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Granted, you want to keep a wary eye on your newborn, and it’s nearly impossible to do that if the baby is facing backwards in his or her infant seat.  You must resist the temptation to turn that seat around; it is in your baby’s best interests.  Until a child has celebrated his or her first birthday and weighs a minimum of 20 lbs, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that it’s best that they remain rear facing. 

As you may have noticed (or experienced!), babies have pretty big heads and pretty fragile necks.  It will be months before they can hold their heads up or have good control of their neck muscles.  In the event of a car crash, if a baby is facing forward there’s a much higher risk that the baby’s spinal cord will be damaged.  Just think about how hard your own head jerks forward when you have to come to a sudden stop… and you’ve got strong neck muscles!  Babies don’t have that, and in a very common frontal car crash, the bones in a baby’s neck could actually separate. 

If your baby weighs more than the recommended 20 lb. threshold for an infant car seat, or is older than one year in age, you may think it’s alright to switch to the forward facing car seat.  That’s still not a good idea.  According to a 2008 article published in Pediatrics, a professional journal, three out of four children are less likely to be severely injured or killed if they remain in a rear facing car seat until they are at least two years old.  If your child reaches the weight limit for an infant seat, then switch to a rear-facing convertible.  Your child will get the same protection, and (provided you get yourself a rear-facing child seat mirror) you’ll get peace of mind.

Tip: Keeping your children safe is your number one priority. Would it not also be a bonus to couple this with affordable auto insurance?

Some kids just have a bit of magic about them – they have absolutely no trouble getting into cookie jars or getting out of car seats. While it’s not exactly a tragedy if junior munches on the Sausalito cookies (unless, of course, it’s the last one and you were saving it for yourself), it could be a tragedy if he escapes from his car seat while you’re driving.

Keeping Houdini restrained isn’t impossible, but it may take some ingenuity on your part (or at the very least the purchase of some ingenious products), not to mention a little patience and a lot of perseverance. One thing is certain, there should be no allowances made: Without your escape artist sitting – properly restrained – in a car seat, the car shouldn’t move. Period.

If your child escapes from it, then your car seat is useless. Here are a few things you can do, short of chains and padlocks:

• Contact the seat’s manufacturer to find out if they offer different clips than the one that originally came with the seat, or purchase a cover that fits over the clip, and prevents little fingers from doing their magic.
• Reverse the button to the strap mechanism so that it faces your child, rather than outward.
• Set the proper example and always buckle your own seat belt, and ensure that all passengers (including pets!) are buckled up.
• Make a show of buckling up a favorite doll or stuffed animal if your little one insists on bringing it along.
• Try a simple, but firm, “No, don’t unbuckle.” (You never know, it could work.)

And finally, for those children for whom a word to the wise is not sufficient, there’s always bribery. 

Tip: If you would like to have enough cash to purchase the safest baby seat, you can find cheap car insurance to give you better cash flexibility.

After hours of the hardest labor of your life, you’ve finally got that little squirmy person in your arms.  You can’t believe how quickly and how hard you’ve fallen in love, seemingly in a split second.  You plan to do everything you can to protect that child.  Congratulations!  You’re a parent.  And within a very very short time, your parental nurturing mode is going to kick up into high gear, cause you’ve got to take that baby home with you.  And you are just going to have to put that baby into a car seat, because as protective as your loving arms may be, they will not protect your baby in a car accident.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that all hospitals and medical facilities within the United States discharge a newborn baby only if the parent(s) can show them an approved child safety seat.  In some states, parents are also required to watch a video on the proper way to secure a baby in an infant or convertible car seat.  “But, you don’t own a car,” you might say.  Will you be traveling by horse and buggy, then?  Irrespective of your private ownership of a vehicle, an infant car seat is a mandatory, non-negotiable item. 

And look at it this way, you’ll probably want your baby in his or her own baby seat anyway… have you any idea how many germs are crawling over the baby seats that are attached to shopping carts?  Quicker than you can spell streptococcal your baby will have picked up a virus.    Remember, an infant seat protects your child in more ways than just the obvious.

One last note to new parents.  We know that the birth of a new baby is a busy and expensive time, but don’t let that prevent you from covering your safety bases.  If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to compare free auto insurance quotes online and determine if you could pay less for the coverage you need.  Any savings you can find could help offset the cost of a good car seat.

You know already that the best car seat is one that fits your child, your car and your budget, and which has a 5-point safety harness.  But, assuming money is no object, there are other conveniences that you might want to consider.

Wide straps:  The wider the better, because it covers more surface area for better restraint coverage, and the less likely they will get twisted.

2-piece chest clip:  Much more difficult for your child to remove and helps eliminate twisting straps.

Infant car seat with extra base:  Most infant seats come with a single base that is installed in the car and which your seat snaps into.  Some manufacturers offer a separate base for installation in a second vehicle.  While you can probably (check your instruction manual) use your seat without the base, this is a better option.

Size/Weight/Height:  Depending on the size of your child or your car, you may need a wider or longer car seat, or a smaller or narrower car seat.  Car seats are not one-sized-fits-all, so you might want to “test ride” one before you buy.

Front harness adjustment:  The convenience of adjusting the straps quickly from a mechanism located on the front of the seat means that you’ll do it as and when needed, and not just shrug off the task just because you’re in a rush.  Straps may need adjustment when seasons change and clothing thickness becomes an issue.

LATCH System:  Newer model vehicles have a mechanism whereby you can latch your car seat to the car, in which case seatbelts become unnecessary.  Check with your vehicle manufacturer about the proper installation of your car seat.

Built-in locking clip:  Some car seat models do away with the old fashioned separate clip and automatically keep the seat belt appropriately tight.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check if the recent car seat recall affects you and your child. Also, be sure to forward this information to anyone you know who isn’t absolutely sure that their car seat is not included in the recall.

“When used as an infant carrier, the child restraint handle to the seat can loosen and come off, posing a fall hazard to infants.”

The manufacturer, Dorel Juvenile Group, has issued the recall for brands including Safety 1st, Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Disney infant car seat/carriers. The defective products were manufactured from January 6, 2008 through April 6, 2009.

First, locate the model number and date on the label on the side of your seat/carrier. Then check for it on the list of recalled car seat model numbers at the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission site.

According to the manufacturer, these products can safely be used as a car seat but the handle should not be used until the repair kit has been installed.

Infant car seats need to be at just the right angle to keep your baby comfortable and safe.  On most car seats, you’ll find some sort of indicator that will let you know when you’ve positioned the seat correctly, so read your instruction manual to find out exactly how to install it. 

The majority of rear-facing car seats need to be tilted at a 45° angle; again, check your manual!  If you’re at all unsure of yourself, bring your car with the installed seat to a certified technician who will check it for you.  An angle sharper (i.e. less than 45° ) than this and you run the risk of the baby’s head dropping too far forward and blocking her airway; a wider angle and you’re creating a dangerous situation, whereby the baby’s head and neck will absorb the crash forces from an accident. 

 If your seat doesn’t have a built-in level indicator (really, most do) or, if you just can’t get the little bubble or arrow to fall into the green (safe!) zone, place a rolled towel or receiving blanket beneath the seat so that you can get the adjustment right.  This is that important an issue that you just can’t guess at correctness.  In most cases, a matter of a degree or two either way won’t make a significant difference, but are you willing to take that chance?

Bringing your precious preemie baby home from the hospital has got to be one of the most exciting yet scariest things that you’ll ever do.  You will worry, fret and fuss over how best to protect your most precious commodity for the journey home.   Tiny infants may not be able to safely recline in a regular infant car seat, as their full-term counterparts might be.  Special care must be taken to protect their delicate respiratory system, yet they must still be cradled in such a way that a sudden stop or a crash won’t injure them physically.

Preemies will fare best in an infant-only safety seat, preferably one with a 3-point harness.  Never, under any circumstances, place a preemie in a car seat that has an abdominal shield – it’s counterintuitive, but this is an exceptionally dangerous position, because in the event of an accident the shied could cross your baby’s face or neck. 

Now, for some very tiny preemies, the safest car seat isn’t a seat at all, but a bed.  A specially designed car bed will allow your preemie to lie supine or prone, face down or face up or on his or her side, flat or elevated… whichever the paediatrician recommends for the safety of your baby.