Maternity and Baby

Posts Tagged ‘babies’

Keeping your child safe is obviously the most important thing, and this includes having the right baby car seats installed in your vehicle. The only problem is; most parents don’t have any extensive knowledge in this area except to find the cheapest price. Well, the most inexpensive price from a quality product. After all, your first goal should be figuring out whether or not the baby seat for cars is going to protect your child.

When you first start doing your research we recommend addressing the basic safety issues. You need a baby car seat that can connect the seat belt securely. The right choice will come with a LATCH system or Lower Anchor and Tether for Children. This is the system that fastens the car seat to your car. Without it your child won’t be as stable as you might think, even if the regular seat belt is being used.

You should also find a baby seat that offers the Versa Tether Energy Absorbing system. If by chance you have to stop suddenly, the VTEA system holds the seat in place. A great example is the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat. Basically it keeps the seat from moving unexpectedly up to 6 inches, which is also an integrated part of the LATCH system.

Sometimes the force of an accident can be enough to jolt your child, which is where EPS foam comes into play. It’s something also used in bicycle helmets, so if something unexpected does occur, the force of the crash will divert away from your child. While this was created to provide a forgiving barrier between your baby and any hard surface, the HUGS harness also prevents any type of movement. So if you get hit from behind or from the side, both of these will be extremely helpful.

Even though all of these safety features are important, it’s the safety harness that provides a secure fit for your child. During your research we recommend finding an option that offers a 5pt. system. It should offer a form fitting safety harness that allows an extremely small range of motion. Refer to Graco Nautilus to get an idea. It will also latch down to the seat, but will out of reach from wandering hands.

There are other things you need to also consider when it comes to baby car seats as well. You want a car seat that has plenty of cushioning so your child is comfortable, one that is easy to keep clean such as the Graco Nautilus Car Seat. The cushioning should be able to be removed and tossed in the washer when it gets dirty, and the body of the seat should be easy to wipe down. With how long a child is required to be in a safety seat, some of the best products are three in one seats. These change from a rear facing baby seat, to front facing, and grow as your child does. The full seat transforms into a booster seat, and will support and secure your child until they are completely able to fit a regular seat belt.

While your budget may not allow you to spend hundreds of dollars on a car seat, that doesn’t mean you should buy some cheap seat, or buy from a second hand store. Buying used seats, is not a good idea, because they have had a lot of use, and may not have the same structural integrity as a new seat. It is important to know that a good quality seat is going to range from one to two hundred dollars.