Choosing & Using a Car Seat Like a Pro

*This post is a sponsored post from Chicco. All opinions are my own. Images Courtesy of Chicco.

Expecting a baby? If you plan on doing any traveling by car, you’re going to need a car seat for your new little bundle of love! It’s one of the most important pieces of baby gear that you’ll buy.  When used correctly, a car seat can reduce fatal injuries to your baby during an accident by 71%, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Finding and buying the right infant car seat can be tricky. While it’s easy to get drawn into all of the amazing colors and styles, the important thing is that you pick a car seat that is safe for your child. Use our tips to help pick the best infant car seat and give your child a safe ride.

Using a Car Seat Like a Pro

A Good Base Makes a Solid Foundation for Safety

Infant car seats typically come with a base that you install in your car, and then you can click an infant bucket seat in and out of the base. Chicco, one of our favorite places to buy baby gear, has a huge variety of infant car seats with bases.

Most infant car seats can be used with a regular seatbelt in addition to using the seat with the base. The base allows you the convenience of safely clicking your infant in every time without worrying about if the seat is secured in the car with seatbelts. All of the sleep-deprived moms and dads of infants should consider that heavily, as car seats are often misused or not installed properly.

If you are switching your baby back and forth between multiple cars regularly, I highly recommend buying an extra base. Then you can install the base once in each car and know every time your baby is secure without having to readjust and tighten the seat tethers every time you switch cars. Chicco sells extra bases separately, so you can buy as many as you need for each car that you’ll be using.

Latch Right Every Time

The latch system lets you easily clip your car seat using two clips that attach to hooks pre-installed in many cars. I have installed my car seat both using the latch hooks and a seatbelt. While the seat does attach firmly using the seatbelt method and is safe when the seat is installed correctly. I personally prefer using the latch system. Tethering two clips that you can hear click tight always gave me peace of mind.

Chicco uses the latch system and takes things one step further by adding bubble levels to their seats to ensure your car seat is snuggly, safely attached and properly positioned every time. Making sure my kiddo was secure was important to me, and Chicco cars seats go the extra mile to help you ensure your car seat is secure.

Focus on the Five-Point Harness

All babies and young children should be in a car seat with a five-point harness.  Simply put, their small bodies are not safely strapped into a seat without that five-point buckle. Look for a car seat that lets you easily adjust the seatbelt. I have argued with my husband multiple times, as he prefers to simply unbuckle the seatbelt without loosening it. The problem: the next time he puts my daughter in the car, he doesn’t readjust the straps to tighten the harness figuring they are already tight. Chicco’s car seats are super easy to adjust which means when the weather and clothing thickness is changing your kiddo is still snug. The only way to ensure your child is safe in the car seat is to tighten those straps every time snuggly across their chest.

Ask for Help Installing it Properly

Not sure how to install your car seat properly? Consult your manual or call your friendly car seat company with questions. Many fire or police stations also offer car seat clinics where they will teach you how to properly install your seat. Ask them to show you both the latch system and how to attach your car seat model with a seatbelt.

Need more reasons to buy a Chicco car seat that is super easy to install and use? Check out this infographic!

What tips do you have for picking out an infant car seat like a pro? Tell us in the comments!