How to Choose a Child Car Seat

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By SimplyFrugal
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Article Rating: (5 Ratings)

Any parent who has researched child car seats for a purchase knows that the process is overwhelming. We all ask the same questions? Which child car seats are rated the safest? Which child car seats are rated the best by parents? Are the most expensive child car seats really the best? New parents may also struggle to find the facts regarding weight and height limits and the recommendations for rear-facing and forward-facing child car seats. Recently the recommendation has changed to state that children remain in a rear-facing child car seat until the age of 3 or 4. The advice in this article will hopefully provide some clarity to your research and eventual purchase of your child car seat.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Research the facts.
It is important to research the safety ratings on all the child car seats to determine which ones are your top choices. Consumer Reports and several other organizations have conducted crash tests- search the internet for the most up-to-date test results.
Step 2

Research parent feedback.
Even if you do not plan on making your purchase from Babies R Us, their website is a great tool to research feedback from parents on child car seats. Parents share their opinion regarding comfort, ease of installation, ease of use and even sometimes share their accident experiences with the child car seats.
Step 3

Ask your family and friends.
Family and friends often have been through the research and purchase of a child car seat several times and may have valuable advice for you.
Step 4

Try the child car seat.
Even if you plan on purchasing your child car seat online, stop by a store and actually put your child in the car seat. Handle the child car seat and practice installing the seat- many stores have a mock set up for this practice.
Step 5

Set a reasonable budget.
Determine a reasonable price for your child car seat based on your budget. Although child car seats can be expensive, they are used for several years. An infant car seat is usually only used until the child is between 6-9 months. One of the most common and safe infant car seats is the Graco Snugride. You can purchase additional bases for the actual seat if you have more than one car. A convertible car seat, rear-facing to forward-facing, can often be used from birth to 50-65 pounds (typically age 5-6). Graco, Evenflo, Britax are all considered very safe convertible car seats. Consider the investment of the child car seat spread over the 4 years- most likely it will average about $50 per year; not a bad investment for the safety of your baby or child.
Step 6

My recommendation:
Purchase an infant car seat for your child to use from birth to 6-9 months. Infants fit more snug in an infant car seat and therefore they are less suseptible to injuries in an accident. Once the top of the child's head is within an 1.5 inches from the top of the infant car seat, purchase a convertible child car seat. Be sure that the child car seat states that it is for both rear-facing and forward-facing. The convertible child car seat should also have a recommended weight limit of 50-65 pounds. Do not worry about a booster car seat, as it is much safer to keep your child in a 5-point harness child car seat for as long as possible. The new recommendation for children to remain rear-facing until 3-4 years of age may be a challenge with current US specifications on child car seats. Most convertible child car seats have a maximum weight of 35 pounds for rear-facing- be sure to read your child car seat's specific recommendations.