Tips for New Parents & Grandparents on Purchasing & Installing Car Seats

by Teresa on

This is a sponsored post.

I have no memories of ever seeing a car seat when I was a child. When my children were born, we had car seats but there wasn’t very much emphasis put on them, at least until my last child was born. I know we used them but probably very incorrectly.

Things are very different now and with good reason. Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. That’s why it is so incredibly important for us to choose the right car seat and install it correctly.

Tips for purchasing the right car seat:

Select a car seat that is appropriate for your child’s size and age.
- Keep your child in a rear-facing seat as long as possible (until they reach the maximum height and weight limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer).
Check your vehicle’s owner manual for where a car seat should sit and their recommendations for installation.
Make sure the seat will fit correctly in your vehicle. The base of some car seats may be too wide for small vehicles.
Read the installation instructions and know that the seat will tether correctly in your vehicle.
Opt for seats with two-piece retainer clips.
Some car seats are safer and easier to install than others. Look for their “ease-of-use rating”.
Always register your car seat, in case of a safety issue or recall.

The statistics on car seats being installed incorrectly is amazing… nearly 4 out of 5 are not installed and adjusted correctly for the child riding in them. It isn’t an easy task and for the safety of the bundles of joy that will be riding in them, I recommend having your car seat installed by someone that holds a National Child Passenger Safety Certification, such as the technicians found at cars.com. Not only will they install it, but they will teach you how to install it correctly too. If your car seat is already installed, it should still be checked by a certified technician.

In closing, take the extra time to do your research on car seats before you go shopping and then make sure the car seat is installed correctly by having it checked by a certified technician.

Happy travels!