Securing your Child in Radian®

In this video, Scott explains the proper harness strap location for a rear-facing child. When rear-facing you’ll always want the harness straps at or below the shoulders, meaning they’ll come up and over the shoulder rather than from above. This is because when a child is rear-facing in a frontal collision they’re going to slide up and forward in their car seat, and harness straps coming in from below the shoulders limits how much they move in the seat. Remember, rear-facing is always at or below the shoulders.

In this video Scott explains the proper harness strap position for a forward-facing child. When forward-facing you’ll always want the harness straps above the shoulders, not down below. As your child grows, be sure to check the harness straps are in the correct position. Remember, forward-facing is always above the shoulders.

This is a really common mistake with child car seats, but it’s easy to avoid when you know how!

The chest clip is a pre-crash positioning device designed to keep harness straps over your child’s shoulders. The last thing you’ll do in your 5-point safety checklist is tighten the harness straps and position the chest clip at arm pit level.

A chest clip that is too low could cause the harness straps to slip off their shoulders. A chest clip that is too high causes risk of injury to their neck. A properly positioned chest clip, which should be level with their arm pits, will make sure the harness straps function correctly and keep your kiddo seated safely and securely.

How do you know if your harness is properly tightened? It’s super easy: The Pinch Test. A harness is not tight enough if you can pinch any of the webbing when checking near the collarbone. Simply tug on the adjuster strap to tighten the harness and if your fingers now slide across the webbing and you can no longer pinch the webbing, that’s a properly tightened harness.

For car seat safety best practice, use our Child Passenger Safety Technician 5-point checklist before each journey to ensure your child is buckled correctly and safely.

1. Check installation only at the belt path being used. Give it a firm handshake and if it moves less than one-inch side to side or front to back, it’s secure.
2. Check the harness straps are in the proper position. For a forward-facing child, harness straps should be above their shoulders. Rear-facing children should have their harness straps at or below their shoulders.
3. Do the Pinch Test to check if the harness strap is secure. If you can pinch the webbing between your fingers at your child’s collarbone, tighten the harness until you can’t pinch the webbing.
4. Position the chest clip at armpit level. Not at their belly button or tucked under their chin, secure the chest clip at armpit level.
5. If your Diono® seat has a head support, position it so the bottom is about even with their jaw as this will offer the most protection.
   

No matter the distance you’re set to travel, be sure to use this 5-point checklist before every journey so you can be certain your child is riding as safely as possible.

We often see Diono head supports positioned way too high or way too low, which is a risk to children’s safety.

When adjusting the head support, also referred to as head wings, the bottom should be just about even with the child’s jaw.

In a Radian® R seat, you can use the head support when your child reaches the third harness slot. In a Radian® Q seat, you can use the head support when your child reaches the second harness slot. If the head support can't be lowered enough, place it at its highest position until your child is tall enough to use it correctly.