Here’s the list of common terms used in child passenger safety and what they meant:

1. Buckle: Where harness system connects and locks

2. Harness: Straps that keep the child in the car seat and spreads out crash forces

– 5-Point: Harness has five points of contact that includes one over each shoulder, one on each side of the pelvis, and one between the legs with all five coming together at a common buckle.
– 3-Point: Harness has three points of contact that includes two shoulder straps coming together at one buckle in the shell or on a crotch strap
NOTE: NOT to be confused with 3-point (lap-and-shoulder) vehicle belt

3. Retainer Clip: Plastic buckle or clasp that holds shoulder straps together over the child’s chest and is positioned at child’s armpit level. Also known as ‘chest clip’.

4. Harness Adjuster: Part used to tighten or loosen the harness

5. Harness Slots: Parts of car seat where the harnesses go through the seat shell

6. Labels: Information affixed to car seat or booster seat required by federal standards

7. Shell/Frame: Molded plastic and/or metal structure of car seat or booster seat

8. Seat Padding: Covers the shell and/or frame

9. Level Indicator: Part of car seat that helps identify correct rear-facing installation angles

10. Padding: Additional padding or inserts some manufacturers provide that have been crash tested with the seat

11. Belt Path: Place on car seat where seat belt or lower anchor connector is placed to
secure car seat in vehicle

12. Recline Adjuster: Allows car seats to be reclined for rear-facing and semi-reclined or
upright for forward-facing use

13. Splitter Plate: Metal plate that connects two ends of the shoulder harnesses to a single piece of webbing used for adjustment

14. Lock-Off: Built-in belt-locking feature on car seat that works with certain types of seat belts based on the same concept as a locking clip

15. Locking Clip: Holds car seat in the proper position during normal driving when no other locking mechanism is available

16. Tether Connector: Piece of belt webbing with a hook connector that anchors top of a car seat or booster seat to vehicle that keeps restraint from tipping forward on impact – can provide extra protection – most frequently used on forward-facing seats

17. Lower Anchor Connectors: Connectors used in place of vehicle seat belt to secure car
seat or booster seat – can be flexible or rigid

18. Detachable Base: Separate car seat base that can be installed in the vehicle – restraint (car seat) portion can be removed from base and used as a carrier or, in some cases, turned around, and placed back in base for forward-facing mode

19. Adjustment Foot: Part of detachable base that raises or lowers to allow a rear-facing
car seat to be installed at the correct recline angle

20. Carry Handle: Plastic handle attached to rear-facing-only car seat that can be used to carry car seat with child in it when removed from the vehicle

21. Foot Prop/Load Leg: Pole or leg that extends from base of a rear-facing car seat or from front of a forward-facing car seat – used to prevent or reduce excessive forward and downward rotation in a crash

22. Anti-Rebound Bar: Hard bar on some rear-facing car seats that help to reduce movement of car seat towards rear of the vehicle seat (rebound) in a crash

23. Instruction Book and Storage Location: Both required