The Britax Roundabout, a popular convertible car seat.

All About Car Seats

There are three main types of car seats on the market today. First, the infant car seat is designed for the youngest of children, up to 20 or 22 pounds. Most of these seats have two parts, the base which stays strapped in to the vehicle's safety belt system and the carrier which snaps out and allows the baby to be carried without unfastening the infant from the harness (very important if Baby has finally fallen asleep!) The infant car seats are designed to be rear-facing, where the infant faces the rear of the vehicle. It is important for infants to be seated rear facing for the first year of life, until the muscles of the neck are strong enough to withstand the force an accident could impose on them.

A second type of car seat is called the convertible seat, and is designed for newborns through toddlers, or up until 40 pounds. This seat is designed to be used rear-facing for the first year of life, or up until the weight restrictions (usually 30 pounds). After this, the seat can face forward until the child reaches the upper weight limit, usually 40 pounds, although some car seats can be used longer. The most popular type of harness system for infants and toddlers is the five-point system, where the child is clipped by a series of three clips designed to evenly disperse the force of impact. The five-point system is highly recommended, although other systems (such as the three-point or overhead bar) may still be available.

After the child graduates from the convertible seat, it's time for a booster seat. These seats no longer use a separate harness system, the child and seat are both strapped directly into the vehicle's seat belt. The booster is designed to raise the child up in the seat so the vehicle's harness can function correctly. Booster seats should be used until the child is 80 pounds, at which time the child will be ready for the use of the regular seat belt. While some boosters are rated for children as light as 30 pounds, it is important to keep children in the 5-point restraint systems for as long as possible.

ABC30.com: Consumer Watch - Booster Seats

Consumer Watch - Booster Seats. By Craig Fiegener. Consumer Reports says that if you want your kids, ages 4 to 8, to be safe riding in your car,...

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Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Cosco Summit High Back 22-260 at Ep

... Rating Durability: Ease of Use: Pros The only convertible booster recommended by Consumer Reports. Cons Not as good as our Britax seats. Harness should accommodate taller children!!! ...

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1-booster-seat.com - booster car seats , backless booster car seats ,

... seat.com booster car seats , backless booster car seats , car booster seats , consumer reports booster seats Graco Tot Loc Chair with Tray The Tot-Loc Chair with the easily removable ...

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graco booster seat ... baby diaper bag, dada shoes, graco booster seat

...the one that was top-rated by Consumer Reports in January (or so) of 1999. I found.....graco booster seat: Look at the Graco booster seat convertible seats (they have.....to 40 lbs and ...

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Yahoo! Shopping - Consumer Reports

Primary Navigation. Consumer Reports®. Appliances. Automotive. Baby & Childcare. Computers. Electronics. Home & Garden. Kitchen. My Reports. Consumer Reports offers this valuable ...

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Parents' Press: CA Booster Seat Law, 2002

...Child Safety Seats (Car Seats) & Booster Seats .. California's new booster seat law.....so you can check for recalls, etc. Consumer Reports: Three excellent articles available.....and ...

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TheKCRAChannel.com - Call 3 - Consumer Reports Tests Car Booster Seats

...This Story.. Consumer Reports Tests Car Booster Seats..Some Seats Safer Than Others.....Consumer Reports recently tested several booster seats that can be used with both.....of six, or ...

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Consumers Union - Nonprofit Publishers Of Consumer Reports: Product Sa

Home : Product Safety : Children's Products CU Urges CPSC to Ban Baby Bath Seats testimony (Mon Jul 28 2003) CU supports "Ease of Use" Child Safety Seat Ratings remarks (Thu Jun 19 2003) ...

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Toddler Car Seats Product Reviews and Reports by Consumer Search - Con

Car Seats, Toddler Best Reviews: (out of 8) Consumer Reports, BabyBargainsBook.com, Best Baby Products.com Best Car Seats, Toddler: (out of 20) Cosco/Eddie Bauer Summit, Britax Starrriser ...

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Magazine recommends not using some child booster car seats

... Consumer Reports tested booster seats that can be used with younger children. Each has a harness for toddlers 20 ... On several seats, testers found a problem with the guide ...

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