With so many baby car seat models being sold, many new parents feel overwhelmed and stressed out about which one is the best choice. It’s such an important decision! The last thing you’d want is to have your child in a baby car seat that does not provide the maximum amount of protection for your child in the event that you have a car crash. Infant car seats are designed to accommodate children up to roughly two years old or when they reach the height and weight limits of the seat. They provide the extra protection these smallest of passengers require while doubling as a carrier that detaches from the base, which stays attached to the vehicle.
One of the great things about the Internet is that you can research virtually anything in the comfort of your own home. Sure, there’s a lot of trivial, useless stuff out there, but there’s also a lot of practical information we can use in our everyday lives. When it comes to researching something like a baby car seat, consumer protection organizations often have elaborate websites that are the perfect places to get what you need.
Consumer Reports is a famous organization devoted to giving consumers detailed information about products of all kinds – including your next baby car seat. The good people at Consumer Reports conducted a detailed test of several brands of car seats. They wanted to find the best (and worst) baby car seat being sold, based on crash protection, ease of use, and proper vehicle fit.
The Evenflo Embrace 35 performed well in CR’s crash tests, which simulate a 48 – KM frontal crash into a wall or other fixed object. We also found the Evenflo Embrace easy to install in the five major vehicle types, including compact cars, midsized sedans, small SUVs, large SUVs, and the minivans we’ve come to associate with kids and parenting. Another plus: Its adjustable crotch strap and especially its 15.9 Kilogram capacity can buy you some extra time before you need to step up to a rear-facing convertible car seat as baby grows. Car-seat companies are also addressing the need for rear-facing seats that accommodate larger babies longer.
The Graco Snugride Click Connect 40, price range AED 808 ($220), is the first rated for up to 18 Kilogram. Indeed, some 65 percent of one-year-old boys are heavier than 10 Kilogram, the limit for smaller, lower-priced infant seats. Solid crash-test scores and easy installation are other reasons to consider the Graco Snugride Click Connect 40 infant seat. But the bulkier design and added length of the seat base needed for that higher weight limit also mean the Snugride is likely to fit fewer vehicles.
(Hint: A car seat is too big if 20 percent or more of its base extends beyond the front of the vehicle seat.)
Other issues also kept the AED 662 ($180) Summer Prodigy infant car seat off our winners’ list. An electronic screen is designed to show whether you’ve installed the seat properly but the “correct” recline angle for newborns may be too upright, which may allow the heads of younger babies to fall forward and restrict their breathing. Seat belt routing that was relatively involved can also lead to installation errors, while a ratcheting device proved hard to tighten and even harder to release.
The top-rated Chicco KeyFit 30, AED 662 ($180), in the good people at Consumer reports infant car-seat ratings.