You will buy a lot of things for your baby, endless amounts of toys, baby food, clothing, cribs, the list is endless. But one item you will want to pay special attention to is the car seat you buy for your baby. Your infant will use a car seat until around age 8, when they can move onto a regular seat belt. So picking a good car seat is crucial, but it is also not easy. There are lot of different types of car seats, different brands, etc. If you are a first time parent, then you have enough on your plate already, you should not add to your stress by worrying about car seats. That is why I am writing this guide, to give you all the info you need to know about buying a car seat for …show more content…
The first thing you need to know is that car seats have very strict weight and height requirements. If you are looking to buy for a newborn baby you will want to buy an “infant car seat.” These are car seats that are suitable for babies weighing around 4 to 5 pounds, and work until the babies surpass 30-40 pounds (depending on the model). You will want to avoid buying booster seats or convertible car seats, since those are meant for children who are much heavier than your average infant. Make it a habit of recording your child’s height and weight, it will make finding the right car seat easier and quicker.
The next thing you want to look out for are expiry dates. Infant car seats have to follow very strict safety requirements, after all, the seats have to be able to protect your infant in case of a serious car accident. Car seats come with an expiration date, either on the seat itself or in the manual, letting you know the number of years the seat will work for before it needs to be replaced. You may be asking: how does a car seat expire? Well consider that car seats are often left in the baking sun or freezing cold, this can effect internal parts (not to mention things like rust or general decay), meaning that if a crash does ever happen, then an expired car seat will not be able to protect your baby as well as non-expired car