Kids Car Seat Shopping Blog

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The biggest obstacle most parents, or parents to be, will run up against when deciding on a car seat is the fact that there are so many different ones to choose from. Car seats are sold by a wide range of manufactures and within many different price ranges. The variety of choice is so great it can leave parents mind numbingly lost and unable to make a decision.

However, by breaking the problem down and simplifying it, the purchase of a car seat becomes a task that is not as difficult as it may seem when you walk into a store and stand on an aisle that appears to have an infinite amount of choices.

Clearing up the Confusion

Child car seats are divided into categories, or stages, as most manufacturers refer to them. The stages are as follows:

Stage 1: Groups 0 & 0+
Stage 2: Group 1
Stage 3: Group 2
Stage 4: Group 3

Be aware when you are shopping that some car seats can be converted to keep pace with your child as he/she grows, so you may see some seats with packaging that specifies the seat fits within all of the stages or groups.

Rear-Facing Car Seat

This type of car seat applies to children who would fall under Group 0. Generally, this type of car seat is for children who way less than 22 pounds (generally children ages 6 to 12 months). Group 0+ would also fit into this type of car seat. Group 0+ describes children who weigh between 22 and 29 pounds (generally children ages 12 to 15 months).

This type of car seat can be placed in the front or back seat of a vehicle; however, most safety experts suggest placing it in the back seat, especially if your vehicle has a passenger side airbag. The impact of the airbag against the car seat can seriously injure, or even kill a child.

The upside of rear-facing car seats is that they offer excellent protection of the head, neck and spine of infants. In fact, many experts suggest that parents place their children in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, only switching them to forward facing car seats once their children fully outgrow the weight limitations of the seat, or their head rests higher than the top of it.

Forward-facing Car Seat

This type of car seat is for children who fit into the rest of the groups mentioned above, and which vary amongst size, height and weight of children. Generally, children in these categories weigh between 20 to 40 pounds (generally children ages 9 months to 4 years old).

Similar to rear-facing seats, this type of seat can be placed in either the front or back seat of a vehicle; however, again, placing the seat in the back is best, especially if you have a passenger side airbag.

Children vary in all sizes and weights during this age period, which is why parents may need to purchase a booster cushion or booster seat, and maybe even a harness to create a better fit for their child in the seat.

If this happens to be the case, then it is important parents make sure they properly fasten and adjust the child?s seatbelt. If a parent is unsure, there are many police stations whose officers are usually more than happy to demonstrate the correct way. The general rule though, is to make sure the seat belt is tight, and the lap belt is positioned over the pelvic area of the child, not the stomach. The diagonal strap should rest on the child?s shoulder, not their neck.

Once the child grows to big for the seat (weighs more than the seat is rated for or their head rests above the top of the seat) he/she is ready to graduate to sitting in the vehicle without the car seat; however the child should still sit in the back seat until they grow older.

As a parent, it goes without saying that your child?s safety comes first and foremost. By keeping this in mind and doing a thorough amount of research into pricing and availability of car seats, you will be able to make the right decision.

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Although some car safety seats are considered safer than others it?s a good point to note that all car safety seats must pass the same federal crash tests before being approved for sale in the U.S.

There are many car safety seats on the market with manufacturers adding little extra features in order to try and make their car safety seats better than their competitors but the one main factor that consumers need to be aware of is that if a car safety seat is not fitted correctly and in accordance with manufacturers instructions the car seat?s safety is impaired.

When looking for a car safety seat do not make your decision based on price and price alone. Higher priced car safety seats may have added features but such features won?t necessarily make the car safety seat safer or easier to use.

If a car safety seat doesn?t fit your car well don?t use it and never resort to car safety seat accessories to try and make a safety seat fit your car. Manufacturers provide everything you need to correctly fit the car safety seat you are buying, if you need accessories the likelihood is that you have either fitted the seat incorrectly or that the car seat is not suitable for your car.

Ten Car Safety Seat Tips:

1. All car safety seats have weight limits which must be adhered to. Failure to follow weight / size limits can put your baby / child at risk.

2. Always use a rear facing car safety seat for infants under 1 year of age.

3. Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a car that has a passenger air bag.

4. With each new car safety seat read the manufacturers instructions carefully to ensure that the safety seat is correctly fitted at all times.

5. Always make sure your infants car safety seat is fitted securely.

6. Always double check that your baby is strapped into their car safety seat correctly.

7. Never place blankets under your baby before fastening the car safety seat straps. Blankets or similar items could become dislodged with the end result being that your baby is no longer strapped in tightly.

8. Avoid second hand car safety seats unless you know the person you are buying it from, are sure it hasn?t been dropped or anything else has happened which might have weakened the seat and it still comes with manufacturer?s instructions.

9. Avoid fitting car safety seats next to side air bags. Always follow the car safety seat fitting instructions as provided by your car?s manufacturer.

10. If using the same car safety seat for your second or subsequent child check the manufacturers guidelines. Some manufacturers don?t recommend that you use their car safety seats beyond 5-6 years from the date of manufacture.

One final warning, never leave your child unattended in their car safety seat either in or out of the car. Leaving an infant in a car safety seat that is not secured can prove dangerous and leaving your infant unattended in a car can result in accidents such death from heat stroke, infants being jammed in electric windows and toddlers letting handbrakes off.

You will not find a better bib anywhere. The innovative Crumb Chum sets a new standard in quality and convenience for bibs. Invented by a mother-daughter team, Grammy Marsha and Stephanie Mintz, it truly hits the mark on fit, function and design. Most bibs cover only the chest. Crumb Chum’s patented design is longer, with special wings to provide coverage from chin to waist and across the lap, over the legs and to the toes, and a wide “pucker pocket” that catches every spill. You’ll change fewer clothes and clean fewer chairs, floors and car seats with this bib. The polyurethane-coated polyester fabric is waterproof, yet softer and lighter than practically any other bib. Infants that reject other bibs will not even notice this–it fits like a second shirt. It wipes clean with a sponge or damp cloth, but it’s also completely safe in the dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer. Crumb Chum easily folds small enough to fit in any purse or pants pocket. Because it’s so compact, lightweight and easy to clean, it’s perfect for restaurants, the car, or airplane travel. You can actually eat out without destroying restaurants. Because it covers so well, and the designs are cute without being cutesy, you’ll be able to use the Crumb Chum with messy art projects long after your toddler has graduated from needing a bib at mealtime. Comes in three patterns (clouds, denim and dalmations) and two sizes (infant (5-15 months) and toddler (15 months-2 years)). Crumb Chums have been featured in “Kids Today” and “Pregnancy” magazines and on the “Today” show. Order a couple for home and a couple for the road.
Customer Review: really helps
this is a great idea and it really does help keep the food from going all over them. The only thing I have to do since my son is new to the world of eating soft food is to put a regular bib under the crumb chum because it’s not really water resistant so his clothes get wet right under his mouth where the food drools onto the crumb chum. other than that, I think this is a great bib and it saves me from having to change his clothes as often.
Customer Review: The only bib for self feeder!
We have had these bibs around our home for 3 years now. I have 1 toddler a preschooler and one on the way. Have never had any problems with them. They are washable and dry-able. The only thing starting to show wear is the Velcro which is easy to replace. Buy Infant Baby Car Seat Now!

A lightweight and portable infant car seat carrier. Compatible with Flex, Counterpart, and Twin Savvy LX (Sold Separately). Features include a mommy’s lap insert, Energy absorbing EPS foam in the head area, 5-Point harness, and removable, washable padded seat cushion and height adjustable base. LATCH equipped with LATCH storage area in base. Includes a one-pull harness adjustment, level indicator, 2-piece chest clip and adjustable canopy. Rear-facing capacity 5 to 22 lbs. and 29 inches. 25.5″ x 17″ x 26″.
Customer Review: Combi infant seat
Ordered item on 8/04/08 did not recieve it yet. Tried contacting amazon, said someone would get back to me 24-48 hrs. Nothing. Customer service said contact seller. Tried email and phone. No contact or response. Can someone help me. I’m getting ripped off. Who’s in charge? Who do I talk to. I want me seat or money. This is B.S. I’m getting the run around. Frustrated customer.
Customer Review: Hot, unwieldy, no shade
I really wanted to like this carseat but after 4 months of using it, I can’t recommend it at all. With my older daughter, we used the Graco Snugride which was great over time - lightweight, clips into everything, good shade, roomy - but she hated it for the first couple of months and we thought it wasn’t comfortable enough. So this time around, we looked for a carseat that looked comfy. This one certainly seemed to fit the bill - the fabrics are high quality, there is a lot of padding, and it includes the Mother’s Lap insert which seemed great. I do think that the carseat is well padded and comfortable in that sense. Unfortunately, all of the padding and especially the temperpedic-style foam padding makes my daughter extremely hot. She is dripping in sweat when we take her out of the carseat. Overheating is very unsafe for newborns.

It is a constant annoyance that the carseat won’t clip into shopping carts and I have to set it in the body of the shopping cart leaving no room for items. The sunshade is way too small and doesn’t cover her at all and also comes detached all the time. Whenever you try to rotate the carseat handle, the sunshade is in the way and I end up trying to cram it under the handle and then it comes detached.

All in all, I have been extremely disappointed by this seat and if she weren’t already almost out of it, I would have switched back to Graco. Buy Car Seat Combi Now!

The Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat is the premier infant carrier for safety, comfort, and convenience. With its removable newborn insert, the KeyFit 30 Car Seat will accommodate your baby from four to thirty pounds. The KeyFit 30s thickly cushioned seat includes a five-point safety harness and is lined with energy-absorbing foam for increased safety and comfort. The KeyFit 30 Bases spring-assisted level foot, two precision bubble levels, and Center-Pull LATCH adjustment guarantee quick and correct installment from either side of your vehicle and give you confidence that your child is safely secured in your vehicle. Buy Chicco Infant Car Seat Now!

Buy Convertible Car Seat Safety Now!

The three way travel convenience can be wore on over the shoulder, as a backpack or as an in hand travel bag. It features washable waterproof fabric, wide shoulder straps for comfort, and a locking zipper. Its shoulder straps remove for easy packing. The waterproof fabric keeps the seat dry during travel and this durable fabric is rip resistant. It comes with padded carry straps and converts to a backpack for hands free carrying. The locking zipper will not unzip during travel
Customer Review: Great idea, cheap construction, bad design
When I saw this, I thought, FANTASTIC! I travel on planes with my radian carseat, and also am a member of a community carshare, so I have to carry it, and my child/stroller to and from the car each time. I had been using an over the shoulder strap, but the Radian is heavy, and it was very uncomfortable.

This backpack works well, in that it puts the weight on the two shoulders, as it should. However, the straps hook onto the main bag on a D-ring behind your neck, with big plastic hooks. These hooks grate on your neck/back vertebrae. Badly placed. There must be many other comfortable ways to attach the straps to the main body.

The bag only fits the Radian one way, as it is totally fitted to the Radian’s shape. No loose space, no manouvrability. It fits well, but exactly, which is a hassle when dealing with putting it on and taking it off quickly on planes and transferring from car to stroller. Extra space would allow to put some other items into it as well: a blanket, stuffed toy etc. As wearing this precludes carrying another bag on your back, it would be nice to have a wee bit of space, a couple pockets etc. As is, it will ONLY fit your Radian.

I have only used this to transport the Radian to and from the car on foot, and on one trip in the plane, ie to the taxi, from taxi to luggage cart, to plane and off again, and where the D ring is to attach the backpack straps, the fabric has totally pulled away from its backing. It is no longer waterproof there, and not solid. There is no reinforcement of the rather thin material at the point of attachment, and I fear it will give out completely soon. I only owned it for perhaps two months when this happened: perhaps 4 car trips and one round-trip plane ride. I would expect something made for travel to be more solid.

The zipper is also very small and not solid, and has only one slide on it, so you cannot open it from any angle, only from the end and zip it all the way around. As it fits so tightly, you have to tug to make it fit perfectly to close the zipper.

So 5 stars for the idea (what better thing for a portable folding carseat than a backpack?), 3 for the design, and -1 for the materials and construction.
Customer Review: Incredibly great car seat - TERRIBLE CARRYING CASE
I wish Sunshine Kids had put as much thought into their carrying case as they did the Radian Car Seat. It seems someone miscalculated the measurements of the car seat when creating the cover. The cover is made to fit so very snuggly that it takes my husband standing on the folded car seat while we wiggle it into the case…and forget putting the rear-facing base in the case - they simply didn’t expect you take that along. The car seat has traveled with us on about 8 trips (16 flights) and the bag is already pulling apart at the seams. If you bought the folding car seat, just go buy a duffle bag with wheels to travel with the car seat. Buy Radian Car Seat Now!

Keep your Monterey booster seat clean and dry with this convenient Travel Bag. Carry it over the shoulder or in-hand. It features washable waterproof fabric, wide shoulder straps for comfort and a locking zipper. Buy Sunshine Car Seat Now!

Convertible seat for children from 5 to 80 lbs in a 5-point harness. Features a steel alloy frame and unique energy absorbing harness system. Height adjustable, aluminum reinforced head support with 7″ deep side and EPS foam surrounding the child’s head and body. The detachable base simplifies rear-facing installations and its low side profile makes child boarding a snap. Includes thick memory foam padding in the seat, infant cushion support and padded carry strap. Radian XT folds flat to be carried over your shoulder or like a back pack. Insert product details here. Buy Sunshine Kids Radian Car Seat Now!