How to Choose a Car Seat for Your Child

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By lauriemily
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So many choices! Find out how to choose a car seat for your child.

Nothing is more important than your child’s safety, especially in a car. Read on to find out how to choose a car seat for your child.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

For all of you new parents, the infant car seat is the first car seat you will buy. The best infant car seats will have a base that buckles into your car and an infant carrier that will snap in and out of the base. This is invaluable to those parents with babies that fall asleep every time they ride in the car. The infant car seat allows a parent to leave their child in the infant carrier undisturbed. This car seat should be installed in the backseat facing backward for optimal safety. One of the better models is the Graco Infant Car Seat.
Step 2

As your baby grows out of the infant car seat, the next step up would be the convertible car seat. It is called a convertible car seat because it can be used either facing front or backwards. When you choose a car seat for your child it is important to remember that even if your child has outgrown their infant car seat, no child under the age of 1 year should be riding in a car facing front. Each convertible car seat has height and weight requirements, but they can generally accommodate a child up to about 40lbs. Convertible car seats restrain a child using either a 5-point harness system or an overhead latching system. Unlike infant car seats, convertible car seats stay inside the car. They buckle at the base, and most have an additional tether that fastens behind the seat for optimal safety. One of the top rated convertible seats for safety is the Britax.
Step 3

After your child outgrows their convertible car seat, the next step up would be a booster seats. Booster seats come in two different varieties. A high backed booster often uses a 5-point harness, just like a convertible car seat. There are also booster seats that are nothing more than a seated base that your child sits on and instead of a 5-point harness the child uses the car’s seatbelt to restrain them. Height and weight requirements differ from seat to seat, but a booster seat can generally be used up until the child is 80lbs. A recommended model is the Safety 1st Apex 65 Booster Car Seat.

Comments

sneedc said

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on 12/22/2008 Back in the day, they only had one size fits all, and my tiny 5 lb kid was lost in it! I'm so glad there are different carriers/seats for various sized kids now!