Car seats

I know, this is long overdue (hehe ... cute play on words for those who are waiting for their little ones).  You see, I wanted this post to be just right ... but if I keep waiting for "just right" you'll never get to read it!  So, here we go!

Car seats are one of the more valuable things that you will purchase for your baby.  You don't want to go cheap and regret it, but you don't have to go with the top of the line either.  Here's a little secret - ALL car seats that you find at the store have met safety standards.  Now some exceed them and others just meet them - but they all at least meet them.  You're not going to be putting your baby in danger by purchasing an affordable car seat!

A few things to note:

Infant seats - are for INFANTS - they are designed to be rear-facing ONLY, and will come with a seat and a base.  You buckle the base in your car and snap the seat in the base when you are going somewhere.  Nice to be able to put your little one in the seat in your warm (or cool, depending on the weather) house, and not have to mess with it in the cold (or heat).  Your seat will be the "right" temperature for that little snuggle bug you are loving!  While these seats will fit and "snap" onto most shopping carts - DO NOT put them there!  It is not safe and they can tip.  Most infant seats will not get you to age 2, which is the current recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics to wait for before forward-facing.

Convertible seats - these are a seat that can rear-face or forward-face.  Most of them can take infants up through toddlers/preschoolers.  They have a rear-facing height/weight limit, and it is recommended that you get a seat that can rear-face as long as possible.  Jenna just turned 2 and is still happily rear-facing in her Graco MyRide65.  She will be too tall before she is too heavy to stay rear-facing.  You can then take this seat and turn it around so that your child will face the front of the vehicle.

Forward Facing seats - these seats come by many names and various features.  These are seats that will ONLY face forward.  It is not recommended to turn your child to face the front until they are at least 2, or they have out grown their convertible seat's rear-facing height/weight.  You want to keep your child in a 5-point harness for as long as the seat will allow.  Kate is 4 and still very comfortable in the 5-point harness on her Graco Nautilus.  Don't let anyone tell you that a seat belt is just as safe (many people, including some doctors will say that you can switch to a seat belt when they turn three) - IT'S NOT!  Keep that child in a 5-point harness for as long as the seat allows!  When they've outgrown the 5-point on the seat, it's time to either purchase a high back booster or to convert your seat to a high back booster (most of the forward facing seats do this).

Straps
   If your child is REAR facing, the straps need to be in the slot that is AT OR BELOW the top of their shoulders.
  If your child is FORWARD facing, the straps need to be in the slot that is AT OR ABOVE the top of their shoulders.
  The chest clip should always be level with their armpits.
  You should not be able to pinch the strap away from their shoulder, if you can it's too loose!

Car seats have an expiration date stamped on them ... find and treat it as such.  Plastic can wear out and become brittle over time.  Yes, there is debate on if the amount of time that manufacturers recommend is the same as degradation .. I, personally, will not risk my child's safety on a guess.  I would hate to find out that the manufacturers really did know what they were talking about, at the expense of my child's safety.

Never, NEVER, NEVER buy a used car seat!!!  Now, I suppose there can be exceptions - like if you know the person that you're getting the seat from, but even then ... be cautious.  It only takes ONE accident to compromise the integrity of the seat.

Keep those babies buckled in tight (and safe)!!

More to come on carseats soon (told you this was a passion of mine)!!!