Choosing The Right Car Seat for Your Child

There is no single “safest child car seat” out there – the safest car seat for your child is the one that will suit your child, your car, and your budget the best. It is also the one that you will use properly each time. When choosing a car seat, always keep your child’s age and weight as well as the type of vehicle you have in mind. You will most likely buy more than a single seat since your child will need to be in one from infancy to about age six or seven.

California Child Seat Law

“Children MUST be secured in an appropriate child passenger restraint (safety seat or booster seat) IN THE BACK SEAT OF A VEHICLE until they are at least 6 years old or weigh at least 60 pounds.”

Different types of car seats:

• Infant-only. This rear-facing seat is recommended for babies until they are at least 20 pounds and a year old. An infant-only seat can also be used as a baby carrier outside the vehicle.
• Convertible. This can be used rear- or front-facing. When facing the rear, a convertible seat can hold 30 to 35 pounds; when facing front, 40 to 65 pounds.
• Combination. This is a forward-facing only seat with a 5-point internal harness, and can later be used as a belt-positioning booster seat.
• Booster. When your child weighs no less than 40 pounds and is at least four years old, a booster seat will make the cars seatbelt fit better. High-back, low-back, and no-back models are available.

All existing car seats have met government safety requirements and have passed standard crash tests. There are many features that can enhance the safety of a car seat. Some of these attributes that you should look for on your next purchase are:

• A 5-point harness. This is the safest type of harness, according to experts and studies, as it normally gives the best fit and decreases the possibility of ejection.
• Head impact protection. Most car seats have an extra layer of special plastic or EPS foam to protect the head in rear impacts, side impacts, and rebounds in frontal crashes.
• Twist-free straps. Straps that twist easily can result in burns or more serious injuries in a crash, since twisted straps minimize the area that restrains a child.
• Padded “wings”. These keep a child’s head upright while sleeping as well as protect against hard objects during rebounds.
• Front harness adjustments. A snug harness can decrease the risk of injury in general. A harness that is easy to adjust allows you to adjust it correctly every time.

To help you choose the right car seat for your child, Car-Seat.org has a list of recommended models, including but not limited to the following:

• Chicco KeyFit 22 (infant-only)
• Britax Marathon (convertible)
• Britax Regent (forward-facing only)
• Graco Nautilus (combination)
• Clek Oobr (high back booster)
• Clek Olli (backless booster)