Car seats are an absolute must-have for infants, babies, and toddlers. If you have any plans to put your child inside a car anytime soon. It is illegal to drive around with a child inside if he/she isn’t sitting in a child car seat that’s up to government or state standards.
This actually brings us to the question: how is a mom supposed to know which car seat to buy? There are so many options to choose from these days and every model without fail promises to be the best! Well, that is exactly what this little guide will help new moms with.
Check the government or your State’s Legal Standards First
Legal standards set by a state for children’s car seats are there for a reason and you need to know them in advance. Visit this page on AskTheLawyer, which lists all children’s car seat laws, state by state, alongside pointing out even the smallest of differences that often exist at times.
Once you are completely aware of the legal requirements of your state of residence, you will have an exact idea regarding which features to look for while shopping for that perfect car seat for your little one. If you want to avoid fines during a cross-state drive, you may also want to check the regulations that are observed in any state you visit frequently.
There are Different Age Divisions: Select the Right One
Primarily, children’s car seats are divided into three main categories, which are as follows.
Car Seats for Infants – As the name suggests, these are car seats that can only be used as long as the child qualifies as an infant.
How does one make that differentiation exactly? That’s what the following parameters are for.
The baby must not weigh more than 22 pounds
There must be a gap of at least 1 inch in between the seat’s top edge and the child’s head
Car Seats for Toddlers – The parameters here are a bit fuzzy, but the following should provide a decent enough idea.
The child should not weigh more than 65 pounds
The 1-inch gap is a constant and it needs to be there in between the child’s head and the seat’s top end
They will come in forward-facing only variants and combination variants, with the latter being more expensive.
Car Seats for Preschoolers – As you may imagine, this is going to be the last car seat you buy for your child, so it has a much higher limit of up to 100 pounds. If he/she weighs more than that, they might be fit to sit on a regular car seat.
Understand that they Cannot be Used as the Child’s Bed Outside the Car
Children’s car seats are not meant to be used outside the car, so don’t let your child sleep in them once he/she is outside the vehicle. Don’t take these seats out of your car and use them as a makeshift bed because the results can be tragic.
According to the findings presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society, a children’s car seat can only be used while the child is in a sitting position, inside the car. If the same seat is used outside the car as a bed, there is a relatively high chance of infantile death or brain damage due to positional asphyxia.
Thanks for reading and till next post!
