As a mom, one of the scariest moments for me came as my husband, son and I were on our way home from a long summer weekend in Massachusetts where we had enjoyed swimming, fireworks, a parade, a barbeque, and yes, time with my in-laws too. We were driving along, discussing the trip, when all of a sudden our voices were drowned out by a loud crunch. I twisted around from the passenger seat to look at my son who had been startled, but fortunately seemed fine in his car seat (we took him to the hospital right away just to be sure).
Needless to say, we were beyond relieved that Brandon was unharmed and really began to understand the importance of a good car seat that night.
I continue to check up on car seats often, with an eye out for new developments. So I was as concerned as any parent of a young child when I heard that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had recently changed their recommendations for car seats.
The new recommendations call for sticking with each style of seat–rear facing, five-point, and booster–for as long as possible, because each “upgrade” provides a decreasing level of protection to your child.
Specifically, instead of switching children to forward facing seats on their first birthdays, the AAP now recommends waiting until children are two or even three, as long as they are under the maximum height and weight for their seat. When evaluating the various options, be sure to consider how long each seat will last.
Here are some of the most popular car seats in terms of comfort, flexibility and of course, safety:
Graco Snugride. This is the classic infant-carrier style car seat. The handle turns up for carrying, back for easy access to get your child in or out, and down to stabilize the carrier as a free-standing baby-seat. Graco offers several levels of trim, from basic all the way up to GracoPedic foam for extra comfort. They also offer several sizes, from the lightest Snugride,which can carry an infant from 5 to 22 pounds and up to 29 inches long, to the larger and heavier Snugride 35, which can carry infants up to 35 pounds and 32 inches long. This seat includes a level indicator to help you adjust it to the proper angle, even if you aren’t using the base (in a taxi, for example). My husband and I chose the smaller version for our children, because it was lighter, but with the new recommendations it probably makes more sense to get a larger one that will let you keep your child in the safer, rear-facing position for as long as possible.
Graco My Ride 65. This convertible car seat sacrifices the convenience of a carrier in exchange for the ability to hold larger children, saving you from needing a second seat when your child turns one. It will hold an infant from 5 to 40 pounds in the rear-facing position, and once your child is old enough to face forward, it can be turned around to hold a toddler from 20 to 65 pounds.
Britax Chaperone. A unique feature offered on this carrier is the Anti-Rebound bar, which looks like an extra carrying handle sticking up from the base. It braces against the backrest of the car’s seat, preventing it from flipping up if your car is hit from the rear. This seat includes level indicators on the base and will protect infants from 4 to 30 pounds and up to 32 inches.
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30-30. The SIP stands for Side Impact Protection. This infant-carrier style car seat offers extra padding on the sides that is adjustable to fit your child and provides that extra bit of security against side-impact crashes. It fits infants up to 30 pounds or 30 inches.
Chicco Keyfit. Like the Graco Snugride, the Keyfit infant-carrier style car seat comes in two versions, one for infants up to 22 pounds and one that goes up to 30 pounds. The big advantage of the Keyfit is its simple installation. After you attach the LATCH clips, you simply pull a single strap on the base to tighten it down and lock it into your car.
