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.

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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Epinions.com - Comments on 'Eddie Bauer High Back Booster: Unsafe as..

Home > Kids & Family > Car Seats > "Eddie Bauer High Back Booster: Unsafe as a Booster and Not Recommended by Consumer Reports" > comments...

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Child Carseat Safety Features and Buying Guide

Home | Forums | Carseat Basics | FAQ | LATCH | Free Carseat Inspection | Site Index Car-Safety.Org Carseat Buying Guide The most frequently asked question by parents is, "Which is the ...

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MommieTalk - Need help choosing a booster seat

...06:58 PM.. After testing car booster seats consumer reports recommended only one that.....php?f=41..) -   -   Need help choosing a booster seat (http://www.mommietalk.com.....August 2004 ...

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

... in Kids & Family, Apr 10 '04 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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Toddler Car Seats Product Reviews and Reports by Consumer Search - Con

ConsumerSearch.com reviews the reviews of toddler car seats, as well as hundreds of other products. The site identifies which products reviewers like and dislike, where they agree or ...

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Berkeley Parents Network: The Infant Seat

...read that it is not recommended by Consumer Reports as a booster seat. Does anyone have.....seats (ones for toddlers) and booster seats now come with tether straps for.....stay rear ...

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Booster Car Seat

...60) References .. (Sept, 1995) Consumer Reports.. Search other websites for this.....in rear-end impact .. Recommended Booster Seat .. Century Breverra Premiere.....Safety .. Seat Belt ...

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Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Eddie Bauer Booster Seat at...

...by Consumer Reports Cons Unsafe and not recommended as a booster seat. As a five-point, you'll find better seats The Bottom Line Consumer...

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