Car Seat/Booster Safety

I was contemplating whether I could use the convertible car seat I used for my daughter 8 1/2 years ago for our new little one since the car seat still looks pretty good. I was one of those parents who didn't let kids eat in the car seat. It was never involved in any accidents and I was just about convinced that it would be okay until I read that car seats that are older than six years old or that have been involved in a car accident shouldn't be used... So I guess I need to get a new car seat for the little one. There are several types of car seats and booster seats available in a variety of styles and price ranges.

Rear-facing Infant Seats are great for newborns because you can remove the car seat/carrier from the car with ease and the baby remains sleeping. Nice! They are advertised to be used until 20 pounds, however there is also a height limit that I didn't know about until a friend told me that my daughter was too big for ours even though she was less than 20 lbs. After some research I found out that the infant seat I was using could be used until the baby was 29" long, so I had to upgrade to the next car seat.

Convertible Car Seat - This car seat is wonderful because it can be used from the time a baby is a newborn until about 40 pounds. A baby MUST be rear facing until they are 20 pounds AND one year old. Once the baby hits both of those milestones the convertible car seat can be turned around and be forward facing like the rest of the family. Some of these car seats can actually be used from 5 lbs to 80 lbs. Check the manufacturers guidelines for each car seat.

Forward Facing Toddler Seats - The toddler seat is designed for children from 20-40 lbs. Kids are generally in this seat or the convertible seat until they are 4 years old and 40 lbs.

Child Booster Seats - This is the seat both of my children currently use. It has been advertised in our state that children must be in a car seat until they are eight years old, but there is another limit at least in our state - the child must also be 4'9" tall before graduating to just a seat belt. My daughter was a bit upset at first when she found out she wasn't graduating to just a seat belt when she turned eight, but I explained that it was for her own safety and comfort. The booster seats we use have head rests that allow the child to nap while driving without doing the head bob.

For information about the ease of use and car seats ratings check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations Information. For several other pertinent articles check here. Check AAA also for a additional information on car seats.