designed: those holding the baby in place and those holding the car seat in place. Harness straps seem to be an area of particular difficulty for parents; for your baby's safety, the harness must be in the correct slot position and fitted snugly to your baby's chest. Above or at the shoulder is where the straps should go into the slots for convertible car seats, while below is a good place to measure for infant-only. Always check the owner's manual for proper placement, but the harness clip should be at armpit level and the straps should not be twisted.

Positions of the seat matter to seat belt placement; always follow the right path for your position and whenever possible, tilt your chair back 45 degrees. A rolled towel under the base helps secure the seat into position. Make sure that the safety seat is fastened to your vehicle, and tighten the seat belt as needed. With cars that have a LATCH system, it is important to follow the instructions placed in your vehicle manual and car seat instructional manual. The seat should be in good condition, so if you purchase a used one, double check the label for age. Don't use a seat that is more than five years old or does not come with the manufacturer's instructions. If you suspect your seat has been in an accident or is missing parts, it is better to be safe than sorry and do not buy it.