Convertible and multimode car seats have front adjust harnesses. Rear facing only car seats have two different types of harness adjusters — rear adjust or front adjust. This feature can be crucial because one is much easier to use than the other!

The harness on a front adjust car seat is simple and straightforward to use — just pull the strap at the front of the seat to tighten the harness. Push the button between the child’s legs and pull at the shoulders to loosen the harness on most seats.

Rear adjust harnesses are increasingly hard to find, and we’re pretty happy about that! They have two straps on the back of the seat that must be tightened individually. They are a bit cumbersome and can make it difficult to properly tighten the harness.

As the child grows, the harness needs to move up the car seat’s shell. There are two types of harness adjusters.

No Rethread Harness This type of harness adjuster uses some type of button or tab on the headrest to raise the harness to the correct position in relation to a child’s shoulders and the direction they are riding in the vehicle.

Rethread Harness