How to buy a car seat for a child

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that there are 4 types of car seats parents should use including infant seats, toddler and preschooler seats; school aged seats and older childrens’ seats.

When purchasing a car seat for your child, be sure to read the product information carefully and understand what to look for. With so many options and brands on the market, here are some tips and suggestions to make care seat shopping a breeze.

What to Look For

Infant seats are rear facing seats or convertible seats that can be used as rear facing. These seats should be used until the child is a year old on the ride home from the hospital. These seats have carrying handles and are only used for travel, not used outside of vehicles. Rear facing car seats are used for babies that weigh up to 32 pounds and come with a base that is left in the vehicle.

Toddler and preschooler seats are front facing, and should be used for children up to 65 pounds or 4 years of age. These seats sometimes come with a booster that can be used for children up to 120 pounds. A tether strap is normally included, and attaches to the top of a safety seat to hold that point securely in the vehicle.

School aged children ride in booster seats, and these are made to raise the children up so the seat belts fit correctly on their bodies. These do not include harness straps, and can be used until the child can fit in the seat belts properly without one. The lap belt will lie low across the child’s thighs and the shoulder belt will cross the middle of the child’s chest and shoulders when fitted properly. Older children can use seat belts in the vehicle, after the child has hit the ages between 8 and 12, or is about 4′9″ in height.

Best Rated Car Seats

The best rated car seats are not found by price or features alone. Finding seats that are too old or has cracks is simply a waste. The best rated infant car seat is the Evenflo Discovery 5 model that sells for around $50 in stores and online. The best rated preschooler seat is the Safety 1st All-in-One that sells for around $160 online and in stores. The best rated combination seat is the Costco High Back Booster that sells for around $50. These were chosen due to the safety ratings from consumer magazines, parenting magazines and the AAP recommendations on the site for parents to utilize in choosing seats.

Once you have found the perfect car seat, stop by your local fire station to learn how to properly install it. It is estimated that nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly in cars. Also be sure to monitor your child’s weight in accordance with the weight limits of the car seat. Although your child may be young enough for an infant seat, his or her weight may require a toddler seat in accordance with safety standards.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samara is a busy mom of four including a set of twins and a special needs child. When she isn’t running between soccer games and PTA meetings, she is putting her university education to work as a writer hoping to provide useful information for other moms and dads.

www.momskey.com