Safety First When it Comes to a Baby Car Seat

Every parent's ultimate concern is baby safety. One of the key elements in that plan is selecting the right safety seat for the car. Here are a few things to look for when trying to find that perfect model.

The first things you need to look at are weight and age. Babies less than one year of age need to have a safety seat that is especially made for their small size. It should also be rear facing and not intended for use by older babies.

The average weight for a child between the ages of one and four is about 20 to 40 pounds. They're also, of course, taller than infants and the older they are the taller. This introduces the possibility for a car seat that faces forward, making things more convenient for the parents. However, it still needs to be placed in the back seat.

The good news is that you don't have to give up convenience to achieve these goals. Many models are convertible. That is, they can be turned from a rear-facing position to forward-facing with a few simple movements. But don't forget about the specifications concerning weight and age.

It's important that your car seat satisfies certain criteria. It's important to look for a seat with a five point harness feature. This allows parents to use the car's safety restraining belt to attach the car seat at the hips, shoulders and between the legs. That provides a very stable, secure platform.

It's helpful to have an overhead shield, too. These padded covers circle down and around the infant. AT-shield is another option; this is a padded attachment for the should straps, in the shape of a T of course.

Look for models with a tether at the top that can be attached from the top of the child's car seat to an anchor point in the car. This provides additional safety. Some have a system called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). This eliminates the need to use the car's safety belts which, after all, were designed for larger children and adults. Instead, the safety seat is fastened only to the anchors.

Extra safety and comfort is provided by baby car safety seats that safely allow for adding or subtracting padding or blankets. At the same time, parents have to spend less time adjusting the seat to make a good fit. That's a win-win situation for both. There are even those with an integrated travel vest to buckle around your child.

That same double theme of safety and convenience is carried on by seat designs that make it easy to insert and adjust the restraining straps. Parents are busy people and it's all too easy to take an occasional shortcut. However, nobody wishes to skimp on safety. A design that requires only a few seconds to install or move the seat satisfies all those needs.