How to Loosen Car Seat Straps and Get the Perfect Fit

Above all else, we want our child’s car seat to be safe, right? You may have even spent time searching for the “safest” car seat. However, all car seats follow the same safety standards and are all perfectly equipped to protect your child in a crash. The biggest factor of how safe a car seat is actually comes down to proper use. 

One of the most common car seat mistakes we see at Safe in the Seat threatening a child’s safety is improperly fitting straps. These straps are made to be easily adjusted to ensure you can easily and safely get the perfect fit for your child. So, today we’re discussing how to loosen car seat straps and adjust them with every ride! 

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How to Loosen Car Seat Straps and Get the Perfect Fit

Loosening and adjusting car seats is easy once you know what you’re doing! With the tips and instructions below, you shouldn’t have any trouble loosening, tightening, and fixing car seat straps when necessary. 

Here’s what you need to know:

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When To Adjust Car Seat Straps 

You should be checking the car seat straps every time you use the seat. Most people loosen the harness to get the child out of the seat, although this is not necessary. Factors like clothing changes and recent growth spurts mean adjustments will be needed regularly. Straps may also become twisted or uneven, prompting adjustment.  

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How To Adjust Car Seat Straps 

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Step 1: Ensure the harness straps and crotch buckle are at the right setting. 

Before you start buckling, you’ll need to confirm your straps are even in the right position. If they’re not, getting the right fit will be impossible. So, place your child in their seat, and make sure both the harness straps and crotch buckle are in the right slots. Here are the rules for each type of car seat:

Rear-Facing Car Seat

The harness straps must be at or just below the shoulders. (Exceptions: Britax wants the straps coming from below and Uppababy Knox requires that there is less than one inch between the child's shoulder and the headrest.)

The crotch buckle strap should be as close to your child as possible without being underneath them. (This refers to their bottom, not their diaper or clothes. To check the fit, you may have to put your child in their car seat with no diaper briefly to confirm the crotch buckle is correctly placed.) Double check your manual as well, because some have more specific requirements for each crotch buckle position. 

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Forward-Facing Car Seat

The harness straps must be at or just above the shoulders. (Exceptions: Britax wants them coming from above the shoulders and Uppababy Knox requires that there is less than one inch between the child's shoulder and the headrest.) For the crotch buckle position, check your manual to be certain, but the crotch buckle and strap should generally be as close to your child as possible without being underneath them. 

If your straps need to be adjusted on either type of seat, look at the manual to see if you have to rethread the straps or if you have a no-rethread car seat. Then, the manual will provide you with instructions for safely adjusting the straps. With no-rethread straps, you can just adjust the headrest to change the harness height. However, with rethread straps you need to carefully follow directions to remove the car seat cover and thread the straps through the new strap slots correctly. 

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Step 2: Press the button at the front of the seat. 

Once you’ve confirmed the straps are correctly placed in the car seat, we can loosen things up. Locate the harness strap release button that’s normally placed at the front of your child’s seat. To find it, take the hanging harness strap at the front of the seat and follow it into the car seat padding. You’ll find the button where the harness strap and car seat meet! Just press or lift that button and the straps will be released for adjustment. 

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Step 3: Gently pull both straps from the top of the harness. 

While holding the release button, gently pull the straps loose. You want to pull both straps simultaneously to prevent them from becoming uneven. If you find they’re already uneven, pull each strap until it’s loosened completely, so when you re-tighten they’ll even themselves out. 

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Step 4: Check and correct any twisted straps. 

Now, check to see if your straps are twisted. Always straighten out the straps before buckling! If you find that one of the clips is facing the wrong direction due to the twisted straps, use this handy, frustration-free trick for getting them back in the right position:

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Step 5: Buckle your child in. 

Next, buckle your child into their seat. Fasten the chest clip and crotch buckle while it’s loose! Double check to ensure everything has clicked into place before moving on. 

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Step 6: Gently pull on the harness adjuster at the end of the seat until it’s snug. 

Next, tighten the straps back around your child. To do this, you pull on the harness adjuster strap at the front of the car seat. Pull until your child is snug (until you can't pinch the harness at the shoulders) and recheck for any unevenness and correct if necessary. 

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Step 7: Position the chest clip at the armpits. 

Adjust the chest clip so it’s at your child’s armpits.

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Step 8: Ensure your straps past the pinch test and two-finger test. 

Once your straps seem snug and in the right position, test them! Try to pinch the harness straps to see if you can pinch any slack between your fingers. If you can, they’re too loose.

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Step 9: Double check for a snug fit around the legs too.

Before finishing, ensure the straps are not only snug at the chest and shoulders, but that they’re snug around the legs as well. If they’re not, loosen the straps back up and readjust. 

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Step 10: Repeat each time you place your child in their car seat!  

Always check that your harness straps are correctly placed and tightened each time, even if you do not loosen them when removing the child from the car seat.

As a reminder, bulky clothing can not be worn in car seats. There is no way to safely adjust the harness straps when your child is in a winter coat, Halloween costume, or other bulky clothing. Here are more details about how to bundle up safely in a car seat.  

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Ensure your child is properly strapped into their car seat on every ride!

Car seats may seem simple enough, but in order for them to work as intended in the event of a crash, they must be used properly. Things like incorrect installation methods, improperly fitted straps, use of aftermarket car seat products, and the presence of bulky clothing, can significantly reduce your car seat’s effectiveness or make them downright unsafe. 

For trusted information on car seat use, read your seat’s instruction manual carefully and browse the Safe in the Seat blog! We have all the information you need to be confident in your car seat use. You can also follow us on Instagram and get helpful instructional videos from our YouTube channel.