Archive for June, 2009


How To Choose The Proper Car Seat For Your Baby


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Car Seats

When you have a baby you need to make sure that your baby is safe wherever you are, and the car is no exception. You need to make sure you have the proper car seat for your child, and that it is installed properly. This is very important to ensure your child’s safety in case of an accident.

When you leave the hospital they will make sure you have a car seat for your child, and may even check to make sure it is properly installed in the car. Some hospitals are even giving car seats to parents to ensure the child’s safety. If you decide to get your own car seat instead of the one provided you have a variety to choose from. foo

Infant Car Seat

The newest style of infant seat has a base that is buckled in the car and stays there. The carrier itself snaps in and out of the base in the car. This makes it easy to get the child in and out of the car without having to mess with a seatbelt every time. With this type of car seat you can leave the baby in the carrier and take the whole carrier into the store or house with you. This is especially helpful with newborns. As the child gets older you may choose to take the child out of the carrier and leave the carrier in the car.

Convertible Car Seat

Next you will need a convertible car seat. This car seat is used once the baby is one year old and meets the height and weight requirements. Convertible car seats may be placed in a forward or backward facing position. The seat will need to be facing backward if your child outgrows his infant seat, but is not yet old enough to sit facing forward.

When choosing a convertible car seat you have many options. First you can choose if it has the five point harness, or if it has and over the head latch. You can also choose the color and it may even come with a cup holder. No matter which type of convertible car seat you choose, it can be used until your child weighs 40 pounds.

Booster Seat
After a convertible car seat you will need a booster seat. The booster seat can be used until your child weighs 80 pounds. There are different types of booster seats. The first type is a small base that the child sits in, which allows them to use a regular seatbelt. The other kind may be a convertible seat that is also a booster seat. When the child outgrows the convertible seat, you take the straps off and use the regular seat belt instead. The child is still seated in the actual car seat, just with different straps.

Just remember that no matter what type of car seat you use it is for your child’s safety. The child always needs to be seated in the back seat until they are 12 due to the air bags. Make sure you take the time to buckle the seat and your child in properly to insure they are safe.

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Choose the Right Infant Car Seat Covers

The whole reason for using a high quality car seat is to protect your infant, so it makes sense to increase the protection even more with infant car seat covers. A well made car seat will last for a longtime, but babies are very messy so the cover will have a hard life. It is sure to wear out before the rest of the seat, so replacement infant car seat covers can make the seat look like new at a fraction of the cost of replacing it.

There are quite a few different styles of car seats, so you will have to be sure to find covers that are designed specifically to go on the seat that you have. The easiest way is to buy it from the same manufacturer that you got the seat from. You may even want to go ahead and buy the cover when you first get the seat and put it away for later use. If you have a messy baby, it may not be long before you are getting it right back out.

There are many good reasons for getting infant or toddler seat covers. The first is if you want to replace a worn or dirty car seat cover. If you have used the seat for more than one child, or purchased it used, chances are that it is stained and dirty. You can take it off and clean it, but often it is nice to start fresh. Another reason would be to have more than one cover. This way when it is time to wash one, you have a spare cover to put on the seat in the meantime.

The most important reason for purchasing quality seat covers is that over time, not only does the original cover get dirty, but the padding also get compressed which compromises its ability to protect your baby. A new cover with padding intact will be much easier on your baby’s gentle skin and will prevent pressure on the thighs and back where the padding gets compressed over time on older cover.

The newest infant car seat covers come in a variety of attractive patterns so you can choose the color and style that you want. They are customized to work with the convertible car seats that also attach to strollers so you can color coordinate the whole set up. If you have a second child who is the opposite sex as your first, it is nice to be able to change the gender of the cover from masculine to feminine or vise versa, without having to buy a whole new seat. You want your baby’s world to be clean and safe and new infant car seat covers are a big part of making that happen. Your baby is going to spend a lot of time on that cover so you want to make sure that it is always clean and that it provides the superior protection that your little bundle of joy deserves.

Ten Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Using Infant Carseats

When traveling with young children, it is critical for you to fully understand all the requirements of child restraints. These laws may differ slightly from one state to another, but they all follow the same principles.

The three primary questions you should ask are:

1. At what age is a child restraint no longer necessary?
2. Is there still a weight restriction for child restraints?
3. How should I position my child restraint in the vehicle?

Correcting mistakes made when installing child safety seats could save a life. If you are at all unsure how to correctly install a child safety seat, do not make a guess at it. Most local fire stations have personnel with the expertise to install or inspect an installation, as well as providing free installation in many cases.

The ten most common pitfalls parents should be sure to avoid in the use of infant carseats include:

1. Never place rear facing infants in front seat with passenger-side air bags.
2. Infant (under one year and 20 pounds) should always face the rear of the vehicle.
3. Infant car seats need to be anchored in vehicle by a safety belt.
4. Child must be buckled in a child car seat.
5. Child seat harness straps in slot at or below infant’s shoulder (rear facing) and at or above toddler’s shoulder (forward facing).
6. Harness straps need to be snug - no more than one adult finger should fit under harness.
7. Harness retainer clip must be at armpit level to hold harness strap properly over shoulders.
8. Vehicle safety belt must hold child safety seat tightly and be threaded through correct belt path of child safety seat.
9. Check infant car seat for correct size/type for child’s weight and age.
10. Infant car seat covers should be used only on infant car seats whereas toddler car seat covers should be used only on toddler car seats, and so on.

(Exemptions include motor vehicles originally manufactured without seat belts (prior to 1972), recreational vehicles, public transportation, buses, school bus, transporting a child in an emergency to obtain medical care, or the interior design of vehicle makes use impractical for multiple child restraint devices.)

Now that you have a general idea on the pitfalls and requirements of installing infant car seats in your vehicle, you are better prepared to make informed decisions on how to install, inspect and use your child’s new car seat. Safe driving!

How to Save Money on Car Seats

Everyone is trying to save a few bucks here and there, so when it comes to buying the essential items for your baby you may be wondering how you can save some money on you car seat purchase. There are always ways to save, but many people don’t take the time to invest in a little research when the extra effort can really pay off. Walking into the typical big box store and buying the first one on the shelf that looks pretty isn’t the best way to get the best price. Here are a few tips on how you can save a significant amount of money on your purchase.

Search Google for the top car seat websites
Once you know what brand you want to purchase, visit their website. Whether you want to purchase a Peg Perego infant car seat, Britax car seat or the Graco snug ride infant car seat, locate their website and review their products. You may have to dig a little but many sites have either coupons or rebates available to download. Not every website will have these offers but it’s worth checking into. The top rated websites like dependable car seats.com will also give you vital information if a new model is coming out. If it is keep your eyes peeled for discounts on the model that’s about to be retired.

Join newsletters
Another great way to find deals and coupons is to join baby product newsletters. These newsletters can provide you insider information about the newest products, where to get them and how to save a penny or two. Some online newsletters offer coupon alerts giving you the advantage in saving money before the mainstream hears about it.

Shop around
Don’t be afraid to shop around. Although there’s typically an urgency in buying your baby’s car seat, take just a little extras time to compare the seat you want with other stores to see which is giving you the best price. Most places will have similar brands and models regardless if it’s a Peg Perego infant car seat, Recaro car seat or the Graco snug ride, you’re bound to find a great price. You can also check the company’s competition statement. Many times they will price match a competitor’s price just to have your business.

There’s always a way to save some money especially during tough economic times. You just need to do little homework and keep yourself focused and the rest will fall into place.

Choosing a Car Seat

Choosing a Car Seat is one of the biggest decisions a parent has to make. But when researching the many car seat reviews online, are the car seat safety aspects the reason of your final buying decision? Motor Vehicle Crashes are the #1 cause of death for children and adults, age groups 1 to 34. Selecting a safe seat for your type of car and properly using child restraints and seat belts may be the most important things you can do to protect your family.

Being a parent for the first time is an exiting time, but a busy one too. With so many new decisions to make it is easy to just go out and buy a seat that looks great or has the right price tag. But is it the right one for your particular car to make sure your newborn is a safe as possible?

With so many choices available like newborn, infant or toddler car seats it may help to have an understanding of some basic guidelines. Here are three important factors to consider when you are choosing a car seat that’s perfect for you and your baby.

Infant, Convertible and Toddler Car Seats
These are the three primary types and each of these have their own design and weight limits. Most manufacturers use Group 1,2 and 3 ratings for this. This to make sure that your baby’s car seat is appropriate for his or her size and age. Good and safe seats have a 5 point harness and it’s advisable to keep your child in this type of harness as long as possible.

The Safety Ratings
Be sure to visit the manufacturers website for detailed information on their safety reports, read expert crash test reviews from Consumer Reports and have a look at children car seat reviews sites. Some of the other useful information you may want to check out on these sites are product details like the size, ease of installing in your car, the weight, comfort levels, etcetera.

Fitting A Car Seat
According to the latest statistics it is found that many parents install the seats incorrectly. Always be sure to read the instructions from the manufacturer and if you are not sure then the manufacturer will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Also it is known that certain car seat belts are easier to lock then others. The so called 5 point harness seat belt has an easy one click locking mechanism, something you may want to consider as added benefit for the safety of your child.

So when you are choosing a car seat for your newborn or child, don’t just look at the design or the price tag, but take the all important safety considerations into account first. Even on the shortest journeys always make sure your baby’s seat is fitted correctly and the seatbelt is used in the right way, as you will never forgive yourself when anything happens to your toddler.