When you purchase an infant car seat, pay close attention to the instruction manuals--of both the car seat and your vehicle--to make sure you install the seat correctly. For a double check, go to www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting to find a child safety seat inspection site near you. After that, you’ll want to make sure your baby is riding in the seat safely. Here are three things to keep in mind before you hit the road:

Have your baby ride rear-facing until he’s at least 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds. Infant seat weight limits are typically 22 pounds; a few are 30 pounds. But be sure to observe the height limits of the infant seat as well. Height limits range from 26 to 30 inches; a few are 32 inches. It is best to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. Don’t place an infant seat in a forward-facing position. It always stays rear-facing. If your baby does outgrow his infant car seat before age 1, install a convertible car seat in the rear-facing position, as they often have higher weight and height limits than infant seats. Convertible seats typically have a weight limit of 30 to 40 pounds. Height limits range up to 40 inches typically.

Take off the wraps. If you need to keep your baby warm, place blankets or thick coats over her after you strap her into an infant or convertible car seat. Don’t wrap your baby up in a blanket, thick coat or other bulky garment and then strap her into a restraint system. That may prevent the restraint system from working properly.

Position the harness. The harness chest clip should be fastened and positioned at your child’s mid-chest or armpit level, which keeps the shoulder straps from slipping. Harness straps should be snug and untwisted. Do a test: If a harness is properly snug, you shouldn’t be able to insert more than one of your fingers behind it or easily pinch any slack in the belt. Position rear-facing harness straps in the slot positions at, or slightly below, your child’s shoulders. On forward-facing and convertible seats, which come into play after your baby’s first birthday and the 20-pound benchmark, harness straps should be positioned at, or slightly above, your child’s shoulders.

For more information, see steps for car-seat installation, car-seat safety tips and buying advice.