Baby Car Seats: Safety for Your Baby

From the first ride home from the hospital, your baby should be in a car seat. A lot of hospitals are promoting the use of car seats. Along with sponsors, who provide the infant car seats, one is provided to new mothers when they leave the hospital.

Studies have shown that riding in a car seat can save lives. Since there are so many to choose from, the choice is a hard one. One thing agreed upon is that children under a certain age and weight should be in a rear facing car seat. This is recommended for children who are under one year old, depending upon their size.

There are many brands and types of car seats available and each one will tell you they have the safest and best one. The fact of the matter is as long as they are made by a trusted manufacturer, any of these infant car seats should be safe.

The ones made for newborns and babies up to about 25 pounds are very portable. Most have handles to carry them by and may be part of a stroller. Some of the types used have a base that the car seat sits in. These are handy for removing the car seat itself and taking it along as a carrier.

There are baby car seats that can be changed as your child grows. They may start out as an infant car seat but when the time comes it can be changed to a forward facing seat for children over 25 pounds.

The infant car seat should always be put in the back seat of the vehicle. It should never be put in a front seat and especially not one that has an air bag. If there is a collision and the air bag is released the baby could suffer life threatening injuries if they are in the front seat. If at all possible the best place for a car seat to be is behind the driver.

If you read the manufacturer’s directions for the seat you have chosen, an explanation will be forthcoming that will ensure the safety of your child. Since most manufacturers test their seats, the best way to use them and where to place them is part of the instructions for using the baby car seat that you purchase.

Many states have about the same laws regarding proper use of car seats. If you are in doubt it would be best to check with your state regarding their laws. Many states have a hefty fine for disregarding the law when it comes to having children in the proper car seats.

The fine you may get is not what you should worry about. Having your baby in the right size and kind of car seat to keep them safe is the number one reason to purchase a car seat. With the increased traffic, accidents are increasing daily. If a baby is not properly restrained in an approved seat you run the risk of having your child seriously injured or even killed.

Baby Car Seat Related Articles

Baby Car Seat Rating: How Does Your Car Seat Stack Up
Baby car seats will have different ratings depending upon the popularity of usage. The best rated car seat is considered the most popular. According to consumer reports which rates car seats the best one overall is the...

Big Baby Car Seat: You Need a Larger Car Seat
If your baby is outgrowing his car seat, and you are at your wit’s end trying to figure out how to find a seat that is still safe and big enough, look at convertible seats. Since the experts recommend that your baby should be in...

Graco Baby Car Seat: A Baby Car Seat By Graco
The Graco name has long been a name associated with babies. From the early years, specifically around 1953, when Russell Gray and Robert Cone parted company, the beginning of Graco as we know it today was started...