Which car seat is right for Your Child?

A valuable age-by-age guide for your child’s car seat essential.

Infants:

As your kid grows, you’ll have to change the direction that his car seat faces and how he sits in it — and you may need to buy a new seat. check out this age-by-age guide to keeping car travel safe for your kid.

Kids must remain rear-facing until they are 2 years old or have reached the utmost height or weight capacity of the car seat. Your options are:

Infant-only seat:This is used till baby weighs 20 to 22 pounds or his head is within one inch of top of the seat.

Rear-facing convertible: Most babies use this next, because they still need to ride rear-facing. (It may be used from birth, but infant-only seats fit tiny babies better.) Choose one certified to face rear till baby weighs a minimum of 30 pounds.

Toddlers:

For kids who are a minimum of 2 years old and have reached the utmost height or weight capability of the car seat, they should ride rear-facing as long as possible, choices are:

Forward-facing seat:This is used until your kid weighs 40 to 60 pounds. (Most are convertible and fit to 40 pounds.)

Combination seat:This functions with a harness until the kid reaches 40 pounds. Take away the belts and it converts to a belt-positioning booster, which can be used for kids up to 80 pounds along with your car’s lap/shoulder belt.

Preschoolers:

For children who have outgrown seats with a harness, use a belt-positioning booster with lap/shoulder belt within the car. It fits kids up to 80-100 pounds. most kids need boosters from about age three or four to a minimum of age eight. children need head support; use a high-back booster if the car has a low backseat. A backless booster can be used if the car’s seat has a headrest.

Once you have Bought

Practice buckling the car seat before your baby’s first ride.

Make sure the harness straps fit cosy on your baby’s body. Use the bottom harness slots for a newborn baby. Keep the straps in the slots at or below your baby’s shoulders for the rear-facing position.

Make sure the harness straps fit properly over the shoulders and between the legs — this is very important. Dress your baby in garments that keep legs free.

To fill empty spaces and provides support, roll up a couple of tiny blankets and tuck them between your baby’s shoulders and head, on both his right and left sides.

If the baby still leans down, put a rolled diaper in between his legs behind the crotch strap. Do not put thick padding beneath or behind the baby.