When you’re shopping for a new car, you’ve already got in mind the safety features that you want, and then, when you discover you’ve got a little money left over, you plan the extras and add-ins that will make the car something really special. Well, it’s the same exact thought process when you’re shopping for a car seat, only more so, because instead of it being exclusively for you, it’s for someone even more important – your precious cargo.
Head protection and wings: The majority of car seats have a special foam or plastic layer, like that used in protective gear and helmets, recessed into the shell around the head. These wings aren’t merely there to keep your child’s head from bobbing all over the place while she sleeps, they protect against impacts from the rear and side, and with rebounding from a frontal crash.
Higher weight limits: The safest position for a car seat is rear facing; evidence proves that fact out. A car seat that has a higher weight threshold allows you to keep your child rear facing for a longer period of time; some convertible seats and a few infant seats can remain rear facing and protect a child up to 35 lbs.
Finally, not really a bell nor a whistle, but just something to think about…
Carrying handles: Hardly given a second thought when considering the safety features of a car seat, but all things being equal, you’re very likely to have reason to haul that car seat around, dangling from the crook of your elbow. Ouch!
Consider the combined weight of child and seat, and the padding (or absence thereof) as well as the shape of the handle, especially if you know you may have to often transfer the car seat from one mode of transport to another.
Tip: If you’d like to have a bit more cash to put toward the safest car seat possible, why not compare discount auto insurance quotes and possibly save some money over your current rates.
Comments on this entry are closed.