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Infant Car Seat of Booster Car Seat?

by: SallyThatcher
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When purchasing a baby car seat, some features are absolutely essential. Keeping your baby safe should be every parent's highest priority, and a good car seat will do just that. Unfortunately, searching for the right car seat can be overwhelming as there are hundreds of models, features and brands to sort through. If you don't know what to look for, the process can be time-consuming and draining. Concentrating on a few essential features will help you sort through your choices and find the car seat that's right for your family.

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.

While everyone knows the basic rule that a small child has to be restrained in a car seat, not everyone understands the other features and safety recommendations for child safety seats. In the most basic terms, there are four kinds of seat positions: front-facing, rear-facing, combination and booster seats.

Older children, and those around 60 pounds, are also candidates for child safety seats. A typical nine year old might weigh around 60 pounds, and would fit in a car seat made for larger children. Car seats made for younger children are usually geared for those weighing 20-25 pounds. The next size up fits children around 30-35 pounds.

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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) surveys all car seats for infants and children. They are rated on a number of categories from clear instructions to ease of use. The good news is, car seat manufacturers are listening to the government's suggestions, and are constantly improving designs. For current information, visit the NHTSA website.

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.

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About the Author

SallyThatcher is an talented writer and discusses baby car seats and best infant car seats on her websites. In her spare time she enjoys kicking back.  

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