Car Seats Exposed

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 

Car seats are cool. I mean you get to install a cockpit into your vehicle equipped with a 5-point harness! But before you go and think you can just plop that thing in your car and motor, you need to understand a few things.

3 Car Seats and Planning Ahead
Realistically, you will be buying 3 different car seats for the life of your child: An infant carrier with carrier base installed, a full car seat, and a booster.

The infant carrier base is no doubt the hardest thing to install. Arguably it is the most important to get it right. Good thing it is the first one you need to install! Buy this thing early: way before the baby is born. Try to install it in your car. Then when you think you have it nice and tight, call your local police department and ask if they offer car seat installation. For most towns there is at least one officer who has gone through the Car Seat installation class. I guarantee your installation will not be good enough. I know you are good at these things but trust me, not at this. It is very important you do this way before the baby comes because you don"t want to have to install this thing in the hospital parking lot. When choosing this type of seat it is really more important to figure out how that detachable seat works in with your stroller. You want the seat to be comfortable to carry, versatile to tightly lock in the car and stroller, and reasonably priced. If given the choice you might want to also consider a non-gender specific pattern and color. You will want to use this for #2 and beyond.

Choosing the right car seat is a very important decision. Your child will be sitting in this seat for at least over 2 years. You will no doubt install and reinstall this thing 10 times a year. You may have to carry it with you on the plane, install it in a rental car and airplane, move to a friend"s car, move it back. We bought a Britax car seat  and after also using 3 other brands, would recommend nothing else. It IS more expensive and it IS worth the price. When choosing models I recommend getting one that accommodates a child up to 40lbs with multiple shoulder strap adjustments. Remember, this is not a piece of equipment that you skimp on. Skimp on a second rate Bouncy Seat but don"t go cheapass on the car seat.

A booster is really a transition from a car seat to just sitting in the real seat on the car. It gives your child an elevated view, greater protection, and more stability. To be honest, these things are all ugly. But, they aren" that expensive. Just go with it, it won"t last too long.

You need both Strength and Weight
The key to a proper installation is to thread the seatbelt or the LATCH straps so tight that the seat will not budge when you bump it. Strength alone will not help you with this because no matter how hard you pull the straps, the seat is a cushion and no matter how tight you think it is, the give in the cushion will render those attempts useless. You must kneel on the seat to depress the cushion then pull that bad boy taut. Then just maybe, it will be tight enough.

Knees and Towels
You will need to kneel on the seat to weight it down. And you might need towels (depending on how deep your seat are) to even out the base of the seat.

2 Door or convertible? I want some of what you are smoking.
If you think you are going to be able to easily move your kid in and out of a 2 door car, think again. Don"t get me wrong, it"s possible. But its a royal pain. So when you know your kid is coming…consider getting a different vehicle. As for convertibles, it is strongly recommended you do not put the top down with a car seat in place. That"s just common sense man.

Forward Facing or Backward Facing?
The rule is until your child is over 20lbs in weight AND 1 year old, you may move the car seat to face forward. Until then, it is all rear-facing. This holds true for airplane installation as well.

LATCH
If your car has LATCH you are in luck. Hint: If your car is a 2002 or later, you probably do.. The LATCH system will be your favorite part of your car after you try to install your car seat in a vehicle without LATCH. Remember in Concentration when you fit that Plus symbol piece in and it just felt so good? Well when you hear the LATCH strap snap in, you feel good man. Savor it.

Swallow Your Pride
Again, for the first time, I guarantee you won"t install it correctly. Call your local police station and get the free professional installation. After that, you will know how tight it should be. Then the next time you can spend all day trying to get it installed correctly.

Good luck man.