So You Wanna Buy a Car Seat

Six years ago we had our first baby, and out of sheer luck, we registered for the perfect car seat. I had no idea what I needed to look for in a car seat, but it turns out there is way more to consider than just the print on the fabric.

Who knew?

(I did do a little research into car seat safety, though, and, for our price range, the Graco SnugRide and Graco SafeSeat were both given great safety ratings, so those were the seats I looked at. But, as I alluded to, overall, I assumed most car seats were created equal).

Our first infant carrier car seat expired in December 2011, so when I was pregnant with Zoe, I went on the hunt for a new one. I knew exactly which features I wanted, and I found a seat that I'm very happy with:

Behold the Graco SnugRide 35.

Now let me tell you why I picked this car seat, and hopefully I can help out some future car seat buyers. There are a few features that my first "sheer luck" car seat had that (I learned later) aren't standard on every car seat.

First - and probably the most important: the pull strap.

 

This strap is for loosening and tightening the car seat straps. YOU WANT THIS. Trust me!

I see so many babies riding in seats that do not have this feature, and their harness straps are way too loose. This is dangerous!! You should not be able to pinch your baby's harness straps. If you can, they need to be tightened. Seats without a pull strap require you to loosen/tighten the harness from the back, meaning that you have to do some inconvenient disassembling and reassembling.

I know why your baby's car seat straps are too loose! It's because it's a pain in the neck to make them fit right! 

So it's worth it to get a seat that has the pull strap. Not only will you be able to get a snug fit every time you put your baby in the seat, you will also be able to loosen the harness to get your baby out of the seat (and that is helpful).

Next thing: slots so the seat can be installed without the base.

I'm pretty sure that all infant carrier car seats come with a base these days, but what do I know? I am but a humble consumer. Regardless, there may be times when you need to install the car seat without the base. For me, this time came when I was babysitting my nephew. He was dropped off at my house in his carrier, and a few hours later, my mom called and asked  if I could pick her up from the tire store. Turns out my nephew's seat didn't have the slots to install it with a seat belt (which I assumed all infant carriers had), so I had to call my mom back and tell her I couldn't come. Most of the time, you will use the base, but there are little emergencies that pop up once in a while where you might need to be able to buckle your car seat in the car without it.

The third thing: a visor that goes all the way forward and all the way back.

The sun shines at all angles, so it doesn't make sense to have a visor that stops here:

I looked at a few car seats that were less expensive than this one from another brand, and I was *this close* to buying one online. Then I went to Target and looked at the display, and I realized that I hated the harness (it had a puzzle lock system), and I didn't like the position of the lever that releases the seat from the base (it was on the front by the baby's feet instead of on the back behind the baby's head, so I would have had to cram my hand between the seat of my car and the car seat base to undo it).

So, a word of advice: go to the store and find the seat with the features you like. Then spend some quality time with it. Move the handle back and forth. Remove the seat from its base, and put it back on. Do and undo the harness several times. See if you like the way it all feels. I will admit, the buckle and the lever on this model are a little stiff, but not so bad that I wouldn't have bought it.

Hopefully you, too, will be able to find an infant carrier that works for you!