We love 'em and we've got to take 'em with us. I'm talking about our kids of course. And when we have to take them with us in the car, we have to make sure they are safe.
Kids car seats are just a fact of life if your child is under 80 pounds and/or 58 inches.
For many of us that means we are going to have to go through three separate kid car seats before out child can safely buckle up without any assistance. What we hope to do here is give you an idea of what to get and when to get it to insure your kid has a safe ride.
Face it, babies need a lot of stuff. A short trip to the store can seem like you're packing for a week in the woods camping trip. Diapers, wipes, bottles, blanket, towel, changing mat, baby food and who knows what all else. Oh and don't forget the infant carrier.
Infant only seats are small rear facing seats that often times come with handles so they can be used to carry baby outside the car. Some infant seats come as a travel system and the seat itself is a part of a stroller. Infant seats can come with a base that is installed one time allowing the carrier to simply snap into the base and snap out. This is a huge time saver compared to having to actually install the seat each time you use it. Typically infant car seats are for children under 30 pounds. Read the manufacturer's label for details.
The next step up is sometimes a convertible seat. This seat can be used facing backward or forward. As a general rule, babies should ride in a rear facing mode until they are at least one and at least 20 pounds. Once your child hits that milestone, you can "convert" to a forward facing mode with the convertible car seat.
Almost all convertibles can come with a seat base and again this is a great way to insure that the seat is tightly installed each time it is used. Additional bases can be bought separately for additional vehicles.
When you kid starts to complain about riding in a kids car seat, and if he or she is at least four years old and their head has reached to top of their current seat, it's time for a booster seat.
Booster seats come with a back or backless. Smaller children will find the model with a back a better fit. The whole idea here is to elevate or boost the child so that they can safely use the seat belts that are installed in the car. Boosters do not have their own harnesses.
Hopefully you now have a better idea of what to expect from kids car seats and when to buy them.
Jessica Boyd writes about car safety and has a special interest in kids car seat but she also has opinions on Car Seats For Babies. Visit CarSeatsForBabies.org and you can find her take on the latest trends and ideas on Car Seats For Babies information.
