Getting a baby properly situated in a car seat is enough to make many new parents break into a sweat. Don't worry – you'll be getting plenty of practice. Just take your time and do it right.

• Have a certified technician check your car seat to make sure it's installed correctly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website includes a searchable database of places to get your car seat inspected.

• Always make sure your baby is properly buckled into his or her seat before you start driving. This sounds obvious, but in a BabyCenter poll 75 percent of moms said they had forgotten to buckle their child in at some point.

• When you buckle your child in, make sure the car seat harness straps aren't twisted, and then use the mechanism on the front of the car seat to pull the harness tight. You shouldn't be able to pinch any harness fabric between your fingers. (Keeping the harness straps too loose is one of the most common car seat mistakes parents make.) Tug the straps to make sure they're locked.

• Slide the plastic retainer clip that holds the two straps together up to armpit level. If the clip is too low, your child could be ejected from the seat in a crash.

• Check to make sure your car seat is buckled tightly to the car. Again, this sounds obvious, but many parents who are cited for car seat violations have their child buckled into a car seat – but haven't buckled the car seat to the car.

• Place a rolled-up cloth diaper, blanket, or towel around your newborn to keep him or her snug in the car seat. You can also purchase head, neck, and body supports to secure your baby.

• If your infant's head flops forward, make the seat more level by wedging a folded towel or other firm support under the front of it.

• Don't keep loose objects in the back seat – in an accident these can become projectiles that can injure your baby. Put shopping bags and other stuff in the trunk of your car or behind the last seat in a minivan.

Related Items How to buy an infant car seat Car seat safety: The biggest mistakes parents make, and how to avoid them