When to Install the Car Seat Before Baby Arrives

Install the car seat in the third trimester, about a month or two before your due date, and get it checked by a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) before the birth. That’s the order the Virginia Department of Health gives expecting parents: book the check “1 to 2 months before your due date”, because “many agencies schedule appointments several weeks in advance and some moms deliver early”. Install it yourself first, as best you can, then let the technician correct it. It matters because, as the AAP puts it, the hospital staff “will ask if you have a rear-facing car safety seat installed”.

Where this post stops

I’m pregnant with my second, not a car seat technician. This post is about timing and getting the seat checked. How to install your particular seat in your particular car comes from the two manuals and a CPST, not from a blog. And which seat to buy is a different question; Only Mom Reviews compares two of the big names in Graco vs Chicco car seats.

Why not leave it until 38 weeks

Three reasons, all from people who do this for a living:

1. You can’t leave the hospital without one. The AAP’s guide to bringing baby home says, “All U.S. hospitals check to make sure you have one.”
2. Checks book up. The Virginia Department of Health’s safety seat checks page says appointments are often booked weeks in advance.
3. Babies come early. The same page says it plainly: “some moms deliver early.” The AAP’s last-minute activities before delivery list puts the car seat in the preparations to finish “before your ninth month”.

Working back from that: buy it in the second trimester or early in the third (the rest of the buying timeline is in when to start buying baby stuff), install it soon after, and book the check for one to two months before your due date. That leaves room for a second appointment if the first finds a problem.

Install it yourself first

The AAP’s car seats information for families starts with homework: “read the vehicle owner’s manual and the car safety seat manual each time you install the seat.” Its rules for a baby:

• Rear-facing, from the first ride. “All infants should ride rear-facing, starting with their first ride home from the hospital.”
• In the back seat, never in front of an airbag. The last-minute page says to install it “in the backseat, facing the rear, and ideally in the middle”. The car seat page explains that some cars make a tight fit in the middle hard. The safest spot is the one where the seat installs tightly, and a CPST can help you choose.
• Lower anchors or a locked seat belt. The AAP says either can be used, and “if you can move the seat at the belt path more than an inch side to side or front to back, it’s not tight enough.”
• Check the weight limits. The last-minute page says the seat should be approved “for use by a baby at typical newborn weights, or for babies less than 5 pounds if you are having multiples or anticipate an early birth”. The limits are on the label and in the manual.

Then get it checked

The AAP’s line for expecting parents is to “consider working with a certified child passenger safety technician before your baby is born to ensure a safe ride home from the hospital.”

What a check involves, from the Virginia Department of Health:

• It’s free, hands-on, and “takes 20-30 minutes”.
• The seat is checked “for fit to your child, expiration date, and recalls”.
• You’re shown how to install the seat and use the harness.
• Bring “both the vehicle and safety seat manuals”.

Virginia’s page is written for Virginia, but the model is national. Safe Kids’ car seat checkup finder lists checkup events, regular inspection stations and educational workshops run by “nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians”. It’s also worth asking your hospital and local fire department whether they run checks.

Second baby, second seat: what changes

You’re installing around a toddler’s seat. Where each seat goes is the real question now. The AAP says a CPST “can help you decide which place is best”. Bring the toddler’s seat to the check.

A second car may need a second base. Infant seats usually click into a base left in the car, and the AAP notes “parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles.”

The old infant seat has a shelf life. The AAP says to look on the label for the date it was made and check with the manufacturer how long it should be used. Big Family Playbook explains how to find it in car seat expiration. The AAP also says not to use a seat that has been in a moderate or severe crash (Big Family Playbook covers the car seat after an accident). Check old seats for recalls, too.

Register it. The AAP says to register your seat with the manufacturer, which “will be important in case the seat is recalled.”

The going-home part

The AAP’s advice for the ride home is thin layers. In cold weather, put “any puffy coats or blanket over the car seat harness straps”, not under them. Pack the outfit with that in mind. Everything else that’s worth doing in the final weeks is in my post on the last month of pregnancy. The car seat sits alongside the boring-but-vital paperwork in pre-baby life admin.

FAQ

How early should I install the car seat?

In the third trimester. The Virginia Department of Health suggests booking a technician check 1 to 2 months before your due date, which means the seat should be in the car before then. The AAP lists it among the preparations to finish before your ninth month.

Is a car seat check free?

The checks described by the Virginia Department of Health are free, and Safe Kids lists checkup events and inspection stations run by certified technicians. Ask your local fire department or hospital what they offer.

Will the hospital check my car seat?

The AAP says staff will ask whether you have a rear-facing car seat installed, and that all U.S. hospitals check that you have one. That isn’t the same as a technician checking your installation, so book the check separately.

What if my baby is born early?

The AAP says babies born preterm should be screened in the hospital to make sure they can sit safely in a semi-reclined position. Check your seat’s lower weight limit, especially if you’re expecting multiples.