convertible car seats « Your Baby Guide . com

January 1, 2010

Baby Car Seats – 3 point check on How to Buy Safe Child Car Seats for your Baby

The most important thing to keep in mind when preparing to buy your first safe child car seats for your baby is that you will need to buy a number of car seats relative to the growth of your child.

1. The first step in ensuring your child’s safety on the road is the choice of a car seat that works for your baby’s age and weight.Your baby’s height, weight and age should be considered when choosing the type of car seat for use.

For babies under 20 pounds in weight, a rear-facing baby car seat should be used.

Convertible car seats are used facing the rear until your baby is at least 1 year of age and weighs at least 20 pounds. Convertible car seats are also used forward facing upto the weight limit listed in the car seat manual.

Height-wise, for rear facing car seats, the baby’s head should be an inch or more below the top of the car seat. For forward-facing seats, the top of the car seat should be above your baby’s ears.

Once your toddler is at least four years old and weighs at least 40 lbs, booster car seats will help the vehicle seat belt fit better.

2. The second step to keep your child safe on the road is to make sure that the car seat fits your vehicle. It is paramount to find a car seat that can be installed firmly with the proper angle and less than an inch of side-to-side wiggle.

Check the car seat manual to be sure you can install and use the car seat as it is intended.

3. The third step in ensuring your child’s safety on the road is to ensure that the car seat you buy has gone through severe crash tests.

All toddler car seats sold in the U.S. must pass severe federal crash tests. Some car seats may have extra features like built-in locking clips or non-twisting straps which make them easier to install correctly.

The best way to keep baby safe in the car is to use a car seat with the most crash protection for as long as it fits your baby. The weight limits are much higher on many rear-facing and forward facing car seats.

Always look for higher forward-facing weight limits on 5-point harness seats, and keep your toddler in a booster seat as long as possible after he or she outgrows a regular car seat.

Finally, before you purchase any car seat, you should check whether the car seat has been recalled by the manufacturer for any reason.Always follow these instructions to make sure that you purchase the safest child car seat for your baby.

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November 16, 2009

Perplexed About Child Strollers And Car Seats? Read These Tips

Filed under: General — Tags: baby strollers, baby strollers and car seats, booster seats, car seats, convertible car seats, forwar facing car seats — Jennifer @ 2:02 pm

Buying baby strollers and car seats for our children is not as easy as it was for our parents. When they were buying these items there wasn’t a large selection as only a few companies manufactured them and they pretty much all resembled each other. With the huge selection that people have today, it can not only be overwhelming but entirely confusing to find the right one. This article will give you some tips for choosing the baby strollers and car seats that are the best for you and your child.

One of the first things that you need to consider is safety. This applies to baby strollers and car seats. There is no doubt that you agree, the safety of your child comes first above everything else. Make sure that the ones you are looking at have been thoroughly and properly tested before even thinking about buying. Every stroller should have an automatic lock that clicks into place when you unfold it so that when you put your child into it it doesn’t fold back up on them. The car seats should be governmental-backed, which means that it should be approved by the government to meet safety and law requirements.

Baby Strollers

You should consider these few things when it comes to strollers. Check the stroller to find out how easy it is fold and unfold. Some of the models on the market allow single handed operation, which is a real plus when you have a child in the other hand and do not wish to put him/her down. The next item is the brakes, make sure that they operate easily. Many of the models on the market have brakes that engage on th back whell with a simple touch of your foot. The nest thing that you should consider is the handle Lots of strollers made thse days have little tray that you can put your items in, like shopping bags, your cell phone, cup holders and a place to hold your purse. Lastly, you need to take into consideration what the stroller is constructed of. Is it going to be strong and durable, or does it seem too flimsy? Strollers that are made from stronger materials like steel and aluminum will fare much better than flimsier materials like plastic.

Car Seats

When it comes to car seats other than the safety of the child the main thing that you need to focus on is what is going to work for you and the child. Manufacturers develop car seats for all of the developmental stages of your childs growth. Seats that are “rear facing”, are made for children that are 20 poounds or less and less than a year old. Forward-facing car seats are for ages one year to four and 20 to 40 pounds. A booster seat is designed for older children in the age group of between 4 and 8 and under 4″9″” tall. After that, your child can sit in the seat with the normal buckle. A car seat that is meant for all of the developmental stages (besides the booster seat) is the convertible car seat.

The baby stroller and car seat that you finally choose should provide your child with comfort and safety while at the same time provide you with simplicity of functionality. You should not have to struggle with baby strollers and car seats.

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