The five-second car-seat hack that could save your baby’s life

Childcare education experts have shared their extremely important five-second car-seat hack that could end up saving your baby’s life.

I'm sure many parents will know all about the faff when it comes to car seats, but it's clear there's one aspect of the process that should never be skipped.

The experts over at CPR Kids took to Instagram to share with their 21.4k followers the nifty little trick.

The short clip showed a side-by-side video of two car seat straps - one done correctly and one done incorrectly.

The caption reads: "Got 5 seconds?

"Here is one of our all-time favourite car seat safety tips... The seatbelt pinch test!⁠"

In the video, you can see someone pinch both car seats with the less-secure one scrunching up, while the more secure one lay flat and tight.

"If you can pinch the seatbelt material, it is not tight enough. If you are unable to pinch the seatbelt material, it is perfect!⁠" the experts explained.

They continued: "It is a quick and easy way to tell whether your little one's seatbelt is too loose or just right.

"This isn’t just a potential lifesaving tip for any school holiday road-tripping plans but for every car trip!"

Experts at Safe Kids Worldwide explain: "Make sure your harness is snug enough by doing the Pinch Test.

"After you buckle and tighten the harness, pinch the harness at the shoulder. If the harness is snug, your fingers will slide off the webbing. If the harness is loose, you will be able to pinch the webbing between your fingers."

In a previous post, the page highlighted another common car seat mistake that parents often make.

"Did you know that if your child’s car seat was forward-facing and you were to get in an accident their neck would get hit with the force of 180kg 220kg?" they warned

"Whereas if they were to be rearward facing, that force would be 40kg-60kg?"

The experts shared the importance of keeping children in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, adding: "Rear-facing seats can offer high levels of protection for your child’s neck, especially in a head on collision, so the longer they travel in a rear-facing seat the safer they should be in a crash.

"It’s safest to keep your child in a car seat with an integral harness for as long as possible."

They continued: "Only move your child to a booster seat when their eye-line is above the back of the child seat or the weight limit is reached."

Featured Image Credit: Guido Mieth/Getty Images/Instagram/@cprkids

Topics: Advice, Life, Parenting, Hacks, Life Hacks

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.