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Are you using your car seat properly? Car seats can only be their most effective if used properly. Courtesy of CafeMom, here are 9 car seat rules that could save your child's life (follow the link to read more details on each rule). Several of them are going to surprise you.

1. Ensure shoulder straps are in the proper position. For rear-facing babies, that's at or below baby's shoulders. For forward facing straps should be at or above the shoulders.
2. Keep seats rear-facing as long as possible. This one surprised me, as it's a departure from long-standing guideline of age one. This is because baby and toddler's heads are so much larger than their bodies. During an impact, they don't have the bone maturity to stabilize their heads, resulting in terrible head injuries (the worst of which is internal decapitation).
3. Make sure there are no gaps between baby's crotch/groin and the harness. If there is a gap, roll a washcloth into an upside-down 'U' and place it between baby's crotch and down the legs (this, by the way, is the only allowable 'add-on' in car seats).
4. Ensure the chest clip is between the nipples and armpits.
5. A child has outgrown their carseat when they have reached the maximum weight limit for the seat or there is no more than one inch of the hard shell above their head.
6. To determine if straps are tight enough, first pull the lap portion tight and then try to pinch the straps at the collar bone. If you can pinch the strap, it's too loose.
7. No coats. The car seat won't hold your child secure.
8. READ THE MANUAL. Seriously.
9. Have it checked by a professional - and fire or police stations are not your best bet. Contact SafeKids.org or call 1-866-SEAT-CHECK.