Choosing a Toddler Car Seat -- How to Ensure Your Child's Comfort and Safety

Learn about toddler car seats before you buy. It may not be necessary to purchase an expensive car seat to keep your child safe.

Most children are ready to start using a 'toddler' car seat at about six months of age, until they transition into a 'booster' car seat at approximately 2 years of age. Toddler car seats are forward facing, and typically use a combination of the car's seat belts or a special anchoring system, and a separate harness, to secure the car seat and the child. Many toddler car seats allow the child to ride in either an upright or a reclined position, and some models raise the child up sufficiently to be able to easily see out of the vehicle's windows while in the upright position. Child car seat manufacturers are bound by very strict guidelines, and you may be surprised to find that some of the more expensive car seats don't provide any better level of protection than those which are more moderately priced. Child car seat manufacturers are bound by very strict guidelines, and you may be surprised to find that some of the more expensive car seats don’t provide any better level of protection than those which are more moderately priced. 

Toddler car seats come in three basic varieties: (1) those that can be used only as a toddler car seat, (2) those that can be used both as an infant car seat and a toddler car seat, and (3) those that can be used both as a toddler car seat and a booster car seat. Seats that are designed to be used in two different modes are called 'convertible' car seats.

Convertible infant/toddler car seats can be used for children from infancy (with the car seat in the rear facing position), into their toddler years (with the car seat turned around and used in the forward facing position), until they are ready for a booster car seat. In the rear facing mode, these types of car seats can typically be used with a child up to about 25 lbs, and then used in the forward facing position until the child reaches about 40 lbs. These types of car seats have a larger seat than an infant only car seat, and many come with padded inserts for use when the child is still small.

Convertible toddler/booster car seats are forward facing, and typically use both the car's seat belts and a separate harness during the 'toddler' stage, and just the car's seat belts during the 'booster' stage.

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Article Tags: Car's Seat Belts, Car's Seat, Seat Belts

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