Portable Car Seat

How can I find the Safest Baby Car Seat Reviews possible out there? With so many choices and the age brackets, do the best reviews, price, and features provide the best indicators to keep your child safe? The best simple answer is making the best choices based on your child’s comfort, your vehicle(s), features, and budget; however equally important are its proper installation, vigilance of its installment and that your child is secure to it. I want to advocate whatever budget you have that as long as you buy a new car seat out in market ( as long as its not on recall list) and taking the time to install it properly AND checking it periodically AND ensuring your precious cargo is in it will make the difference in having the safest car seat possible. What are the most important factors on “how to shop” or look out for in your quest for the “best” car seat?

First, the reality is that no matter how secure your child is, depending on how severe the crash can be — some children do not survive, or are injured. It is our duty as parents and care givers to be informed and keep up with the recalls, and child car safety laws and new guidelines.

I also will cover this in another post and will continue to advocate the concept of spreading the word out on “whistle blowing” on parents who have children in the car unrestrained. Nothing wrong with you calling ‘911’ and providing the police with driver’s plate of a car with a child not in a car seat. I see this all the time, and I feel it’s the equivalent of a drunk driver to endanger a child like that! So please spread the word – a statistic I found from a recent US Dept of Transportation news release, stating “…review also found that half of all children between the ages of zero to seven years of age, who were killed in motor vehicle crashes, were not in child safety seats.”

This same news press which came out in April 2009, announcing that “U.S. DOT Announces New Consumer Program for Child Safety Seats, which will create a new consumer program to help parents and caregivers find a child seat that fits in their vehicle and provides better safety for side impact.” Side-impact safety is one of the latest buzz in automobile industry, to ensure that their vehicles pass those new standards, so to will we see a change in how car seats might require new features or standards to protect against side impact crashes. U.S. DOT Announces New Consumer Program for Child Safety Seats

:: http://www.nhtsa.gov/

The good news and the net effect of child car seat safety is that over the years, the fatality numbers are dropping for children in car crashes. A recent article in MSN Health pulling information from pediatric sources quoted “The odds of a baby under 1 year of age dying in a car accident drop by 73 percent if the infant was riding in a baby car seat. For children between 1 and 2, the odds of dying in a collision went down by 76 percent if they were properly restrained. For 2 to 3 year olds, the odds of a fatality in a car crash dropped by about 60 percent if the toddler was in a car seat.” So clearly we as parents must do what we can to make sure the restraint is properly secure as a key component to the Safest Baby Car Seat Reviews possible. Source :: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100231670

So let’s get right to it, most important factors on “how to shop” for and maintain the Safest Car Seat possible (not in any specific order as all of these combined will increase safety):

• Infants and Toddlers should be kept rear-facing as long possible. No matter if you see a majority of your “baby play group” babies already facing forward, like its some “milestone” to be achieved – its NOT. So long as your child is comfortable and does not outgrow the height requirement. With most seats the weight is 33 lbs.

• Recline angle – That all important safety range that a seat needs to be at in relation to the car seat cushion or the cradle base. This can vary depending on the car models seats, and model type of the baby car seat. Portable Car Seat blog advocates the following, look for angle detection feature on rear facing models. However most convertibles will fit snugly in most vehicles and will have angle detection feature fall right into place with no worries. I dreaded the foam noodle or rolled up towel to place under infant car seat base, because I was constantly having to adjust that thing to make sure my baby’s car seat was reclined properly. I will create a post in future on this important topic.

• For goodness sake do not place a carseat and for that matter any child under age of 12, in the front seat of a car. The laws can vary across North America, but studies have shown that cuts their risk of death by 36%. Certain rear facing carseat can be mounted in front seat, however active front airbags can actually cause death if deployed with an infant harnessed in the front seat, so it should be avoided.

• 5 point harness seats which cover almost all convertible seats should be used as long as possible to the age of 8, or if your child exceeds the height and weight max on that car seat. Portable Car Seat advocates this beyond most conventional website and other sources that preschoolers, young school age children’s lives were saved by having a 5 point harness. If Indy-Car drivers can crash a car and walk unscathed, why shouldn’t we keep our children harnessed as well too? For this reason I advocate the use of convertibles as much as possible.

• Always read the owners manuals for your vehicle and car seat thoroughly. If you the type that can build that furniture without instructions, and think car seats work the same..guess again! They often contain very specific information about car seat installation that may not be obvious. In another post I have the best reviewed Evaluation of Instructions and labels for convertible and combination car seats.

• Think of installation, securing and locking like “Leg bones connected to thigh bone…” Car Seat Belt or Latch system connected to the Child Car Seat, Child Car Seat is securely harnessed to Child. Those three components should always be checked.

• With older children who hate to be restrained, this can already happen at age of 3, especially in convertibles where they can actually learn to remove the top buckle; its important to monitor and check to make sure they did not push straps down. Talk to your child about the consequences of not having car seat on, and be brutally honest “ I told them, if you don’t have it on, you may never see mommy or daddy again only in heaven” You be surprised how that plays in their head to not even think about doing it again. Set the example too, buckle up every time yourself. Remind the older children who harness themselves “ I did not hear a click!?” and do not move that car until everyone is securely harnessed.

• Do not purchase used car seats if at all possible, especially any with recalls or unknown marks or history. Any seats that might have ineffective locking mechanisms, worn belts, cracks, etc. should NOT even be considered. Invest in a new car seat, your child is worth it. Models older than 5-6 years or more should not be used. They do have a shelf life, if it worked well for Tommy till he was 6, it will not work for the new toddler!

• When you buy a car seat, make sure you have a good return policy. Even the best priced and best reviewed might not fit “best” in your vehicle. The merchants I have posted on my site all have a good return policy.

• If you have any doubts on how to properly install the car seat, please have your seat inspected by a certified personnel for free check.

• Most often parents forget this one, to remind care givers who might use their own vehicle or use your own – they need to have training on the installation of all car seats in the families inventory, if they need to transfer it to another car and how to secure the child properly. My mother-in-law at times would forget to install the seat properly and we would have to review it when we “caught” it. So please check up on your care givers.

• Finally, common sense to drive safely and no matter how frazzled you might get from hearing the baby cry or toddler getting unruly — stay focused on driving until its safe to pull over and correct the issue with your child.

Remember that Baby Car Seat Reviews might seem important to see what many folks have to ad, but using good judgement on applying manufacturer’s instructions for installation and perform safety checks and making sure that its right fit for you, and your baby is what is most important!

Technorati Tags: Car Seat Reviews, Child Safety Seats, Safest Car Seat

What criteria do I use to check Portable Car Seat Reviews and ratings? If you are a new parent or its been a few years since your last child and not sure what is “in” as far as the “best” or “Safest” Car Seat – here is a quick start of criteria to consider. So many products, so many car seat review websites, the prices vary, your budget may not allow for the over $300 priced car seat, what are your options. The good news is with so many choices, hundreds of Car Seat Reviews, the playing field of safest and best car seats for your child is level because it depends on age, weight, your budget, and other simple factors that translate to deciding on what are most important features and options for you and your child.

Rule Out Criteria

Let’s first start with reducing the list of car seat reviews and products that you should always avoid and steer clear away. This is not to say that this rule would apply to ALL of the items below, however these are typically red flags and would require more research before you make decision and sometimes it just best to have piece of mind and avoid all that.

The Car Seat Recall – You see these a lot less nowadays, because of more rigorous NTHSA (National Traffic & Highway Safety Assoc.) Testing, which is the leading authority for US child car seats. However, the manufacturers will post the latest recalls and instructions for any of you who might consider using the old car seat for another younger child. Please before you think you’ll save some money and think we’ll it worked well for my other child, it should still work—not correct. There might a deficit discovered after the car seat is in use for more than a year or two in service; so its best to “google” the manufacturer name + Recall + model name if known to see what is out there. The same would apply, when you settled on a particular brand of car seat to double check for recalls, this information can be very dynamic. Lastly, register your new car seat with the manufacturer to be made aware of any recalls.

Used Car Seats – Ok, used means not previously used by any of your children before or not from an individual you trust. If the car seat does not have an expiration date listed, do not use. If the label use instructions are not present or faded, do not use or buy. The car seat might already been damaged in a previous crash and it may not be detectable to find damage on the car seat; so this should definitely be avoided. If the harness system is worn or the pads are loose or falling off, its time to buy a new one.

Infant – Convertible – 3 in 1 – Booster

PortableCarSeat.co will post the car seat reviews and car seat ratings of specific products and highlight the features. I do advocate the use of Convertible Car Seat over Infant Car Seat whenever possible. The central point to remember is that the NTHSA ratings for an Infant Seat have their own standards as opposed to the Convertible; the Convertible Car Seats will also have a dual rating when applied to rear or forward facing installation. Here are car Seat types:

Infant – If saving money is not an issue to reuse the Car seat when your infant moves on to next growth spurt, then Infant type car seat is for you. Infant type only used up to about 20 lbs and are only Rear Facing. No matter what, if child is a year or younger they MUST be rear facing.

Convertible – Can be used by infants but installed as Rear Facing for the first year at very least, following same under 20 lbs restriction. The weight and height can vary per model when the Convertible Car Seat is switched to Forward Facing.

3-in-1 – These types span from Convertible (standard 5 point harness) to High-back Booster ( 5 point harness detachable) to Backless Booster.

Booster – If your child is over 60-65 lbs and over 48” typically the High-Back Booster or Backless is your only other option.

Child’s Milestone vs. Safety 

Simply put the longer you keep your child in the same “type” of car seat, the safer your child will be based on the crash test statistics. The American Academy of Pediatrics feels that children under the age of 4 should still remain in rear facing position to prevent certain neck and head injuries. Infants will reach the 20lbs milestone typically at one year old. Certainly at 3-4 years of age, an Infant type car seat will not be usable in the forward facing position because most toddlers will go over the Infant weight limits for most brands.

The next milestone from Toddler Age is pre-K period where your child should still be in a 5-point harness. The studies have shown that the 5 point harness will increase the safety of your child in almost all types of crashes. The 5-point harness Convertibles can typically go up to 80 lbs, which allows for most children to go to the age 7-9.

Final milestone can be a booster, if the 5-point harness is not usable because of weight and height restriction or your child is too “tight” near the crotch area for the harness clip to even be used. However, by this age and height the child can start to use a normal car seat in the back seat; but the local and US State laws can vary on that age but typically it is 8-10 years old.

“…Child connected to the Car Seat”

Comfort and snugness are the balance of what keeps your child connected safely to the car seat long term without them trying to pull themselves out and keeping them happy. Car Seat Reviews aside, as a parent I feel comfort is very important for my children who both varied in weight and height by a lot at same age; therefore like Goldilocks there is a car seat that is “just right” for your child out there, it might not be the most expensive one or with all the features possible. At same time make sure that the harness is snug to prevent the toddler from unbuckling themselves for example, if it is too loose. All the recommended sellers posted on portablecarseat.co all have very good return policies. Please make sure you test out your child in the car seat outside of the car to make sure they “fit” well like a glove. If not you can always return the car seat with no questions asked.

“…The Car Seat connected to the Car”

The next thing to keep in mind is if you have a vehicle that is unusual back seat configuration, like split seat, or a truck you may want to be concerned with how well the Car Seat will be secure and snug to the Car’s Seat or Child Car Seat Base to the Car Seat. With Infant car seat they will have a Car Seat base which requires more caution for its installation, and typically no worries with standard back seats. Convertible types and above will typically fit well in most vehicles and can use either the car seat belt or the LATCH system. Whether buying it from a brick and mortar store or off website sellers listed here, you should take the time to test car seat to the vehicle without your child. If its not a good fit, no worries with return policy.

Installation and Portable car seat

One of the other major distinguishing Car Seat Reviews factors between brands and models are how well the instructions are easy to understand and how easy it is to install the child and modify straps and pads to adjust for child’s comfort and size. Here on portablecarseat.co the Car Seat Reviews provide the ratings for the ease of installation. This is vital if you plan to share this car seat between more than one vehicle. You will spend at least 2-5 minutes or more installing the car seat to your car every time, so “ease of installation” might be a very important factor for you. Lastly, the FAA has some very specific restrictions on the type of car seats allowable to be used on air flights for smaller children. Infant car seats do not meet those guidelines, but some convertible car seats and highbacks do meet those standards; so if you do travel a lot or have plans to do so with you child you’ll want to check if the selection you made meets the FAA guidelines.

Safest Car Seat? 

Rest assured that all car seats sold in the U.S. meet the minimum crash testing standards. Unless you want to review the technical crash data that is available at NHTSA website, that goes well beyond most people’s comprehension suffice to say that the Car Seat Ratings and Car Seat Reviews listed here, will provide you with all the safest car seats available for sale.

The best advise for finding the and keeping the Safest Car possible is being aware and most informed, its not the most expensive car seat out there.

Extra Features & Car Seat Accessories

As expected, normally the higher the priced car seat – the high probability of it having extra comfort features and bells and whistles that lower models or brands do not have. For those on a budget, the extra features provide no loss in safety. It is more about sleeker design, better or lighter material and extra cushion for comfort. If you expect to have long commutes in your car, I would recommend considering the extra features to have your child feel comfy and happy.

The only Car Seat Accessories that are optional are the baby car seat cover products that allow you to protect the seat from getting dirty (machine washable) and match certain wide range of colors. All other type of add-ons or installation aids, foot rest should not be purchased as they have not been tested directly with that specific car seat and could null and void the warranty of the car seat.

Technorati Tags: Portable Car Seat ; Convertible Car Seat