One in 10 children escape their car seat - here's how to avoid it

Buying a car seat is a big investment and it's important that once bought, you don't experience problems that can either make it unsafe or a pain to install or use. 

Earlier this year, we asked 1,883 parents who owned at least one car seat whether they had experienced any issues while using it. Nearly a third (31%) of people admitted that they had. 

The most common problems were that the child could escape from the harness and that the seat was too heavy.

Read on to find out more about these issues and what you can do to avoid them, or head straight to our car seat reviews to pick a model that works for you.

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Child can escape from harness - 12%

There's nothing more frustrating (and worrying) than your child pulling a 'Houdini' and escaping from their harness. This is more likely to happen with older children who are flexible and dexterous but it can be alarming if it happens while you're driving and it's difficult to stop. 

When we surveyed parents who said their child had tried to escape from the harness, 22% of them said they'd stopped the car to re-strap the child, while 17% had fitted an anti-escape device, and 7% had replaced the car seat. A rather worrying 2% had done nothing at all.

Stopping to re-strap your child is a simple, if time-consuming solution, and if you opt for this, make sure you provide plenty of explanation to your little one on why a harness is so important for keeping them safe. A well-timed snack or toy could also be a good distraction if you think they'll try it again.

Make sure you've removed any puffy jackets or snowsuits as they can create a gap between the harness and your child's body which makes it easier for them to wriggle out. 

And check the height of the straps. The point where the straps are attached to the seat should be level with your child's shoulders - not higher or lower.

If you opt for a harness anti-escape device, make sure it doesn't affect the car seat's approval to the regulations. 

Read our guide on child car seat accessories and what's safe or not to discover the anti-escape device that our car seat lab experts have deemed safe to use.

Heavy seats - 12%

The weight of a car seat can be a real issue depending on how you use it. If it's an infant carrier car seat that's designed for parents to carry their child out to the car in, and you add in the weight of a child, a heavy car seat could make it even trickier.

Luckily, most infant carriers are around 5kg or less, but do check before you buy to make sure. Some baby car seats have additional design concepts to reduce the weight, such as the Maxi Cosi Coral, which has an ultra light removable inner shell that you can use to carry your baby to the car.

Car seats for older children or those that have a long shelf life (for example from birth to 12 years) do tend to be heavier, and can make moving the seat between cars (for a child minder or a grandparent) a real pain. 

Our car seat reviews will flag whether we think a car seat is heavy, but we'd also recommend you practice lifting up the car seat in a shop before buying to check if you can manage the weight.

Seat is difficult to install - 11%

Child car seats that are difficult to install aren't just annoying, they could be dangerous. Even the car seats judged the safest in our crash tests can score poorly if we're worried they're too complicated to set up correctly and so may fail to protect your child in a crash.

Our car seat tests look at a range of factors including the instructions, whether there's any risk that a parent might miss out a vital step during installation, and we also get real parents to try installing their child in the seat to help us spot any situations where they could get it wrong.

We'd always recommend getting your car seat installed by a trained car seat fitter in store, or checked over at a nationwide checking event. 

If that's not an option, look out for installation videos from your car seat manufacturer or read our guide on how to fit your child car seat.

Straps are uncomfortable - 10%

The straps of your child's harness need to be snug against their body - you should just be able to slide two fingers under the strap - so don't worry if you think the harness is too tight because chances are it won't be. 

Make sure you remove any puffy coats or jackets before you strap your child in to enable a snug fit.

Be careful about adding any seat belt pads to the car seat to move the seat belt into a different position, as it could affect how the seat protects your child in a crash.

For high back booster seats, which use the vehicle seat belt to restrain your child, you may find that the way the seat routes the seat belt across your child's body can cause some discomfort, especially if it digs into their neck.

Our testing will highlight if this is an issue so be sure to read our car seat reviews. 

Isofix points don't click into place properly - 9%

Isofix connectors stick out of the bottom of a car seat or a car seat's isofix base, and click into anchor loops that are directly joined to the chassis of the car creating a sturdy connection to your car seat.

Issues with the isofix connectors clicking into place is a concerning problem as for many models, this is one of the key methods for restraining the seat. 

If they've stopped working, and you can't restrain the seat by other means (for example, a high backed booster seat or an infant carrier can often be restrained using the vehicle seat belt), then you shouldn't use the seat.

If it's still within warranty, get the seat replaced by the manufacturer. When buying a car seat with isofix connectors, look for models that have red and green indicators (like the one in the image above) to demonstrate whether the seat is properly fitted.

What are Isofix baby car seats? See our guide to Isofix seats for more information or head straight to our isofix child car seat reviews. 

Uncomfortable padding - 9%

A poorly padded child car seat can lead to an uncomfortable child, and that can lead to fidgeting, frustration and tears. Uncomfortable padding isn't just about it being too thin so you can feel the hardness of the seat underneath it, it can also be over-padded.

For example, a car seat that has a very padded head rest area could make your baby's head feel squashed and could cause them to lean their head forward. Once they start doing that, the head is no longer protected within the wings of the car seat if there's a crash.

See our round-up of the best child car seats for our top recommendations.  

Harness stitching comes loose - 9%

If you spot this kind of issue, it could affect the safety of your child, so you should look to replace the seat. If the car seat is still in warranty, your car seat manufacturer should do this.

While you might spot replacement car seat harnesses for sale online, unless it's designed specifically for your car seat (and sold by the manufacturer on their site), we wouldn't recommend trying to replace them.

What should I do with my old car seat? We answer your questions around fixing car seats, buying or selling second-hand seats or recycling your car seat. 

Sharp or unfinished edges - 8%

On occasion, some car seats can slip through the quality assurance net, and they may have a rather rough finish. 

Whether you're buying in a shop or online, run your hands over the main areas of the seat, especially those that your baby will be able to reach to make sure there are no rough or unfinished edges.

If you spot something you're worried about, contact your car seat manufacturer or retailer immediately to get the product replaced.

Want to know the car seats to avoid? See our list of Don't Buy child car seats. 

Spin mechanism on seat stops working - 8%

A car seat that can spin 180 or 360 degrees can be a handy feature to help you get your child into the seat, and allows you to turn the seat forward-facing once they're older.

If the mechanism stops working, check if the seat is still under warranty with the manufacturer and get it replaced. 

If the spin breaks and the seat is stuck facing forwards, make sure that your child is old enough to face forward and don't be tempted to use it in this mode any earlier than 15 months (although we'd recommend keeping them rear-facing for longer if possible).

What are rotating or swivel car seats and why are they popular? Find out which baby and toddler rotating car seats we've tested and what our experts think.