Choosing the Right Car Seat for Your Child

Keeping your child safe in vehicles requires the correct car seat. One of the most important things about car seat safety is following the directions to make sure your kid is strapped in safely. The other vital thing is following the size requirements for each car seat. To be safest, your child should be strapped in from the time they are a newborn to when they are 4'9" tall. At this time, usually between the ages of eight to ten, the adult seat belts will fit them.

The car seat should always be placed in the back seat. The first one should be rear-facing. A child should remain rear facing until they weigh at least twenty pounds and are one year old. Both convertible and infant seats can be placed rear facing in a car. Depending on which brand you get, infant-only ones can be used up to either 22 or 32 pounds. These are small in design and might be part of a stroller system. The base is usually separate and can be installed into the car. If you have more than one vehicle, you'll want multiple bases that this can snap into.

After the infant-only, your child will graduate into a convertible car seat. These are bulkier and larger than the infant ones, but they have a longer usage life. The reason that they are called convertibles is because they can convert from rear-facing to forward-facing, depending on your child's needs. They do not have separate bases, but instead need to be installed in the vehicle. There are a couple of different kinds of harnesses. There is the overhead shield, which pulls down over the baby, and the 5-point harness, which connects between the legs and at the hips and shoulders. Either can be safe, as long as the children fit comfortably.

The booster seat is for when a child is too old to fit in a car seat, but to small for an adult seat belt. School-age children use these. The easiest way to know that your child is ready for a booster is that they've met the maximum height and weight for their car seat. The booster can have a back or be a backless variety. Some models can transition from having a back to being backless. The booster makes sure that the lap and shoulder belts in the car cover the child correctly.

Once you know the right kind of car seat for your child, it's important that you buy a model that will fit your needs. There isn't one brand that is the best, and while the more expensive models have extra features and greater convenience, price doesn't determine the safety. Never use a car seat that has been involved in an accident and avoid a used one if you don't know its history. All parts as well as instructions need to be included. Also check for recalls before you buy, especially if you are getting one second-hand. Once you buy one, take the time to read the instructions and install it correctly.

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To get reviews of specific car seat models that will keep your kid safe, go to Evenflo Booster seats and Graco convertible car seat.

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