What To Expect When Buying A Car Seat
Before you impulsively buy a car seat, do some research. Check your cars manual and see whether the car seat can be attached using the latch or belt.
If your choice is a latch, identify yourself with the latching system of your vehicle. Also, measure the back seat to get familiar with how much space there is for the car seat.
Car seats can either have a narrow or wider base. Make sure the car seats fit at the back of your car.
A convertible car seat is the best investment, as it can grow with your child. These are known for safety and can last till toddlerhood!
Sometimes, a seat and a stroller are sold together at a good discount. Dont miss that chance!
Furthermore, check if the car seat on your mind is approved by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association . This is important because the safety standards are constantly improving and you need to keep up with it.
Moreover, the most crucial features to look out for in a car seat are the 5-point harness , a latch, and side-impact foams and pads. Other secondary features include an anti-rebound bar and a bigger canopy.
If My Car Seat Is Involved In An Accident Can I Still Use It
Follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations guidelines that recommend discontinuing use of a car seat if it has been in a moderate to severe crash. You can keep it if the crash can be defined as minor, meaning it meets ALL of following criteria:
- The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site.
- The vehicle door nearest the child restraint was undamaged.
- There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants.
- The air bags did not deploy.
- There is no visible damage to the car seat.
Upgrading Your Car Interior: Should You Do It And Whats Involved
If you own your car, youre in the fortunate position that you can make changes without worrying about what the finance company might think and that means theres room for customisation. Whether you want to fit a roof rack or change the alloys, owning your car means the total freedom to make it yours, whatever that means to you.
But while most drivers make minor changes to their cars, what happens if you want to go the whole hog and upgrade the interior? Is customising the inside of your car worth the time and money? Or are you setting yourself up for a fall when it comes time to sell it or trade it in?
If youre thinking of giving the inside of your car a personal touch, our guide to upgrading car interiors can help you decide if its right for you.
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Tips To Upgrade Your Car Seat:
The tips which you should follow while upgrading your car seat include:
1. Choose one according to your current age of your child:
If the child is close to one year of age, you have to choose one suitable for children up to 2 to 3 years of age. In that case, you will not have to change it anytime soon.
2. Check for car compatibility before making the decision:
You have to ensure that the car seat is compatible with your car. Only then can you go ahead and choose it. You will be surprised how many car seats are not compatible with certain car models. Instead of assuming that it is compatible, it is a much better idea to check for the compatibility and decide.
3. Materials in use:
When youre buying a new car seat, it is essential to look at the car seats materials. Ideally, they should be comfortable for your child and completely soft as well. When that is the case, it becomes easier for you to provide proper comfort and safety to your child.
4. Safety mechanism:
The car seat should come along with a safety harness, and also, it should come along with shock-absorbing foam. The coverage which it should provide should be excellent as well.
When upgrading your car seat, you have to look out for this factor as well.
With these car tips, it will become easier for you to upgrade your car seat.
Now, you are aware of the situations in which you should upgrade your car seat. Not only that, but you are also aware of the tips which you should follow while upgrading the same.
Get Your Car Leather Seats Upgraded Or Replace Old Tired Leather Or Cloth Save Up To $2000 On Dealer Prices
Banisters Upholstery & Car Interior Experts gives your the choice for your car. We are the experts in auto interior restoration and we can fix or replace your current interior with a premium leather interior upgrade. Our craftsmanship is like no other. With our leather upgrades, no one will tell the difference between our work and the manufacturers. We are auto interior experts! And for half the cost!
As a 70-year-old company in the business of car interiors, we have relationships with the best interior product manufacturers in the world. As a result, we can custom-fit your car to have the leather interior you want for a great price. It doesnt have to cost premium prices, and letting Banisters handle your work will show you how you can get quality for less.
Give us a or send us an email and find out how Banisters can help you with your leather interior.
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When Should You Upgrade Your Child’s Car Seat
When your child is too big for an infant seat. Many rear-facing infant seats have weight limits of 30 pounds or more, but most dont have matching height limits. So dont be surprised if your child outgrows the infant seat long before he or she reaches the weight limit.
Your safest bet is to trade up to a convertible seat, which can face either the front or the back of the car, and continue to have your child face the rear.
When your child hits 1 year old: Based on our most recent recommendations and test results, if your child has reached his or her first birthday and still fits in a rear-facing infant seat, the safest move is to switch to a rear-facing convertible.
Our newest test methodology includes simulating what happens in the event of a crash. In those tests, we found that a 1-year-old child was far more likely to hit his head on the back of the front seat while in a rear-facing infant seat than he would be if he were riding in a rear-facing convertible seat.
When your childs car seat has expired: Many parents dont realize that child car seats carry expiration dates. This is particularly important when you have several children and use the same car seat for each one.
The owners manual or seat label should tell you when the seat was built and when it should no longer be used. The life span is usually six years.
If the seat youve been using has been in such a crash and you havent yet replaced it, a trade-in event could be a good time to do so.
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Your Childs Car Seat Has Been In A Crash
A post shared by The Car Seat Lady on Mar 15, 2015 at 10:09am PDT
It may be a good time to trade up to the next car-seat stage when your child has almost outgrown their car seat, especially if youve found a trade-in event nearby. The savings are tempting, but its a good idea to take your time with the process.
Outside of upgrading from a rear-facing infant seat to a rear-facing convertible seat, other transitions may not be as safe for a child. Consumer Reports reports that a forward-facing seat is not quite as safe as a rear-facing seat. A forward-facing seat is safer than the next stage, the booster seat. As always, your childs safety should come first as you make the decision to upgrade to a new car seat.
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How Much Does It Cost To Upgrade Interior Of A Car
The cost of upgrading your car interior will depend on the scale of the upgrade. If you are just looking to upgrade your seats’ covers, you can expect to spend a few hundred dollars. If you are looking to upgrade your entire car interior, the cost will be much higher. It is important to shop around and compare prices before making any final decisions.
Another influential aspect is the materials and parts you want to use in the process. Genuine leather, for example, will cost more than cloth. Similarly, high-end stereo and lighting components will be more expensive than entry-level ones. Finally, the level of complexity and the labor required will also affect the cost of upgrading your car interior.
In general, expect to spend several thousand dollars if you want to upgrade your car interior significantly.
Booster Seat Safety Tips
The following are some important booster seat safety tips to help keep your child safe:
Make sure to follow booster seat safety tips to help keep your child safe.
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Simple Change: Buy Some Stylish New Mats
Wary of fitting new carpets or just cant afford it? A quick and affordable way to give the floor a facelift is to buy a brand-new set of car mats. Mats come in a variety of styles, finishes and textures these days, so you can get a premium look thats more in line with your style. A set of premium mats will also help protect the carpet, so you can safeguard your cars resale value.
How To Upgrade A Cars Interior
wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 16,784 times.
There are many ways to improve the look of your vehicles interior. If you put some time into a few simple upgrades, any vehicle interior can be stylish.
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When Should You Make The Switch
While infant car seats have weight limits ranging from 22 to 35 pounds, nearly every baby is too tall before reaching the weight limit, especially for the seats with 30+ pound limits. Too tall is when the child’s head is 1 inch below the top of the seat. It would be best if you familiarized yourself with your car seat’s height and weight requirements to ensure your child is riding safely.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends transitioning your baby from the infant seat to a rear-facing convertible seat, once they meet the minimum height or weight requirement for their infant seat. If a child is over the weight limit but still within the height limit, it is not safe to use the seat . Once your child reaches one limit, they are too big.
While the max height for most infant seats is when the child’s head is 1 inch below the top of the seat, crash testing from Consumer Reports indicates that it may be best to transition to the rear-facing convertible seat earlier, before your child’s head is within an inch of the top.
Rear-facing kids will slide up their car seat. A child in a convertible seat has a lot more of the car seats’s shell above their head, making it much less likely that the child’s head will slide over the shell of the car seat and be able to hit something hard, like the back of the front seat.
How Do I Use A Booster Seat
- A booster seat positions your child so that the seat belt fits across the strong bones of the hips and pelvis and not the abdomen, to protect your child from injury.
- While seated in the booster seat, the lap belt should fit low and snug across your childs hips, and not up on their belly.
- The shoulder portion of the seat belt should be positioned over the chest and collarbone, staying between your childs neck and shoulder so that it does not touch the neck.
- Follow the directions for the booster seat to know how to route the seat belt under any armrests or through any belt guides, as directed.
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Are Car Seats Recyclable
Tammy Franks, the Child Passenger Safety Coordinator for The Childrens Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Portland, Oregon, also joined the discussion and informed us of the growing option of actually recycling your old or used car seat. Some parts of the seat cannot be recycled, Franks says, such as the urethane foam and the fabric, but you can contact your local recycling agency to see what parts of the seat they will accept or try your local Child Passenger Safety state contact to see if they have additional information on recycling options and locations in your area.
Plus:
Major Change: Fit New Seats
There are several benefits to fitting new seats, from giving the interior a classy makeover to improving your driving position, boosting safety and helping your car feel little sportier. Aftermarket seats are a popular interior upgrade, with lots of drivers opting for bucket-style replacements that bring a much racier feel.
Fitting new seats is definitely something you should leave to a professional. Its vital the new seats are fitted properly to ensure maximum safety out on the road youll also need to inform your insurer if you plan to fit new ones.
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See Our Work In Action
D& S Automotive is Northeast Ohios choice for auto accessories for a reason. We dont just do the hard work for you, we also deliver unrivaled quality installation to transform your vehicle. See for yourself with photos of some of our previous seating projects.
Stop into D& S Automotive to check out our wide selection of tonneau covers and speak with an accessory specialist about which bed cover will work best for you.
The Car Seat Has Been In A Crash
Serious crashes can damage the structure and integrity of a car seat, meaning it may not provide enough protection in the event of another crash.
According to the AAP, seats that have been in a minor crash the car could be driven away, no one was injured, the airbags didnt go off, the door closest to the car seat wasnt damaged and there was no visible damage to the car seat may still be usable, but ask a local Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician for guidance if you’re unsure.
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What To Do With Your Old Car Seat
When To Upgrade From An Infant Car Seat
Infant car seats are usually recommended between 20 and 35 pounds. When you are about to upgrade from an infant car seat not only is weight going to be important but the height is also important in this equation.
You have to make sure that the head is never closer than an inch to the top, and you also need to look at the weight.
The other thing that you have to notice as parents are how comfortable your child is in an infant car seat.
To make sure that the chest place is always in the right position, and they are not losing circulation from having their too-tight straps. Then you will be going to start moving them over and transitioning them to a convertible car seat.
This could be usually somewhere between like 1 and 2, but you have to watch the weight and height mostly.
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When Should You Upgrade Your Childs Car Seat
Your child is supposed to keep growing every week and month. That is why, when you buy a car seat, make sure you get something a little bigger than your child. He or she will be surpassing the car seat pretty soon, trust me.
When you notice that happening, that is the time to upgrade your childs car seat. You will notice the seat being too small for the baby, too tight, or just plain uncomfortable for him or her.
The label should clearly indicate the maximum height and weight limit. As the baby grows up gradually, you may have to change from a rear-facing to a bigger rear-facing convertible car seat.
Then, once your child reaches the ultimate limit of the rear-facing seat, upgrade to a forward-facing car seat with a harness. When the child has outgrown that, move to a booster car seat.
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When To Upgrade Car Seat
You should upgrade the car seat when the child exceeds the seat dimensions or when the child is 1-year-old or when the car seat is expired. There are a few other situations as well in which you should upgrade your car seat. I will go into the details of all the situations below.
1. When a child exceeds the seat dimensions:
The most obvious benchmark to consider is when the child starts exceeding the seat dimensions. If the childs physical size is such that the child cannot sit comfortably in the seat, it does not make any sense to continue with the same car seat.
If the seat is smaller than the child, it will not protect the child from all directions.
That is why you have to observe your child when your child is in the car seat and decide about upgrading the car seat.
2. When your child is 1 year old:
Another parameter to base your decision on is the age of the child. Once the child crosses the 1-year-old age, it is a good idea to upgrade the car seat.
Initially, most parents opt for the rear-facing infant seat. However, once your child is 1-year-old, switching over to a rear-facing convertible seat is a good idea. It will not only be more comfortable for your child but also can protect your child in a much better way as well. The convertible feature means that you can use it as your child pleases.
When you stick to this benchmark, it will become easier for you to look after your childs comfort and safety.
3. After the expiry of the child car seat:
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