JcDean78 Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 So I got a baby on the way. She is due July 4th (Yay for fireworks) and we need to get her a car seat soon. Does anybody have any suggestions or advice? I feel comfortable on everything else she needs but this is just a little different since we are talking about life and death here. I have seen some car seats where you just unlock it and can take it out to hand carry and rock. So what yall think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 http://www.boosterseat.govthis site deals with boosterseats mainly and when the fed gov thinks is a good time to move them up, but it does have links to sites on state laws and the latch system that many newer cars have now. also has a link to where you can find inspection centers to help you know if it is installed properly. personally i just follow the local law cause i think the fed gov is a bit off their rocker in some of the suggestions. by their defination of size my 11 yr old will go to his first youth activity in a booster seat. lol i was told if the feet can reach the floor and the shoulder belt can actually go over the shoulder not the neck or under the arm then they are fine, the other stuff is a precaution. from experiance i like the 5pt harness seats better than the ones that have the bars that come down in front. those are for the forward facing. i really liked the rear facing that have a base and is removable. that was good for the first year, given small babies will fall asleep as soon as you put them in the car it is nice to be able to take the whole seat out and not wake them. there are some that will go rear facing then turn around and can be used till you are ready for booster seats, which is probably cost effective if that is a concern for you.that is all i can think of right now. hope it helps some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 Graco snugride with EPS has the highest rating for an infant carrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessed Posted April 21, 2007 Report Share Posted April 21, 2007 Congrats, first off. Second, we always bought Graco for our three kids. They lasted a long time and always seemed to wash up well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JcDean78 Posted April 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 Graco is one we looked at this weekend. It is all just a bit overwheling but we are slowing getting there. One part that really threw us off was that the infant seat goes up to 22 pounds... but the booster seats start at 40 pounds. So what the heck are you supposed to do between 22 and 40 pounds? I have also come to the conclusion that Booster Seat stands for "BS". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 you have the rear facing infant seats that will go up to about 20lbs or so. then you have forward facing child seats, or car seats, that go from 20-45lbs or so, and then there is the booster seats that go from 40+lbs. some ppl say that a child should stay in a booster till 80lbs. i personally think that is on the verge of crazy. there are some child seats that are designed to be rear facing and then be turned around later, so they go from birth till booster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htmi like the 5 pt harness, (there are diagrams in this link) the child can hold toys, blankies, snacks, and such with little interfearance. where as the overhead sheild tends to get in the way. also one of my boys is a contortionist and can wiggle out of the overhead sheild seat, no matter how tightly i buckle him in. he can't get out of the 5 pt harness. one thing i do is buckle the child in when it's not in the car to get the straps adjusted. sounds mean, but the kids think it is funny (not with the infant) i tip the seat forward and sideways to make sure they aren't shifting everywhere in the seat. if i can tip the seat and they stay in place then i take them out and buckle it into the car. after i think i have it in place (without the child in it) i try to rip it out, every direction, see how much it moves. the goal is to get it as firmly in place where it will not move off of the seat of fall over when jerked in any direction. one thing i do to get it tight is put my knee in the seat when i'm tightening the buckle and push down and back into the seat with my weight. that way the buckle locks into the tightest position avaliable. maybe this helps a little bit more. it can all be very overwhelming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom_of_jcchlsm Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 I've always liked the 5-point harnesses best, too. I do not like the carseats that do double duty (rear-facing infant and then forward-facing toddler) simply because the needs for each are so different, they tend to make compromises in design to accomodate both. I'd recommend you plan to make the investment to buy two carseats - one now and one later.Also, the car/truck/van/SUV you're putting it into makes a difference. If possible, borrow a few different kinds from friends with kids to see how they fit/latch in place in your vehicle in the place you expect to use the carseat. The angle of the seat back, the distance between the buckles, how deep the depression for the passenger's behind is - they all affect how the car seat rides. Newer vehicles will have the built in latches, which will help. You might find the following helpful: http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/howto/art...81/article.htmlGood luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniem Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 You definitely need a car seat for a newborn that you can carry around...that baby will be sleeping and you don't want to have to transfer her back and forth everytime you get out in and out of the car. You can put this car seat right in a stroller if you get the right kind and it makes it so much easier for you and her. Wait until she's 20 pounds to get the forward facing seat (not booster). So yeah, my kids all go through three car seats...infant, regular forward facing, then booster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JcDean78 Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Yea I want one that can carry. That is a must have. Thanks for the advice, please keep it coming. We have not made a decision just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanstress70 Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I have a word of advice I wish I knew at the time. When my child grew out of his infant seat, I got one that could last until he was 40 lbs, which means I had to buy a third seat. I decided after seeing a disturbing video on youtube.com that I wanted to stick with a 5-pt all the way through till my child is 8 (the age in which he doesn't have to ride in a carseat of some type). Most of the time, people switch to a booster seat which uses nothing more than the car's seatbelts.See this video: After watching that, I bought this expensive carseat. But if I knew about it ahead of time, I would've bought this directly after the infant seat and saved a little money. We are thrilled with the seat. It's the Cadillac of carseats! But it's hard to find. I had to wait four months for delivery bc of that video that everyone is watching. That and the Radian 80 are the only two carseats that hold up to 80 lbs.http://www.babyage.com/products/e9l3969_br..._campaign=16130 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JcDean78 Posted May 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Thanks for the posts, we went with a Graco that only weights about 8 pounds and is good for kids up to 30 years old ... 30 pounds. I am turned off to the whole booster seat deal but will get my child what is required by law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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