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