How Do You Find the Best Car Seat to Protect Your Child


Choosing a good car seat for your child's protection is a prime consideration for any new parent. To give your child the best chance of escaping injury in the event of a collision, you'll need to a car seat suited to your child's age and weight.

To choose a proper car seat, you'll need to understand that there are three main types of car seats for children. These are: infant car seats, infant / toddler (convertible) car seats, and booster seats.

Infant Car Seats

If you have a newborn baby, or your child is under a year old, he needs to ride in a rear-facing car seat. You'll need to decide on buy a rear-facing infant car seat, or you can buy an infant / toddler car seat (also called a convertible car seat). The difference between the two is that the infant car seat is designed for babies around 20 pounds and under, while the convertible car seat be used facing the rear until your child is a year old and at least 20 pounds, before turning it to face forward. If you purchase an infant car seat, rest assured that the new models have a five-point harness to keep your baby strapped in securely. The disadvantage, of course, is that you'll need to buy a convertible car seat later when your child grows older.

Infant / toddler (convertible)

Car Seats These car seats are larger than infant-only car seats and more expensive. However, they can be used for your child from the newborn stage (when he is less than a year old and under 20 pounds) right up to the toddler stage (when he is at least a year old and at least 20 pounds). It depends on your choice. Some parents choose to use convertible car seats as their primary car seat from day one. Others only switch to an infant/toddler convertible seat when their baby outgrows the infant car seat.

Booster Car Seats

Booster car seats are meant for children age 3 and older who weigh at least 40 pounds. What's the function of these seats? What they do is to boost your child into a position that makes it safe to use the car's existing seat belt system. Booster seats will cost of (they're pretty expensive) but they'll give your grown toddler a sense of 'adulthood' since most of the models are ergonomic, plush and cool.

About The Author

Gary Hendricks is the editor of www.baby-product-guide.com, a hobby website offering articles on parenting, baby care and baby products.

gary_hendricks@baby-product-guide.com







Related News



Your parenting happy place - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle

Your parenting happy place
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA -Oct 9, 2008
When the bad times come, one thing I do to keep from getting out-of-control upset is remember one of my parenting happy places. I have maybe five or six of ...

The Parenting Vote - New York Times

New York Times

The Parenting Vote
New York Times, United States -5 hours ago
By Lisa Belkin Ask people with children what most shapes their worldview, and being a parent would likely be high on the list. ...

Parenting books you can't live without - San Francisco Chronicle

Calgary Herald

Parenting books you can't live without
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA -Oct 8, 2008
In my bedroom there is a bookshelf where I've kept parenting-related books I've collected over the years, and I realized recently it's time to get rid of ...
A kinder way to discipline kidsCalgary Herald
all 4 news articles

Who claims the family policy agenda? - San Francisco Chronicle

Who claims the family policy agenda?
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA -20 hours ago
High rates of poverty, divorce, single parenthood and social isolation exaggerate the typical strains of parenting. As a result, the United States has one ...

New car technology to aid parenting skills - Great Dad

BBC News

New car technology to aid parenting skills
Great Dad, California -Oct 8, 2008
There’s also a low-fuel warning which kicks in at 75 miles to empty - in case your children ignore your wise parenting advice and spend more time reveling ...
Parenting and technology — is it protection or control?Minot Daily News
MyKey Turns Your Ford Focus into Your MomPC World
Parents to control how fast children driveTelegraph.co.uk
TechRadar.com - New York Times
all 905 news articles


Parenting video series begins this Sunday - Charles City Press

Parenting video series begins this Sunday
Charles City Press,  United States -7 hours ago
A great parenting resource is being offered to interested families in Charles City. The first five segments of the video series, “Shepherding a Child’s ...

Give mom some parenting books - BlueRidgeNow.com

Give mom some parenting books
BlueRidgeNow.com, NC -5 hours ago
If you are friends with Mom and see Lindsay only in her company, we recommend you find some parenting books and give them to Mom as a Christmas gift, ...
Quentin must want to stopBlueRidgeNow.com
all 2 news articles

Q&A: 49ers cornerback Nate Clements - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle

Q&A: 49ers cornerback Nate Clements
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA -11 hours ago
So what does this have to do with parenting? In a random sideline interview a few games ago, Clements started gushing about his two children, ...

DHS to drop ban on foster parenting by unwed couples - Arkansas News

Proud Parenting

DHS to drop ban on foster parenting by unwed couples
Arkansas News, AR -11 hours ago
"Everyone we've talked to in the foster care system, whether it's the workers at DCFS (the Division of Children and Family Services), whether it's parents, ...
It's about the kidsArkansas Times
Arkansas to allow foster parenting for unmarried, same-sex couplesNewsOK.com
Everybody loved MikeArkansas Times
all 189 news articles

A Parenting Odyssey: Shouldering Grief, Welcoming Joy - RedOrbit

A Parenting Odyssey: Shouldering Grief, Welcoming Joy
RedOrbit, TX -16 hours ago
Before we could grow accustomed to being the parents of a daughter, we learned that we would lose her. Imagine the highest and lowest moment of your life ...