A study at the Oregon Health and Science University showed that most families with newborn infants need instruction in properly installing the infant car safety seat and buckling up baby for the trip home from the hospital.

Researchers found that 93 percent of the 267 families they followed made at least one major error when placing their newborn infant in the car safety seat, and again made an error when installing the safety seat in the car.

The study was done at the teaching hospital and research center in Portland, Ore., and was presented Oct. 11 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in San Diego.

Researchers observed families with the newborn babies that were discharged from the mother-baby unit of Doernbecher Children's Hospital between the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014. As they were about to leave the hospital, safety technicians observed how they installed the car seat in their vehicle and how they placed the baby in the seat.  

It was found that more than 90 percent of these families committed two or more mistakes, while 50 percent among them committed five or even more.

The most common mistakes included positioning the newborn in the safety seat with loose harness (69 percent); placing the retainer clip too low (34 percent); using an after-market product that is incompatible with the seat (20 percent); placing the harness way too high (18 percent); and adjusting the harness in the wrong way (15 percent).

When it comes to installing the safety seat, the most common mistakes include installing it loosely (43 percent); placing it at a wrong angle (36 percent); failing to lock the safety belt (23 percent); and incorrect spacing calculations between the safety seat and the front seat of the vehicle (17 percent).

"As someone who has been doing this for a number of years, I've always been struck by how difficult it can be for parents to adequately protect their children," said Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, researcher of the study. "We need to move beyond the idea that we cannot afford to develop and support child passenger safety programs."  

Jamie Grayson, a certified car passenger safety technician (CPST), advises the parents to visit seatcheck.org or consult a CPST in their area so they can be guided with whatever they need to know about safety seats.

Hoffman, who also is a CPST, offered some pointers for parents. According to Hoffman, parents should:

• Make sure the harness is tightened snugly enough;
• Place the chest clip at the level of the infant's armpit;
• Make sure that the harness, in the case of rear-facing car seat, comes through the slot at or underneath the infant's shoulders;
• Make sure the car seat is installed tightly and has less than an inch of play side-to-side and back-to-front;
• Adjust the car seat at the correct angle ‑ must not be too tight nor too reclined; and
• Secure the car seat by using either the seat belt or the lower anchors.