Tips for Choosing Baby Car Seats

From the time you bring your baby home from the hospital, you'll need a baby car seat, it's not only the safest mode of transportation, car seats are required by law in most states. Choosing a safe baby car seat requires that you get a little education in what makes a safe baby car seat.

The good news is, safe baby car seats don't have to cost and arm and a leg. Look at the baby seats your family and friends have used for their own children and ask what they thought about the various brands. Look at your budget and figure out the price range you want to spend on an infant car seat.

Next stop will be to check out stores and the Internet is a very handy tool for that. You can search specific brands or car seat models and even sort by price to find the best car seat deal possible.

Consider an infant car seat that will grow with your baby. Infants will be seated facing the rear of the vehicle as baby grows and is able to sit up, make sure your baby car seat is able to be turned around and attached in place without sacrificing baby safety. Some car seats are infant only, others will carry your child safely through her toddler years.

Another type of car seat that is growing in popularity is the convertible car seat. These car seats are usually at the higher end of the expense scale, however they not only are safe baby car seats, they also convert into a stroller which is ideal if you are a family that enjoys frequent travel, especially by air.

Sadly, the number one reason for baby car seat injuries and fatalities is due to parents installing the car seat incorrectly. Make sure the car seat you want to use is compatible with your vehicle. Take the time to go through the manual and make sure the latch hook system is correctly in place. If you have any doubts, there are two easy sources to help you. One is the customer service for the child car seat company you purchased your baby car seat from and the other is your local police department. Call their non-emergency number and most city police departments will either inspect or refer you to someone locally that can ascertain if your baby car seat is installed in your vehicle correctly.

Don't use a "used" car seat. You can save a lot of money buying baby car seats at online auctions, however you don't know the daily history of the baby car seat, if it was involved in any kind of impact or the care it received. Baby car seats are good for one impact only and a fall off of a high surface, such as a top shelf in a garage shelf unit where a baby seat that was no longer needed was stored, could be enough to compromise the ability of the car seat to properly protect your baby.

Last but not least, make sure the car seat you want isn't on the government recall list. Normally you can find this information quickly by searching online using the exact brand name and adding "recall" the search. If a baby car seat brand has been recalled for any issues, move on to a better, safer baby car seat.