| So you are going to have a baby soon! It is an exciting | | | | Typically, the 2nd trimester is the most comfortable for |
| time, and you plan to spend much money preparing for | | | | expectant mothers. Use it! Shop around and compare |
| his or her arrival. Comfy baby blankets, fancy baby | | | | prices. Of course, you can do the shopping online. But |
| cribs, trendy baby clothes. They are all good, but what | | | | realistically, don't you want to check out what your |
| about the carseat? Have you bought one yet? | | | | baby will be riding in? Whether it is comfortable? What |
| Surprisingly, many expectant parents do not put a lot | | | | materials and extras do they come in? But there is a |
| of thoughts into the carseat. Very often, they push the | | | | more important reason for buying early: carseat check. |
| purchase to the last minute. Yet it is one of the most | | | | The carseat check appointments are hard to come |
| important items for your baby. We will show you what | | | | by, and a typical wait is about one month. Buying early |
| you need to do to bring your precious baby home | | | | will give you plenty of time to schedule this |
| safely. | | | | appointment. |
| 1. Don't ever, ever buy a used carseat You may see it | | | | 4. Do make an appointment for carseat check So you |
| on ebay, you may see it on craigslist. The seller says | | | | bought the carseat, and you went ahead and installed |
| the baby has grown and will sell the carseat to you for | | | | it... possibly without even reading the installation guide. |
| $20, with the extra latch base too! Well... don't buy it! | | | | Guess what? About 80-90% of the carseats in the |
| Don't even go buy used from a store. The fact is that | | | | US are installed INCORRECTLY prior to a carseat |
| you do not know the history of the carseat; whether it | | | | check. Even if you have confidence in your installation, |
| has been in a crash before. If it has, chances are that | | | | it is still a good idea to check it out. These carseat |
| this carseat is structurally defective and unsafe for | | | | appointments are hard to come by, and it's best to |
| your baby. It is not worth any price to put your baby | | | | schedule one early. Typical carseat check locations |
| into danger, and espeically not worth it when a good | | | | are highway patrol stations, police departments, and |
| carseat can be had for as little as $80. | | | | some car dealers. Call them and ask for an |
| 2. Don't spend a lot of money on carseat Some | | | | appointment. |
| parents like to spend, and that is fine. But why spend | | | | 5. Do learn how to strap your baby in the carseat |
| more than necessary? Carseats are not graded by | | | | Some parents think that once they get the carseat |
| how expensive they are. They are graded by how | | | | latch base installation checked, their job is done. No, no, |
| well your baby is protected. Spending a lot of money | | | | and no! The baby is still strapped to the carseat by |
| on the carseat, but not installing it properly or strapping | | | | you, and proper strapping is essential to the correct |
| the baby in properly will not do your baby any good. | | | | functioning of the entire baby carseat system. So go, |
| Do your research on the quality and contruction of a | | | | take a class, and learn how to properly strap your |
| carseat, and compare different features. Buy for | | | | baby to the carseat. It would be time and money well |
| quality, not for price. | | | | spent. |
| 3. Do buy a carseat at least 3 months in advance | | | | |