When you have a baby you will need to bring them home from the hospital in a car seat. This is an important part of the essentials that you need to buy for your baby. Selecting the best car seat can actually be rather stressful. They are expensive and there are so many available that you can get confused. The following are some tips aiming to make the search a bit simpler for you:
Look at your car carefully
Before going to buy the car seat, scope out your vehicle carefully. Read the vehicle’s owner manual. A car seat is able to be attached with either the seat belt or a LATCH system. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. These are present in new vehicles.
You can figure out which one you wish to use before going to buy the seat. Look for a seat that is based on the way you wish to install it, i.e. belt or LATCH. Those who want to employ LATCH, know exactly where the LATCH attachments are present in the vehicle. You need to know that they may not be present in the middle and rear-seating position. This is regarded as the safest area for a child.
It is also a good idea to measure the back seat so that you can figure out how much area is present for the car seat. One that has a large base may end up not fitting within a small car. If this is the case, you may need to find one that has a narrower base. Keep in mind who will be present in the back seat. How many kids do you have and how many will be in car seats? Take careful back seat measurements so that you can get the right sized car seat.
Consider a convertible car seat that will grow with the child
We recommend this because you will find it a blessing not needing to get another car seat so soon. Newborns are able to sit in two types of car seats, i.e. a rear-facing infant seat and a convertible seat. This faces the rear of your car in the beginning, then it is turned toward the front. By the way, it would be a great idea to enhance the safety of the newborn and install a baby car mirror. This way the baby will always be under control during already risky driving activity.
You will be saving money if you get this one, as it lasts throughout toddlerhood. It is fine when it comes to safety as well. A drawback however is that a convertible car seat will not be able to be moved around in and out of your car like the infant seat is able to do.
There are many businesses selling baby car seats like Maxi-Cosi New Zealand. Research what you need and look at the variety available. Do not get confused, but narrow down your choices according to your vehicle and requirements. Focus on the features that you want and get these on the seat. It is better to get a seat that is easy to clean. Those made with some smooth fabric can wipe clean more easily rather than some textured fabric.