Free Car Seats

Contact your local health department. They offer car seat safety classes for free and offer drastically discounted car seats for attending the class. Often times you can purchase a high quality car seat for $25 or less.

Be careful where you find your car seat. Used car seats are not recommended because you have no way of knowing if they have been in a car accident before and had their safety features compromised.

Baby Car Seats

Safety first! When purchasing a baby car seat keep in mind these key safety concerns:

• Check the size of your infant or child, as car seats are designed for children according to weight, height and age.
• Test your baby in the car seat itself, if possible. Be sure it supports the neck and body, is comfortable, easy to use, and has a five-point harness strap.
• Try the seat in your car, as some baby car seats actually do not fit in certain car models. Check to be sure the car's seat belt will adequately restraint the car seat with little side to side and back and forth movement.
• When purchasing an infant car seat, it is installed rear facing, in the middle of the back seat. Fit the infant car seat into your vehicle before your new baby arrives to ensure a secure mount in this position. This will keep your infant as safe as possible when traveling.
• Lastly, review the various features of the different baby and infant car seats to be sure they meet your individual needs.

Baby Car Seats

Have fun bouncing a baby on your knee, but not around your vehicle! Most law enforcement agencies offer safety tips for parents desiring to keep their babies secure while car traveling. Many agencies, including fire departments, child services and even car dealerships, offer free car seat safety clinics. Car seat safety experts guide you through the twenty key safety points for baby car seat installation at no cost. Simply call the agency closest to you and set up a car seat inspection appointment.

A few things to keep in mind with regards to baby car seat safety include:

• Use the harness setting that is closest to your infant's body, but not underneath it.
• Make sure that the car seat harness fits tightly over the shoulders and between the legs of your baby, with no more than two fingers of space between the straps and the baby's body.
• If there is extra space around the infant's body in the baby car seat, use a rolled-up blanket for support, tucking behind the head and shoulders.
• Be sure that the car seat you're purchasing is appropriate for your baby's height, weight and age.
• Keep the straps in the slots at or below baby's shoulders for the rear-facing position.
• Position your baby to ride in a semi-reclined position at 45 degrees from horizontal. Utilize a tube or rolled towel underneath the seat to adjust the car seat to the correct reclining angle.

Baby Car Seats

As the baby car seat marketplace expands, larger varieties of infant car seats become available. Most infant car seats are designed as carriers and can only be used rear facing. Depending on the car seat you are currently using, at some point in your child's growth, you will need to switch to a larger baby sized car seat.

The existing laws require a baby to be rear facing until twenty pounds and one year of age. Unless you have purchased a convertible car seat, as soon as your baby weighs about 20 pounds and is close to one year, it is time to invest in another baby car seat to accommodate your growing child. To save money, look into a versatile seat that can change with your baby; there are infant car seats that can be converted from a rear-facing infant seat to a front-facing baby car seat. These car seats are more expensive at first, but they prove to be economical in the long run as you can avoid purchasing additional car seats before your baby eventually graduates into a child car seat.

No matter what type of car seat you purchase, be sure to check all the weight and height restrictions. For example, some baby car seats can only be used rear facing until a child is twenty pounds. Therefore, if you have a big baby who is twenty pounds at six months, you will need a different type of car seat so the baby can remain rear facing until one year of age.

Baby Car Seat Covers

A baby car seat cover is a warm piece of washable fabric, usually fleece or flannel, formed to fit snuggly over the outside of the car seat when the baby is inside. Essentially, baby car seat covers fit snuggly over the portion of the baby's car seat that is normally exposed to the wind and cold when you are out and about. While some car seat manufactures produce baby car seat covers specifically to fit their seats, there are many others available designed to fit any brand of baby car seat. When buying, it is always best to measure your car seat to check the fit of the cover before making the purchase.

Baby car seat covers provide a warm layer without the bulk of a jacket. Car seat safety experts recommend using a cover verses a jacket while riding in the car, as a bulky jacket prevents secure tightening of the baby's car seat belts, thus risking the safety of the baby. Covers are also particularly useful for baby car seats that translate into carriers providing a papoose-like cocoon for the baby to ride in.

Car Seats

Your car seat needs will change as your baby grows! Once a child reaches approximately 40 pounds, parents trade in baby car seats for booster seats. Booster seats are designed to accommodate a child between 40 and 80 pounds and less than 4 foot, 9 inches tall.

Using a booster seat reduces the risk of injury that occurs when a adult sized lap or a lap/shoulder belt is the small child's only restraint. Generally speaking, seatbelts in vehicles are designed to fit adults, not children, so booster seats provide extra safety for a child. Booster seats actually heighten the child's smaller body, so an adult seat belt will fit securely. There are essentially three types of booster seats:

• The backless type that simply rest on the vehicle's seat, using the lap/shoulder belt to support a child's body. The booster seat with a full back and seat combination that guides the shoulder belt across the child's chest, along with the seat to boost their body up.
• The high-backed booster with a five-point harness, similar in style to a large car seat, that utilizes the lap portion of the seatbelt to keep the seat securely in the car.

*Do the intensive research necessary by reading reviews on different types and brands before buying, as new safety information evolves daily.

Car Seat Safety

The idea of preserving an old item is worthy in itself, but ultimately the safety of your infant in a car seat is the most important. Within the United States, the leading cause of death of children is accidents -with automobile accidents heading the list. Automobile accidents are also one of the most preventable causes of death in children. For this reason, it is imperative to consider that car seats over five years old be replaced because the plastic actually begins to break down reducing the safety of the baby car seat. Older car seats often have parts that are deteriorating due to wear and tear. When in doubt, check for an expiration date on the back and place a quick call to the car seat manufacture. Newer models tend to be equipped with improved safety features. Investing in a new car seat to ensure the safety of your child is well worth the money spent.

Baby Car Seat Registration

Easily keep in touch with all changes, restrictions and safety concerns regarding your baby car seat through a simple procedure! When you send in the registration card for your baby car seat it allows the manufacturer to notify you of any safety issues or recall information. It also permits the manufacturer to inform you of any updates or upcoming product developments pertaining to all baby products purchased.

Routinely take the time to check the Consumer Product Safety Council's website for any recall information released on your car seat or other baby products you own. When purchasing or employing a used car seat, confirm that it conforms to current safety standards. Check the back of the car seat and look for a date. This date is actually an expiration date based on a manufacture's recommendation. If the date is missing or you simply want more information, give the company a call and their representatives will guide you through a systematic safety check. Oftentimes newer and safer car seats are released correcting any problems that were experienced in the past. Used car seats may not afford your baby the best protection when traveling, so be sure to research the product and check for any safety recalls.

Baby Car Seats

Make it a smart and safe purchase when buying a new car seat for your little miracle. Here are some very simple guidelines for acquiring baby car seats:

1. This may sound silly, but there are many baby carriers on the market that can be confused with baby car seats—be sure you're buying a car seat a not a baby carrier instead.
2. When purchasing a baby car seat, look for the easy-release latches and buckles saving a lot of stress and aggravation when you have your hands full. Also, double check the durability of the car seat and latches, as the ultimate safety relies on these buckles to stay intact.
3. Look for an easy way to adjust the straps of the car seat. As the seasons will change and not only will your baby grow bigger, the baby's clothes will also adjust to the weather.