The Best Car Seat

I wish that it was as simple as just saying to every parent-here is the best car seat, go and buy it.

The reality is that you need to find the car seat that fits in your car safely. Fits your child (are they a long and lean baby or a short and thick baby?) properly and is easy for you to adjust. You often get what you pay for. Some of the less expensive seats are harder to install and adjust. Some of the really expensive "top of the line" seats have frewer features and don't fit well in many vehicles.

I am not familiar with every car seat that is on the market. I know of the car seats that I have researched for my own family and for friend's families. On the other hand, I am not one to make negative comments, so I am often commenting by omission.

I have found that the Alpha Omege Elite (AOE) is a great universal seat. It is the same seat as the Edie Bauer, so unless you have money to waste on a prettier fabric, I wont bother getting into it. It is the same seat. I think that is is worth spending more money on the Elite over the regular Alpha Omega. The shoulder height on the Elite can be adjusted from the front. On the regular, you have to take the seat out of the car to do it. Unless you are confident in your car seat instalation, it is easier to adjust from the front and leave the car seat in the car.

If you have a small car, or tall people in the front of a medium sized car, the AOE is likely going to be too large to install safely when it is rear facing. The key here is that, of course, your child should stay rear facing until they are 30 lbs, and that the car seat and the vehicle seat should not interfere with each other.

If you have tall children (over 30 lbs of course) then you may not be served fully by the generic 3 in 1s on the market. Many of them are built for the 50th percentile child and only go to the 40lb minimum required to be ready for a booster. Some of the seats that I know of in Canada that use the 5 point harness past 40 lbs are the Evenflo Vision ($100 Wal Mart), Graco Cargo ($130 without front adjust at Can Tire, $169 with front adjust at Sears), Sunshine Kids Radian ($200 Can Tire), and the Britax Marathon ($300 pretty much everywhere).

Which car seats do I have? After much searching, and buying, and returning, and trying, and returning...I have a rear facing Britax Roundabout and a forward facing Graco Cargo.

Most Common Mistakes

So we've all heard the stats that something like 90% of all car seats are installed incorrectly. Here are the ones that I see most frequntly.

1. car seats installed using UAS in the centre position of the vehicle when the vehicle manual says that it is not permitted. Many cars don't allow for car seat installation in the rear centre position using UAS. You must read your manual.
2. The back of a forward facing car seat is not tethered to the back of the car.
3. Children moved to the forward facing position before they are ready.
4. Bunting bags or thick winter clothing used in car seats. Check out this Transport Canada Advisory

Some YouTube Videos worth watching

There is lots of information out there. Lots of people will tell you what you should do. You need to make the decisions that are right for your family. YOU need to make the decisions for your child since they can't advocate for themselves.

None of the videos are Canadian and it is important to keep that in mind as you watch them. The weight ranges and regulations are different in several cases.

This is a video by an Australian family stressing the importance of the use of a five point harness rather than a booster for as long as possible. Belle's Gift - The Importance of a 5 Point Harness Car Seat In Canada the earliest that a child may go into a booster is 40 lbs. There are car seats approved for use in Canada that use a 5 point harness up to 48 lbs.

Here is a video that a sister in the US made to try to convince her sister to keep her child rear facing as long as possible. Child Seat Safety. In Canada children may turn forward facing as early as 20 lbs and pulling up to a stand unassisted. In many cases this can be FAR TOO EARLY. I know 4 month old babies with no neck control who are 23 lbs and I know a 2 year old who is running full speed, but only weighs 19 lbs. In both cases these children need to be rear facing.

In Canada you will find car seats that go rear facing up to 30, 33 and even 35 lbs. Many 3 year olds are not 35 lbs. This is one of those cases where you need to make the decision that is right for your child. If it is more important that they turn around to see the front, or watch a DVD, maybe you should watch the crash footage again.

This one has circulated the web many times. It is about Kyle, who was in a booster seat when he could have been in a five point harness. Kyle died in a collision. This video has some great crash footage. Please keep in mind that the seat that she is talking about buying in this video is not currently available in Canada. Using it here could be dangerous and would be illegal. Importance of a 5-Point Harness Car Seat