Finding out that you are going to become a parent is both exciting and terrifying.  The joy of watching your belly grow, the agony of watching your ankles swell, and the fear of knowing you will soon be responsible for a life other than your own, coupled with hormonal fluctuations and strange food cravings are enough to make any woman go crazy!

And then, there is the “stuff”.   How do you know that you’re making the best choices when it comes to the “stuff” you purchase for the baby?    The short answer:  you don’t know.  You have to do your research and trust your instincts.

Choosing a Car Seat

There are two types of seats for babies:   infant only bucket style and convertible car seat.   The infant only seat will keep baby safe and snug until baby weighs between 22 and 35 pounds  {the weight limit depends on the manufacturer} and can only be rear-facing.   A convertible car seat will keep baby safe rear-facing, and then convert to a forward facing seat to last through the toddler years.

Although it seems like a no-brainer to purchase the convertible seat, most pediatricians recommend the infant only seat as it is smaller and is designed specifically for an infant’s body.   I know what you’re thinking:  “Infants grow quickly and some have grown so fast they aren’t able to use their infant seat because they’ve exceeded the weight or height limit for their seat!”   And that is true – and it is expensive to constantly replace car seats,  however, in my opinion, you cannot put a price tag on safety.

Here are the basics of what to look for in a seat:

Is it easy to use?   When shopping for a car seat, regardless of style, look for the star rating on the box.  This rating is set by the National Highway Transportation Safety Authority – the more stars the easier it is to install in the vehicle, safety strap your child in, and understand the manual.

A five-point harness.   The five-point harness system is designed to ensure your child is safely strapped into his seat.  Using a five-point harness also allows you to customize the fit of the straps based on your baby.

Is there sufficient padding?  Babies do not move very often, you’ll want to ensure there is enough padding in the seat itself so that baby is comfortable.  She won’t be able to tell you when she isn’t.

A vehicle seat base.   Most infant-only seats come with a base that you leave in your vehicle, snapping the child and the car seat to it.  You can often purchase an additional base if you need one for your spouse’s vehicle, or for the grandparents.

The LATCH system.  The Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system is available in most vehicles manufactured after 2003.  The system, when using in conjunction with the top tethers, makes it easier to install the seat into the vehicle than using only a seat belt.

It should also be mentioned that purchasing a used car seat is never a good idea.  There is no guarantee that a used car seat hasn’t been in a motor vehicle accident – even if there is no visible damage to the seat, there could be unseen structural damage.   Used seats could also be missing key components that you may not know are missing, or they could be older than the recommended five years and the plastic could start breaking down.  {If you’re ever in an accident, most insurance companies will replace the car seat, no questions asked, when you are reporting an accident claim.}

With so much to think about, I was excited that my law enforcement dad was readily available with the current safety standards and knew which seats were the safest on the market at that time.  I already knew that I wanted an infant bucket seat, as opposed to a convertible seat.   For me, purchasing a bucket seat made sense for our lifestyle.   The Boy was born in July and I knew that we’d be going for lots of walks and using our stroller often.  Having the ability to remove the seat and attach it to the stroller was important, particularly if baby is napping!

If you’re wondering,  we selected the Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat and an extra Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat Base for The Texan’s vehicle.  Having the additional base was helpful when The Boy was hanging out with my mom or my dad.  We’d just bring the extra base with us, snap it into one of their vehicles using the LATCH system and they would be ready to go!

Be sure to stop by next week when I’ll be writing about my stroller – and why I chose the one that I did!

This is part of series of posts titled Motherhood Mondays where I’ll be sharing my parenting experiences, tips and advice.  If there is a specific topic you would like to see in the coming weeks, please email Me with Motherhood Mondays in the subject line.