please tell me about car seats

Hi All!! I am currently 16 1/2 weeks PG with baby #1 and I am starting to look around to register. I have been told there are different car seats for different stages. Can someone please give me a quick tutorial about the different kinds? Or send me to a website that will help this very confused lady.
Thanks so much!

Re: please tell me about car seats

Infant car seat has a base and a carrier, so you can put DC in and out of the car without removing them from the seat (great for when they are asleep, or if it's bad weather, since you can strap them in the seat in the house, then run to the car and just snap them into the base)

When they get too tall or heavy for the carrier, or too heavy for you to carry, you can move to a rear-facing convertible seat. It's called a convertible, since it converts from rear-facing (RF) to front-facing (FF). They stay RF until 2 years, according to the latest recommendations.

They stay FF until they are at least 4 years and 40 lbs, then they can move to a booster seat, which boosts them up so they are the proper height for the built-in shoulder strap.

Re: please tell me about car seats

Thank you so much. Now when I go to register I will understand the difference.

Re: please tell me about car seats

Couldn't put it any better than GoldenRod did!

If you plan to register for an infant seat, look for one that adjusts in the front (you'll see a strap to pull near baby's feet) rather than one that has to be adjusted from the back. The rear adjusts are a PITA.

No need to register for a FF only or booster seat, they won't be going into one for a while.

If registering for a convertible, look for higher weight limits, tall harness slots and ease of use.


AND, actually play with seats. Pull the harness tight, loosen it etc. At BRU and BBB they will let you take them to the car. See how they fit. And definitely get your seat inspected when installed. Where are you located?