Smart Tips For Buying a Baby Car Seat

When purchasing a car seat for an baby who weighs in at less than 20 pounds and is under a year old, you’ll decide between two fundamental styles: baby car seats and convertible car seats.

Convertible car seats (convertible because they can face forward or backward) can be used by both newborns and older children who weigh as much as 70 pounds. Solutions known as 3-in-1 convertible car seats can adjust from rear-facing to forward-facing, and then into a booster seat for children up to 100 pounds.

Read Also : Top Six Most Popular Car Seat For Child in 2019

A car seat is always set up in the rear seat. For babies and toddlers below 2, deploy the car seat facing backward. Professionals say it’s most secure to keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible, at the very least until your baby is 2 years old or when it gets to the maximum rear-facing height and weight limitations for your car seat. ( Many modern convertible seats can accomadate kids up to 40 pounds in a rear-facing position. )

If you choose to buy an infant car seat, you will require a convertible seat when your child reaches the height or weight limit of the infant car seat. ( The weight limit can be anywhere from 22 to 35 pounds. )

What to look for when buying a convertible car seat:

Easy installation: If it looks like a lot of trouble to install the seat in your car, keep searching. If the seat isn’t installed correctly, your baby might not be correctly restrained – buckling him in is insufficient. Look for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five-star ease-of-use rating to help find a car seat that’s simple to use. The more stars it has, the simpler it’ll be for you to set up the seat in your car and protect your child.

Sufficient Restraints

If you are purchasing a convertible seat to utilize from day one, search for a car seat with a five-point safety harness. The straps – there should be one for each shoulder, one for each thigh, and one in between your baby’s legs – are less dangerous for an infant than the old plastic shields or T-bar restraints. (Note: For safety reasons, using any kind of used car seat isn’t recommended. )

Belt Modifications

Steer clear of car seats that need you to alter the buckle from the rear of the seat. The superior car seats enable you to make alterations from the front and have elevated belt slots for simplicity of use. Several models even adjust automatically.

Anchors and Tethers

The LATCH system, short for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, was created to make installation of a car seat simpler by affixing the seat straight to the vehicle instead of securing it with the seat belt. The majority of cars produced since 2002 have anchors at the top of the car’s backseat, as well as where the seat back meets the bottom cushion in the back seat of the car.

The majority of front-facing car seats made since 2002 come outfitted with a strap on the top of the safety seat and hooks or connectors beneath that hook into the car’s anchors. Front-facing infant and toddler seats are required to possess both the upper and lower attachments, but most child safety seats (except belt-positioning booster seats) are required to have the lower anchors.

Washability

Babies and messes go together like peanut butter and jelly. Some manufacturers disregard this common truth, and an astonishing number of car seats come with pad covers that you can’t remove. Be smart: Purchase one with a removable machine-washable cover.

Comfort

Your baby will enjoy a more comfortable ride if you acquire a well-padded seat with lots of head and back support. Just be sure he can move his arms freely and take in the view!

What it’s going to cost you

Convertible car seats typically cost between $60 and $380. Top-of-the-line models are expensive, but generally have greater weight limits, so you can use them longer. Here is the best baby Car Seats in 2019

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