There are few things more difficult than getting your toddler into their car seat. They wiggle, squirm, and scream. Really, trying to get a small child into a car seat should be considered a full-body workout. But parents on TikTok are showing their fellow parents an easier way to get little ones into their car seats: pre-folding.
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What is pre-folding?
A mom named Lauren shared a video on TikTok that has 32 million views. In the video, her son Emmett is fussy while she is trying to get him into his car seat. The comment section was full of parents suggesting she "pre-fold" Emmett; folding his little body in half like a taco, and sliding him into his seat.
How does it work exactly?
Emily Roberts, a child passenger safety technician who runs the TikTok account @countrykidscarseatsafety, shared an instructional video showing parents how to properly pre-fold their kids to safely get them into their car seats. She suggests tucking one arm under their armpit and one arm under their knees to fold them in half, and then firmly placing their butts into the car seat. You should fasten the chest clip first, especially if they're still squirming, before fastening the buckle.
@countrykidscarseatsafety Replying to @Emily Roberts When people in the comments are saying “prefold your kid,” this is what we’re doing! Good luck and godspeed! #rearfacing #rearfacingtoddler #rearfacetothelimits #rearfacetothemax #rearfacingcarseat #rearfacingtoddlers #rearfacingkids #rearfaceyourkids #rearfaceyourtoddlers #toddlers #toddlerlife #momsoftoddlers #toddlertok #cpst #cpstsoftiktok #childpassengersafetytech #childpassengersafetytechnician #childpassengersafetytok #carseatsafety #carseatsafetytok #mom #dad #parents #momtok #dadtok #momlife #dadlife #momtips #dadtips #momhack #dadhack #buckleup ♬ original sound – Emily Roberts
Sometimes you need to mix the pre-fold with something else
Speaking with BuzzFeed, Lauren shared that while the pre-fold helps her get Emmett into the car seat, it doesn't work by itself. Usually, she has to keep his attention by giving him a snack or a toy before pre-folding him and plopping him in his car seat. That's the beauty of the pre-fold; it's adaptable based on your needs.
Parents all over TikTok swear by it
"I pre fold…. And we also have a 'buckle song' he gets so excited to get in the car seat now because he wants the buckle song ," one parent commented.
"I've always done it this way because it was just EASIER. I wack his head if I try any other way ahahaha," another added.
"Omg! Pre-fold! That’s awesome!" another person exclaimed.
"I’ve always done this I thought that’s how ur supposed to do it ," a parent said.
