“Of all things you’ll buy for your child, a good car seat is one of the most important,” says Consumer Reports. “You’ll need a car seat from the moment you take baby home from the hospital until he or she grows up enough to fit into adult seat belts, typically around the age of 8 or later.”
Car seats can be divided in five categories:
Infant. “This provides the best fit for newborns and smaller babies, and can be used for children from 4 lbs. to 40, depending on the model.”
Convertible. “This is likely the next step after outgrowing an infant seat, to be purchased no later than a child’s first birthday.”
Booster. “When your child outgrows the weight and height limit for a forward-facing seat’s harness, it’s time for a booster that uses a car’s own seat belt.”
All-in-one. “They provide great value by taking a child from birth to booster. They’re a tempting money-saver, but our tests have found that by trying to do too much they don’t do any single task all that well.”
Toddler booster. “They are a less expensive alternative to convertible seats (if your child meets the forward-facing age and weight requirements), and offer a safe option for an older child not yet ready for a booster or a transition seat.”
Here is the Consumer Reports’ selection of recommended car seats. The maximum overall score is 100, and “Best Buy” models offer more value.
Infant car seat
Convertible car seat
Booster seat
Highback-to-backless boosters
Highback boosters
Backless boosters
All-in-one car seat
Toddler booster seat
Greater than 40 lb. harness capacity toddler booster seats
40 lb. harness capacity toddler booster seats
Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly since 1936. It features reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory and survey research centre. The magazine accepts no advertising, pays for all the products it tests, and, as a not-for-profit organisation, has no shareholders. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides. (Wikipedia.)
Source: Consumer Reports
Last checked on: 27 November 2017
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