How to Chose an Car Seat for your Child
Children are at higher risk than adults to be killed in a car crash when not using proper safety devices. While many people reason that it is safer not to put your child in a car seat or infant carrier as this allows them to take the child out of the car faster in case of an emergency, the contrary is true. Some parents feel that the child safety seats are a waste of time and money. The truth is that the child safety seats are important to ensure your child’s safety under all circumstances.
Just as a reminder for new parents and new grandparents, buying a child safety seat is important, however the following points should be kept in mind while shopping for the seat:
1. When buying used, make sure that the safety seat you buy is a model made after January 1, 1981 and confirms to the federal motor vehicle standards.
2. Check the weight limit on the infant car seat. Some seats have a higher weight limit than the standard 20 pounds, which makes the seat last longer. Also check for the minimum weight and size requirements of each car seat and choose the seat accordingly.
3. The seat should have an anti rebound bar which prevents the baby from rebounding in a car crash.
4. The harness adjustment of the child seat should work smoothly and easily adjust.
5. While shopping for the car seat, focus on the car seat’s safety, convenience and ease of use and not on the looks and stylishness of the seat.
6. Choose an infant car seat that is easy to click in and out of its base while traveling and has an additional base which can be installed in another car. This makes the drop off by Mommy and pick up by Daddy way easier. Trust me, I have been there. Often used extra bases can be found at resale shops for baby items.
7. When shopping for infant car seats, make sure that your child’s legs do not hang over the bottom of the seat.
8. If your car has pre-installed latches (any late model vehicle in the US has them) for car seats between the seat cushions to anchor the car seat or base for an infant carrier, grab a set of tethers as these secure the seat or base more securely than the old seat belt method.
9. Make sure you are able to adjust the seat to the correct angle once mounted in the car. Some seats have moving indicators others just have a small line that indicates it should be level. If the seat you chose does not adjust right, you can take it back out and use some cut-to-size funoodle pieces (yes the foamy looking swimming pool floats) and level the seat. If this still does not work, you might want to return the seat for a model that allows for more adjustment.
10. Finally, shop for a car seat which confirms to the safety norms and is safe for your baby. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
I know this short list does not touch half the important factors on how to chose the right car seat for your child, but as long as it raised a few questions that you are now following up on the post served its purpose.
For more information on car seats including recalls and how to buckle your child in correctly visit the KeepKidsHealthy.com site.