How to Buy an Infant Car Seat
An infant car seat is probably the most expensive and definitely the most important thing you will buy for your baby. Not only protect your baby in the car, you will find that you use it for naps and carrying your baby around out in public. There are so many to choose from and it’s important to study the various models and features beyond the color and pattern.
Check the ratings:
Check out Consumer Report’s ratings and even online reviews from other parents. User reviews are often the most enlightening.
Stay-in-Car Bases:
Most infant car seats have a base system that can be left in the car, which makes getting the seat in and out easier.. If you have more than one car, or a grandparent that baby sits, etc. find out how many bases come with the car seat and how expensive extra bases are if you’ll need them. Some infant seats can be installed without a base. Make sure you can easily get the seat in and out of the base easily as you‘ll often have your hands full.
Five-Point Harness:
Look for an infant car seat with a five-point harness, with straps that go over baby’s shoulders and hips. This will protect baby better, especially in side impact accidents.
Weight and Height Limits:
Check the weight limit on any infant car seat you’re considering. Many infant car seats will accommodate a baby up to 20 pounds, but some infant car seats have a slightly higher weight limit. By the time your baby reached the weight limit, you may be ready to have him or her in a convertible car seat. Pay attention to the height limit and watch your baby carefully in the infant car seat, as it is outgrown by height when the top of baby’s head is within an inch of the top of the shell. Legs hanging over the bottom is not a safety issue, so don’t worry about that.
Check the Harness Adjustment:
Check out how the harness is adjusted on infant car seats. It will need to be tightened and loosened regularly, based on what your baby is wearing and also on frequent growth spurts. Some infant car seats are designed in a way that puts the harness adjustment in an awkward spot once the seat is installed in a vehicle. Try the car seats out in your vehicle and make sure you can reach the harness adjustment easily, and that it works smoothly.
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