When it came time to buy a car seat before our daughter was born, I probably spent a total of 40 hours researching every available option. I went online, I asked friends, I read reviews, I watched videos. In short, I became a car seat expert.
The result? I learned more about car seats than I ever thought possible, and I felt extremely confident about the seat we ended up buying.
Even though we’re not in the market for a new car seat, one seat that I wish was available when I was shopping is the Chicco NextFit Convertible car seat (available at Target and Baby’s ‘R Us). It’s Chicco’s first convertible seat for the North American market and it’s designed to help parents easily install their seat correctly every time.
Here’s what makes the NextFit so nice:
- It’s the easiest car seat to install accurately and securely in a wide range of vehicles.
- It grows with your baby, easily adjusting to fit children from infant (5 pounds) to preschool (65 pounds).
- The harness straps don’t need to be rethreaded as your child grows and are easily adjustable in height AND width.
- The innovative chest clip features two positions to fit the torso of your child as she grows.
But once you find the right car seat – one that can adjust to fit your child as she grows and one that’s high quality – it’s still important for you to practice proper safety precautions. This is an area I’m proud to say that I’m extremely well-versed. Here are two of the most important lessons:
REAR-FACING IS SAFEST – According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should keep your child rear-facing until at least two years old, and even longer if your car seat’s weight and height limit allows.
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS – Your seat isn’t safe if it’s not used correctly or installed correctly. Follow the usage instructions, and if you’re not sure how to install it (or just want someone to check it out), call your local police station to see if someone in your area will perform a safety check.
Of course, there are countless other steps that should be taken to practice good car seat safety. For more tips, check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. And if you’re interested in the Chicco NextFit Convertible car seat, feel free to visit them online!
I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Chicco and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
I hope to be able to experience shopping for car seats for babies in the future. I have been wanting to be a mother.
I’ll have to pass this on, thanks!
That’s a super helpful graphic! Thanks so much for sharing it!!
Thanks we were just looking for a carseat for my husbands parents to buy for when we visit! Thanks for the review!
Thanks for the info!!! My son is only 2, but already growing out of him forward-facing 🙁
I love that car seat makers are now making seats that grow with the children rather than having to purchase a new car seat every stage! It makes life so much easier!
great information safety is extremely important
This is great information thanks!!
I plan to keep my daughter in her car seat as long as possible. I hope she won’t be embarrassed being the only 14 year old in a car seat…lol! Seriously, she’s staying in there as long as possible. Her safety is more important to me than convenience!
Great article on car seat safety – mine are older but I will share
I like that they have car seats that grow with the child. I know it was a hard time in choosing which car seat I needed when my first two kids were growing. Thanks for the info.
thank you for including the graphic, very helpful!