Car Seats
for Infants and Toddlers
    I feel like choosing car seats for infants and
    toddlers is a personal decision parents should
    make for themselves.   To me, the brand and
    style of the seat should be the parent's
    decision, just like all the other safety and
    obedience issues concerning one's own child.

Many a well-meaning mother, mother-in-law, sister or other close friend
however decides to buy the new parents a car seat as a gift, knowing car seats
are generally a high ticket items, and believing the new parents would appreciate
the gesture.

Appreciate, yes.  Want someone else's choice thrust upon them when this
person may not know enough about it to choose wisely?  Um, no.

I was put in to this uncomfortable position before with my own mother.   She
lived very near by and visited daily.  We often went to the store together,
meaning she would see if I used the seat she bought for us or not....meaning
returning the seat would be tricky to say the least.

    Solution:   Thank the well meaning gift giver profusely, then return
    the seat to pick out the one you really want saying that when you
    took the gift-seat out of the box certain elements were missing
    and the store didn't have another one to replace it with so you
    had to upgrade to (your choice).

If you are a friend or family member wishing to buy a car seat for an expectant
mother, at least do your homework first.  Don't shop purely by price tag (either
cheap or expensive).  Consider how the seat will fit the baby; consider how the
seat will fit in to the parent's car.   Some seats are simply huge, taking up so
much space a 2nd passenger cannot share the back seat.  Also, talk to the new
mother-to-be; ask her thoughts on car seats.  Share any of your own research
with her, respect her opinions.   Offer perhaps to share the cost of a higher
quality model if she cannot afford it.

When it comes to choosing your child's safety seat, there are a lot to choose
from.   Theoretically, all will meet minimum government crash test requirements -
but it's also wise to check out re-call notices before you buy.

With my first born, I thought I would be smart and thrifty by purchasing a
convertible model  - one that went from rear facing infant use to front facing
toddler use.  The result was a car seat that was much too large for a new born
baby, creating it's own dangers by not holding my son secure enough.

This is a problem more often than we think - babies not strapped in tight
enough.   Newborn infants especially are so tiny and slump down in the seat so
much it's a challenge to get them in, but go that extra mile for safety.  

A good general rule of thumb is that if you can fit more than two fingers between
the baby and the straps, it's too loose.  The chest buckle should be parallel with
the child's arm pits, not down across the belly (or up around the neck!).  A
better rule of thumb is to call your local police station and ask if they do baby-
seat checks.  If so, drive there and ask for their professional assistance in both
installing the seat in to your car, and installing the baby in to the seat.

If you can remove the straps from your child without un-fastening the chest
buckle, lifting it over their head,  your seat is adjusted way too loose!  (Yes, I've
seen many babies who could be taken out of their seat with out un-buckeling any
part of the strap system!)  If the snaps, buttons or buckles on your seat are so
difficult to use that you find yourself tempted to keep it loose rather than fight the
closures, get a new seat.



















    Second-Hand & Hand-Me-Down's

I completely do not recommend using a 2nd hand car seat.   Time and
sunlight both work against the integrity of the plastic and the fabrics, causing it to
decay which equals a high risk of breaking under the stress of an accident when
you need the seat to hold up!   

When a brand new car seat can be purchased at the discount store for
approximately $40.00, why risk your child's life on a 2nd hand seat?  Sure you
might save $20, $30 or even $35, but turn that around by asking yourself, what
is your baby's life worth?  If you were in a serous car crash and the baby was
fatally injured, could you really look yourself in the mirror knowing you sold her
out to save a lousy thirty bucks?

I have noticed many newer car seats have a date printed on them now, such as
"Do not use after this date:....." , or, "Manufactured on: (date)"   I've read some
articles that say do not use a seat more than ten years old.   Frankly, I think
that is insane.   I would put a five year max on that idea, both because plastic
ages (becoming less safe) and because new technology is always improving seat
construction with better materials and construction techniques.

When it comes time to dispose of your child's car safety seat, if you feel there is
any chance it is now unsafe but could potentially fall in to the hands of another
user, destroy the seat - make it un-usable before you place it out for garbage
pick up.   Cut the straps, break the seat, do something so it goes out of use
completely before a baby gets hurt with it.

While you can buy a bargain-basement car seat for less than fifty dollars, you
can also spend hundreds on a safety seat.   The decision is yours, so do your
home work, shop, compare not only price but the opinions of other parents and
safety ratings for the seat.  Look in to the company's  over all rating - have they
had many recalls in the past?

As I said previously, shop for a seat in a store that will let you actually test the
seat out.   Put the baby in the seat if possible (if he or she is already born),   If
the baby is not born yet, keep your receipt so you can return the seat for a
different model if necessary after the birth.  See how easily or difficult the
buckles work; notice how complicated it is to adjust the straps.  In climates with
wide temperature swings, you may be having to adjust them often as the baby
wears different thicknesses of clothing.

And thickness of clothing is another factor to consider.   It is recommended you
do not bundle your baby in a heavy coat, then buckle her in to her seat with the
coat on - the idea being the thick coat will prevent her from being strapped in
tight enough.

I loved the one piece "Sack Coats" for my babies.  These were not bulky but
covered the baby head to toe in a warm cocoon, and had a hole built in for the
cars eat to buckle through between the legs.   I found these fit easily over both
the orthopaedic casts and the foot abduction brace used in clubfoot correction.

As with anything concerning the  health and safety of your baby, do your home
work first both in stores and on-line, and then shop with confidence!
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