Published on : 28 August 20193 min reading time

Taking child safety into consideration when driving is very important. Careful attitude to all aspects of driving sometimes helps save life and health of the driver and his passengers and it is especially important when one of your occupants is a kid. The following tips will make the process of child seat choosing much easier and proper.

* Take enough time choosing a child safety seat. Shop around. There are lots to choose from. Think long term. Remember that you may need to buy all 3 types of seats (infant only, convertible and booster) as your child grows up.

* Practice in changing the harness and adjusting the length of the straps before making a decision. If you choose an infant-only seat with a handle, carry the seat around the store to make sure it feels comfortable. If the seat has a removable base, check to see how easy it is to remove.

* If the seller allows, install the seat you are going to buy in your vehicle. This will help you understand whether a seat fits well for your vehicle. Cars with small rear seats or bucket seats may present special problems. Practice buckling the seat tightly into your car before your child’s first ride. Keep in mind that the seat you’ve chosen must be easy for YOU to use as it should be used correctly every time your child travels with you.

There are three main types of safe seats for kids.

Infant-only seats are designed for use with infants from birth up to 20-22 lbs. and should always be used rear-facing in the back seat of your vehicle. Some of such seats have a moveable base which allows you to remove the seat from your vehicle and use it as a carrier.

Convertible seats may be used rear-facing in the back seat for larger newborns until 1 year of age and 20-22 lbs., and then turned (converted) and used forward-facing, still in the back seat, for children 20 to 40 lbs. each sea is different so you should read the manufacturer’s guidelines very carefully to b e aware of the seats weight limits.

Boosters are worked out to help an older child transition from a convertible seat to a regular vehicle seat belt. Booster seats may be used in conjunction with an internal harness system to 40 lbs. or may be used in conjunction with the vehicle’s lap/shoulder seat belt to around 80 lbs.

What is the best seat?

It’s very difficult and even important to define the best seat out of approximately 50 different child safety seat manufacturers and 200 different seat models. Each seat fits differently in each vehicle. Not all seats can be fitted correctly in all vehicles. So what is suitable for one car is not good for another. The best seat is the one that fits YOUR child, fits in YOUR vehicle, is easy for YOU to use correctly every time your child rides, and is a seat that YOU can afford.

When to use a child seat?

Every time you take your kid into the car you MUST use a child safety seat. Never neglect this statement even if you are going for a short trip. Remember that even if you fixed your child with the seat belt, it is not quite safe fot children. Your kid can be seriously injured in a collision if not safely fixed.