Why Infant Car Seat is Important - Infant Car Seat- Work & Leisure

We always read and hear about how a mom prepares for the arrival of her newborn, this time round let’s look at things from a dad’s point of view!

Rachel Cohn says in her book, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, ‘You should never wish for wishful thinking’. I have always wondered what it really means; does it mean that one should wish for more practical things in case they come true? Well, that’s what I would like to think; because I genuinely believe that on that pleasant evening of March 2018, standing on the patio of my new rental apartment, with a cup of ginger tea, if I had wished to become a billionaire, my wish would have come true! But instead, I wished for a baby and guess what, come August, my wife pleasantly surprised me with the pic of her positive pregnancy test!

Two facts hit me hard right then: first, I was going to wear the parenting hat once again after 10 long years and second, the wish-granting fairy way sitting right next to me that evening! Well, I was truly overwhelmed

This pregnancy was not as smooth for my wife as the last one, it was literally a bumpy pregnancy. A lot of throwing up, body ache, and swelling of the legs made it difficult for her to sleep and rest. Two pregnancy gadgets that helped her sail through this difficult phase were:

• Maternity Belt: it gave a good support to her growing belly and back, and eased her back ache to a great extent
• Maternity Pillow: it acted as a cushion to her belly and allowed her to sleep comfortably on her side

All in all, this pregnancy was a bumpy ride, but we managed to sweep through it!

Now, fast forward to the 32nd week, and we realized it was time we started shopping for our little prince who was to join us soon. While my wife took upon herself to shop for newborn baby clothes and newborn baby skin care products, my focus was on buying the best and the safest infant car seat and stroller for my baby.

Coming from a father of a 10-year-old, it may sound weird that shopping for a infant car seat and stroller was new to me. But it was, because in India it is not a mandate to install a car seat for a new born baby. And here I was, looking for a newborn car seat and stroller that had to meet the California car seat laws. I must have watched at least 10 different videos and read quite many articles before I made my checklist.

Infant Car Seat Checklist

Based on my research, I decided to buy a newborn travel system that includes a car seat instead of just buying a car seat. It was more practical and reasonable to do that. So now, I was not only looking for a car seat, but for a complete travel system (stroller and car seat combo) that would grow with my baby for the next few years. Here’s my personal checklist for buying the same:

• First, the car seat should be compatible with my car
• Second, the car seat should be easy to install and remove
• Third, both the car seat and the travel system should be lightweight, sleek and durable
• Fourth, the stroller should be easily foldable
• Fifth, the wheels on the stroller should be shock absorbent, soft yet sturdy for the baby to have a smooth ride
• Sixth, the stroller should have a storage basket and a blanket boot
• Seventh, the canopy and the arm bar of the car seat should be removable to make baby transfer easier and comfortable
• Finally, the travel system should have multiple modes so that I can use it till my baby’s toddler years

The above checklist helped to buy a sturdy car seat and travel system for my baby boy. The only thing I had to add on to the car seat later was a head and neck support for my baby. So, add that to your check-list too!

This video below also captures the range this space has to offer. So happy car-seat shopping to all to-be parents! Will soon publish another blog with other must-buy essentials for a newborn.

It is also important once you buy the car seat, is to install the base correctly into the car. There are many video’s in YouTube, but I liked this one.