Posts Tagged ‘safety regulations’

The LATCH System – An Important Factor In Shopping for Cheap Car Seats

Posted in Advice, child safety


February 22nd, 2010

One acronym that is being floated around the internet car seat community quite a bit these days is “LATCH.”  LATCH stands for “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children,” referring to a system that was developed to dramatically improve the safety features of car seats.  This system was developed in response to a huge need for ease of installation in newer car seats. As of 2003, the LATCH system became a standard addition to vehicles.  What this means is that you can now find a “lower tether anchor” on two points between the back and lower cushions of the seats in your car.  These anchors will attach firmly to LATCH-compatible car seats.

here’s a bit more explanation, courtesy of Expert Village:

So what are the benefits of the LATCH system?  They are two-fold:

Ease of Installation

The LATCH system removes the need for using the seatbelt in the installation of a car seat.  Before LATCH, the most common installation method was to run the seat belt through a narrow hole on the back of the seat.  If you’ve never dealt with this first-hand, I’m sure you can still imagine the absolute pain this is to install, especially if you’re in a hurry to get somewhere and you need to bring your infant with you.  The new method of installation is simply to latch two anchor points from your car seat onto the hooks that are not coming standard in vehicles.  Generally, this simply requires pushing two pieces of metal together until you hear a “click.”

Increased Child Safety

Although convenience and ease of use are the main points behind the LATCH system, these aren’t the only considerations when a new system like this is adopted.  One huge problem with the old system that use seatbelts was that it was possible for the child to reach over and unclasp the belt.  Of course, this compromises the safety of the entire car seat and makes it very dangerous to drive with a child.  The anchor hooks used in the latch system do away with this danger for good:  The anchor points are impossible for a child to compromise in any way provided they are correctly installed and used.  So even though convenience is the main goal of LATCH, it’s hard to argue with the fact that a car seat that is easier to install means there are fewer ways to make a mistake in using it; this applies to any kind of childcare product whether we are talking about baby walkers or car seats!  Fewer possibilities for misuse definitely equate to more safety and peace of mind, and even cheap car seats will have adopted this system so the price doesn’t increase.  Definitely great news for those of us wanting to stretch our dollar a little further!

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Look for Cheap Car Seats – Not Used Ones!

Posted in Advice, Saving Money


February 22nd, 2010

It’s best to avoid buying used car seats for a variety of reasons.  The most obvious one is that you just have no control whatsoever over the potential abuse that the car seat when through in the possession of its previous owners.  Even if you are thinking about taking a hand-me-down car seat from friends or family, they may not remember some important details about the history of the car seat, even leaving out important details that could adversely affect the condition of the seat.

Another practical consideration that a lot of new parents forget about when trying to save money by buyinh used is that the warranty on an infant car seat will not apply to a second owner.  Even cheap car seats are an investment in the future, and you want to make sure that you are properly backed up with all the proper documentation in case you should discover a faulty part on the device.  With a used seat, you run the risk of wasting your money when something breaks and you have to buy a new seat.  For this reason, it actually makes far more sense financially to spend just a little bit more money on cheap car seats that do away with useless features while still emphasizing quality of construction and complying with safety ratings.  This way, you get the best of both worlds:  Smaller immediate investment and peace of mind knowing that you have a quality product.

The last important factor is that a used seat will necessarily be a bit older.  Since the world of child safety is driving forward at such a rapid pace, you run the risk of not taking advantage of the latest developments.  There are many people who make a good living spending all their time testing out these products in real world situations, pushing them to their breaking point in order to ultimately improve the next version of the car seat.  You really should be sure to benefit from this research.  Again, you can still get a great baby car seat cheap without sacrificing the quality of construction if you just shop smart and don’t prioritize useless features that artificially drive up the price of the product.

All of this boils down to shifting your priorities as a new parent when shopping for child-related products:  Make sure to go with quality and safety first, and then narrow down the list to a product that has the fewest unnecessary, extraneous features in order to bring your cost down as much as possible!

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What to Look for in Cheap Car Seats

Posted in Advice


February 22nd, 2010

As a parent, especially a new one, it’s not uncommon for someone to feel the need to stretch their dollar as far as possible.  Taking this into consideration, it’s completely understandable that one would want to save money where they can on the necessary accessories such as diapers, cribs, and car seats.  It’s definitely possible to make a compromise between features and price, without sacrificing safety for your child.

So what should you be looking for in cheap car seats?  Let’s take a look at some important factors to consider:

Adjustable Belts

Look for a car seat that will allow you to adjust the buckle from the front rather than from behind.  It can be a real pain to dig behind the seat to make a last minute adjustment, especially when time is running short and your child is already strapped in and ready to go.

Simplicity of Use

The nice thing about some of the cheap car seats that are available on the market is that they are simpler to use as a result of having fewer extraneous features.  Again, the safety rating of the car seat is what you don’t want to sacrifice – extraneous features that are there just to drive up the price of the car seat, however, can be dispensed with in favor of spending a little bit of money on reliable quality.

Ease of Cleaning

Let’s face it, any accessory or device that involves a young child is going to get dirty pretty often.  You definitely want a cheap infant car seat that is easy enough to clean.  It’s not like you need to search far and wide for something that will self-clean or anything crazy like that, but it does make good sense to find a car seat that allows you to clean it quickly.  Look for removable cushions and an absolute minimum of nooks and crannies that are nearly impossible to clean.

So Now What?

Once you’ve taken these basic things into consideration, you’ll want to look for further safety features.  I recommend always going with a safer option:  Get the seat that comports with any regulations on child safety because these will generally be there for a reason.  There are lots of very smart people who do nothing but test out products for a living, and these experiments are the driving force behind the sensible regulations that go into effect.  Do your due diligence and be informed on the safety guidelines, even when looking for a cheap toddler car seat!


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