Common mistakes parents make when installing a car seat

About this episode

This episode discusses common mistakes parents make when installing car seats and offers guidance on ensuring child safety.

If you're a new parent, picking out a car seat can be stressful. Do you need to spend extra on special features to keep your kid safe? How long should your child be rear-facing? How do you know if the car seat is secure enough? In this episode of Life Kit, we cover common mistakes parents make when installing car seats. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit Sign up for our newsletter here. Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at lifekit@npr.org Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: NPR Life Kit

Topics covered

• car seat installation
• parenting mistakes
• child safety
• rear-facing car seats
• new parents

Keywords

• car seat
• installation
• parenting
• safety
• rear-facing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR

More episodes of Life Kit: Parenting

• On the fence about parenthood? Listen to this · May 26, 2026 · 26 min
• The dos and don'ts of baby talk · May 19, 2026 · 20 min
• Feeling drained? Here's how to lighten your mental load · April 21, 2026 · 25 min
• How to be a working parent? Lower your standards · April 13, 2026 · 26 min
• Using AI chatbots can impact your teen's mental health. Here's what to do · April 2, 2026 · 21 min
• Drowning in toys? Here’s how to handle kid clutter · March 26, 2026 · 23 min