It is imperative to buy a car seat, not only for your child’s safety on road trips but because it is a requirement of the law. Buying a comfortable baby car seat at Mother’s Choice can liberate you from constant worries about the safety of your child. You can also buy or borrow a second-hand baby seat if you are not a regular traveler. These pre-loved car seats can save you a significant amount of money but must be in good condition and have not been involved in any collisions.
Second-hand or brand new: choosing the right baby car seat is crucial. You have to make sure that it is comfortable and perfectly fits in your car. Here are some tips that can help you pick the right seat.
● Get the seat size right
Car seats are important for your child’s safe travel and are also mandatory in many countries. These seats are available in varying sizes and standards that can make the right choice perplexing sometimes. Most of the manufacturers conform to American or European standards for safety and classify the products differently.
You can find standards categorizing seats as Group 0 or Group 0+ while others refer to them as stage one or two. Stores selling baby seats have made things much easier for you.
They provide you a simpler way to differentiate seats based on the age and weight of the child. For instance, babies who weigh 10 kgs or below are generally infants aging between 0 to 9 months. For them, you would buy seats from Group 0 and stage 1 category.
● Consider infant carriers
Infant carriers are Group 0 and Group 0+ baby seats. These rear-facing seats are most suitable for babies below 13kg weight. Experts suggest that rear-facing seats are safer compared to front-facing ones. These seats provide adequate support to the baby’s neck and head, and should be used as long as your baby’s head does not stick above the headrest. You can choose models with a head hugger, which is a small pillow that supports your child’s head. It makes sure that the child’s head does not wobble during the trip. Infant carriers also come with a handle that makes them easy to carry as you step out of the car without disturbing the baby’s sleep.
While these carriers are ideal for infants, you need to switch to the next seat category as soon as your child grows heavier than 13kgs. If you continue to use a carrier, it might make the child uncomfortable. Keeping your kids in such an awkward position can strain their spines.
● Think about a convertible seat option
Convertible or combination seats can be used in both front-facing and rear-facing settings. You can use them backward-facing until your child is below 13 kgs and can switch the direction to convert them into Group 1 seats. While you can use a convertible baby car seat that is longer, it has some limitations as well. These seats are heavier than the infant carriers and cannot be used to carry the child around. Also, you have to make sure that the seat fits in perfectly in both directions before making the purchase.