Things To Find Out Before Acquiring A Safe Child Car Seat

A woman who happened to be a pediatrician was questioned what aspects went into her decision to buy a car seat. Her reply: 1st aspect - safety; 2nd aspect - safety; 3rd aspect - safety. While safe car seats is the main concern for all parents, there are other factors to take into account like the kid's age and weight. This will decide the best baby car seat to take into account.

Types of Car Seats

* Rear Facing Car Seat - These seats face towards the rear of the automobile. They are essential for toddlers one year old or less and weigh 20 pounds or less. The baby is properly secured with a built in harness and on an incline to provide maximum protection from an accident without interfering with inhalation. These seats rank high for safe car seats.

* Convertible Car Seats - These seats are foldable in that they can either face to the rear or to the front. The good thing about these kinds of seats is that they could be utilized as the infant gets older than one year eliminating the requirement to buy a new seat. When facing towards the front, they could fit small children as much as 40 pounds.

* Child Booster Seats - These seats have a built in harness and secure the little one only in the front facing position. When the little one reaches 40 pounds, the harness could be taken off as well as the seat can be utilized with the car's safety belts. You must utilize a booster until the young one reaches 80 pounds and is at least 57 inches tall - the minimum height for utilizing the car safety belts properly without a booster.

* Belt Positioning Booster Seats - These seats do not have an integrated harness and are designed to be utilized only with the car safety belts. The use of these car seats is to lift the kid so that the car safety belts are positioned correctly across the child's shoulders as well as the lap belt fits across the thighs.

When Can My Kid Make use of Seat Belts?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), kids can begin to make use of seat belts at age 8 and older or taller than 4'9". All kids aged 12 and under must always ride in the back seat.

The Academy of Pediatrics proposes using seat belts when the kid has outgrown the booster seat and ride in the rear seat until age 13.

In all cases, ensure the shoulder belt lies across the shoulder and not the throat. The lap belt must be low across the hips and not the tummy.

As you can see, selecting a safe car seat entails several factors mostly related to age and weight. Following the rules above, you should be able to confidently go shopping for the proper seat for your child.

One last reminder - after you buy a Car seat, make sure to submit the registration card so that you will be notified in case there is a re-call.