Why You Must Have a Baby Car Seat

by: SallyThatcher
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While it is enough just to have any kind of the baby car seat, there are specific features, which every car seat must have. After all, the important thing in lots of people's lives is baby. So why not keep them as safe as possible? While shopping for the baby car seat, you must find the hundreds of thousands of model as well as brands to select from. It can be complex and approximately discouraging the shopping for one with no knowledge what to look for. Fortunately, there are a few specific features that will help you create the right decision.

One of the most important things to consider is the harness or attachment of the child safety seat. You can have a 3-point harness or a 5-point harness. As you can guess, the 5-point harness has extra attachments that serve to keep the child safe in the seat in case of an accident. The 3-point harness is sufficient, but if you want added peace of mind, the 5-point harness may be worth it.

We all know that small children are required to be in a car seat, but all the different guidelines for weight and seat orientation can be confusing. Car safety seats on the market today have a dizzying array of features, but the basic types of seats are categorized into four main positions: rear-facing, combination, front-facing and booster seats.

There are also seats for older children of around 60 pounds. A small child will be that weight around 9 years of age. Some models of car seats for younger children are for children of 20-25 pounds, while others can accommodate riders up to 10 pounds heavier.

Of the four types of child safety seats, the rear-facing seat is considered the safest. When deciding on a car seat, you might want to consider how much your child is going to grow - and perhaps purchase a larger car seat so they won't outgrow it as quickly. A booster seat, one kind of child safety seat, is for older kids, or those that weigh around 40-50 pounds. Whether you have a small seat, large seat, rear-facing or booster, it's extremely important that the car seat is installed carefully and thoroughly.

What should you look for? First, be sure the shoulder belt is not fitting over the child's neck. Instead, it should hit across the shoulders and chest. The lap belt goes around the hips. For cars with low seats or headrests, it's important to purchase a high-back model of child safety seat. You can also find car seats with additional padding and adjustable head supports.

All car seats for babies and small children are examined and tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Car seats are tested on a number of features, including the ease and readability of the instructions. The government's suggestions from these tests are carefully considered by car seat manufacturers, and they work hard to update and enhance the design of their products. More information can be found on NHTSA's web site.

Some car seats get top marks - all A's, that is - from the NHTSA. These models are easy to find, especially if you use the Internet (check out eBay and Froogle, especially) to do your research. Whichever model you select, online or at the store, be sure to check the safety rating from NHTSA.

About the Author

SallyThatcher enjoys the outdoors and her family and contributes articles on baby car seats and best infant car seats Visit her websites today.  

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