Registry Research: 7 Questions to Consider When Choosing a Carseat

Transportation Thursday! Ok, that’s not a real thing, and also its Wednesday; but choosing the right carseat for your little one is a very, very real and important thing (so important that by law you cannot take your baby home from the hospital without one correctly installed) so here we go.

We’ll start with the first question you’ll need to answer before shopping or registering for a seat. Do I want a newborn carseat or convertible carseat? Let’s start with a quiz:

+ which one is portable to bring baby from inside to the car or vice versa, and then clips into the base? This means baby can stay asleep!

- A newborn seat is the lighter, more portable option! It comes with a carrying handle so you can easily move your baby around without waking them. Win! This works even better with a SPILTMILK Carseat Nursing cover, blocks out light to keep your babe sleeping soundly.

+ which one can be used from newborn up until your child can use just a seatbelt?

- A convertible seat is the right answer here, as long as it is newborn rated. It has much higher weight and height limits. Meaning you typically only have to purchase one seat for their entire childhood!

+ Often times, this one will even clip into the stroller to make transportation even easier.

- A newborn seat can often be used in a ’travel system’ meaning you can remove them from the car, into the stroller, and back in the car without having to take them out of the carseat.

+ Which one must be replaced once your child reaches a certain height?

- Both! The usual regulation for either type of seat is that it will work until the top of their head is less than an inch from the top of the seat when buckled.

+ One of these seats will face the rear for safety, then switch when the child is large enough to switch to forward facing.

- A convertible seat will switch! The typical rule is once your child hits 40-50lbs they will switch to face the front, and a convertible seat will switch with them.

+ Instead of having multiple carseats (read: $$$) this one allows for separate bases for multiple cars.

- The lighter and more portable newborn seat will click into a base. This means if you have multiple cars, you only need multiple bases, not multiple carseats - big money saver!

+ Which one is more expensive?

- Both… or neither. One doesn’t generally have a higher price point than another. What you’re really paying for are any features you think you need. As far as safety goes, paying more doesn’t make a carseat safer as they are all required to pass the same safety tests before being sold to the public!