When bringing a new baby home, you may already know that you have to have your child's car seat before they will let the baby go. With so many choices for every age, picking an infant seat through a child booster seat, it may seem overwhelming to find the right one. While you may be tempted to go with the color or design, make sure that you look for certain safety features on your children's car seats.
One essential thing to keep in mind while comparison-shopping for an infant seat or child booster seat is to never buy pre-owned car seats! It is essential that the integrity of the car seat be intact. You also need to know if there is a recall, especially for any known safety issues. Shopping thrift stores and consignment shops are fine for everything else baby related, however, this is not true of car seats.
Begin comparison-shopping for your children's car seats a few months before labor and delivery. Sure, you want one that is eye catching, however, patterns of little pink fairies and big blue bunnies will do nothing to keep your child safe.
Infant seats are designed for infants. These seats will be rear-facing, and should be used in the rear-facing position as long as possible. Read the manufacturer's specifics for your seat, but most are up to 20 pounds and/or one year old. If your baby is petite, you may want to keep the rear facing seat until the infant gets to one inch below the head of the car seat.
Some of the rear facing car seats are convertible, which means they will face forward once your baby gets a little bigger. Make sure that you keep it in the correct position for the age and weight of your little one, even though it is designed for a broad range of weight, usually up to 40 pounds. If you don't have a convertible seat, you will have to purchase a newer seat once your infant outgrows the first. Children in elementary school are still required to use a child booster seat in many states.
You need to look for a car seat that will properly fit in your vehicle. Therefore, measure from the seat to the ceiling as well as the horizontal area in the backseat. This will be of assistance while selecting a car seat, since regardless of the safety features you do not want the child to touch the car ceiling. Make sure that your child is not isolated from the lack of space in the backseat. You will need to be able to reach around to soothe the child when needed.
Do some research to learn about the car seat safety features for any model that you are interested in buying. Check to make sure there are no complaints or recalls listed.
Once you have done your research and found the right seat, it's time to make sure it's installed correctly. Your seat should not wiggle around by more than one inch. A great percentage of car seats are not properly installed, and if you are not feeling confident that your seat is secure enough, there may be a special date at the hospital or with your police or fire department where someone can help you install it correctly.
You want a properly installed car seat that is suitable for you, your baby and your car. This will help lessen the stress of caring for your child in the years to come. - 30224
One essential thing to keep in mind while comparison-shopping for an infant seat or child booster seat is to never buy pre-owned car seats! It is essential that the integrity of the car seat be intact. You also need to know if there is a recall, especially for any known safety issues. Shopping thrift stores and consignment shops are fine for everything else baby related, however, this is not true of car seats.
Begin comparison-shopping for your children's car seats a few months before labor and delivery. Sure, you want one that is eye catching, however, patterns of little pink fairies and big blue bunnies will do nothing to keep your child safe.
Infant seats are designed for infants. These seats will be rear-facing, and should be used in the rear-facing position as long as possible. Read the manufacturer's specifics for your seat, but most are up to 20 pounds and/or one year old. If your baby is petite, you may want to keep the rear facing seat until the infant gets to one inch below the head of the car seat.
Some of the rear facing car seats are convertible, which means they will face forward once your baby gets a little bigger. Make sure that you keep it in the correct position for the age and weight of your little one, even though it is designed for a broad range of weight, usually up to 40 pounds. If you don't have a convertible seat, you will have to purchase a newer seat once your infant outgrows the first. Children in elementary school are still required to use a child booster seat in many states.
You need to look for a car seat that will properly fit in your vehicle. Therefore, measure from the seat to the ceiling as well as the horizontal area in the backseat. This will be of assistance while selecting a car seat, since regardless of the safety features you do not want the child to touch the car ceiling. Make sure that your child is not isolated from the lack of space in the backseat. You will need to be able to reach around to soothe the child when needed.
Do some research to learn about the car seat safety features for any model that you are interested in buying. Check to make sure there are no complaints or recalls listed.
Once you have done your research and found the right seat, it's time to make sure it's installed correctly. Your seat should not wiggle around by more than one inch. A great percentage of car seats are not properly installed, and if you are not feeling confident that your seat is secure enough, there may be a special date at the hospital or with your police or fire department where someone can help you install it correctly.
You want a properly installed car seat that is suitable for you, your baby and your car. This will help lessen the stress of caring for your child in the years to come. - 30224
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