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While you’re busy matching your stroller to your diaper bag, don’t forget the most important safety item you’ll need when bringing home baby: A car seat. You’ll likely need two car seats for your child as they grow, but where do you begin? An infant or convertible, a booster or a combination, rear-facing or forward-facing? And what about the travel system? Relax, breathe, and let’s go through some basic tips!
1. All car seats meet current safety standards. In order for a car seat to be on the market, it goes through strict testing to ensure it meets or exceeds current safety standards. Standards change often, making infant car seats expire every three years or so.
2. All car seats come with a five-point harness, the LATCH system, and side impact safety features, but in the luxury category (over $200), these materials get an upgrade. Fabrics are softer, prints are trendy, and other amenities abound to justify the prices.
3. With a newborn, two types of car seats are available: An infant car seat and a convertible car seat. Infant car seats are fairly lightweight, which makes it easy to move it in and out of the car. This is helpful at 3am, after you’ve circled the neighborhood a few dozen times trying to get your baby to sleep. The canopy also protects baby from the sun.
4. Convertible car seats can be a great bang for your buck. These seats have an extended weight limit keeping babies rear-facing up to 45 lbs and forward-facing up to 65 lbs. But convertible car seats cannot be moved easily and typically do not include a canopy.
5. Your child is required to be in a rear-facing car seat for their first two years—while some experts recommend rear-facing until age 4. Always check the American Academy of Pediatrics for the most up-to-date guidelines.
6. Travel systems are another option that let parents click the infant car seat into the stroller frame without having to move baby from the seat. There are three forms of travel systems: A car seat that matches and clicks into your stroller, an adapter for your existing stroller, or an inexpensive click n’ go frame to push your infant car seat in.
7. Once your child outgrows a conventional car seat, you’re not done yet. Most states require that a child be in a booster seat until a certain age or weight. Booster seats allow older kids to sit up higher so the seat belt secures across the chest correctly.
Maria Colaco is the Baby Gear Expert at TTPM. Learn more at ttpm.com.
