Things You Need To Find Out To Choose A Safe Child Car Seat
A woman who happened to be a pediatrician was enquired what factors went into her decision to purchase a car seat. Her answer: 1st aspect - protection; 2nd aspect - safety; 3rd aspect - protection. While safety is the top concern for all parents, there are other factors to take into account such as the kid's age and weight. This will determine the best baby car seat to consider.
Types of Car Seats
* Rear Facing Car Seat - These seats face towards the rear of the automobile. They are essential for infants one year old or less and weigh 20 pounds or less. The baby is properly secured with a built in harness and on an incline that provides maximum protection from a crash without interfering with breathing.
* Convertible Car Seats - These seats are foldable in that they can either face to the rear or to the front. The advantage of these kinds of seats is that they could be utilized as the baby gets older than one year eliminating the requirement to purchase a new seat. When facing towards the front, they could fit small children up to 40 pounds.
* Child Booster Seats - These seats have a built in harness and secure the little one only in the front facing position. When the child reaches 40 pounds, the harness can be taken off as well as the seat can be used with the car's safety belts. You ought to use a booster until the child reaches 80 pounds and is at least 57 inches tall - the minimum height for using the car safety belts properly without a booster.
* Belt Positioning Booster Seats - These seats do not have an integrated harness and are designed to be utilized only with the car safety belts. The purpose of these car seats is to lift the child so that the car safety belts are positioned correctly across the child's shoulders as well as the lap belt fits across the thighs.
When Can My Kid Make use of Seat Belts?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), children can begin to make use of seat belts at age 8 and older or taller than 4'9". All children aged 12 and under should always ride in the back seat.
The Academy of Pediatrics proposes switching to seat belts when the child has outgrown the booster seat and ride in the back seat until age 13.
In all cases, make sure the shoulder belt lies across the shoulder and not the throat. The lap belt must be low across the hips and not the belly.
As you can see, selecting a safe car seat entails many factors mostly related to age and weight. Following the guidelines above, you should be able to confidently buy the correct seat for your child.
A final reminder - after you purchase a Car seat, be sure to send in the registration card so that you will be notified in case there is a re-call.
