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Eric Kerkhoven of Calgary buckles up Avery.JOANNE ELVES/The Globe and Mail

Safety warnings on baby seats of the 1950s included "Be sure to secure your luggage so that it won't plunge forward in sudden stops."

If you are first-time parents, ask your parents and grandparents what they had for child restraint devices. They'll shrug their shoulders and say, "Mom." It's amazing your parents survived into adulthood. From the 1930s and well into the 60s, child seat devices were not about safety as much as they were about containing children or giving them an elevated seat to see the landscape. The contraptions included belts clipped around the child's waist tethered to the seat, canvas basket seats suspended over the front seat and back-seat travel beds – covered with safety mosquito netting.

The best safety of the sixties was Mom and her right arm. She would fling her arm across your chest on those fast stops – proving she did love you.

Thankfully, as more automobiles with higher speeds hit the roads, safety became an issue. But is safety the winning reason why new parents are buying certain seats? And, most important, are the car seats installed correctly?

There are four stages of child car-seat and seat-belt use, and what seat you should be using depends more on the height and weight of the child than the age.

One

Bring your bundle of joy home in a rear-facing seat as far away from the front-seat air bags as possible and continue using that system until the infant is at least one year old and more than 22 pounds (10 kilograms).

Two

Forward-facing seats are a welcomed change for both the child and the parent. Children can expect to be in that seat until at least the age of 5 or when they are at least 40 lbs (18 kg)

Three

Booster seats raise children so adult seat belts protect them better. Ontario's Highway Traffic Act requires children under the age of eight years or weighing 40 to 80 lbs (18 to 36 kg) and under the height of 4 foot 9 (145 centimetres) to be restrained in a booster seat.

Four

Graduating to a seat belt in the back seat is allowed when any one of the following occurs: The child turns 8, or the child is over 80 lbs (36 kg) or is at least 4 ft. 9 in. (145 cm) tall.

Children should not ride in the front seat until they are over the age of 12 because of the threat of an airbag deployment.

Each province or territory has rules and those should be considered.

Buying car seats is a major expense and there are ways to reduce costs, but cross-border shopping isn't the answer. Buying outside of Canada means you might not receive recall notices. Child, infant or booster seats purchased online from non-Canadian vendors and those bought on trips to the United States may not comply with the specifications of Transport Canada or the provinces. Always look for the National Safety Mark (NSM) to make sure the unit you are purchasing is acceptable.

What to look for other than butterflies on the headrest

The internet is a great place to start. Read the owner's manual of the seats you are considering. Does it have the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system) and does your auto have the anchor attachments in all the back seats (especially the middle seat where the child is the safest)?

Buy the right seat for the right development stage and don't graduate too soon or leave your child too long in the old seat. There are some convertible seats that offer all stages of your child's development. Pros for the convertible include the option to buy once. But the cons include the weight of the seat is considerable if you don't want to disturb the baby in the rear-facing stage.

Our test families with newborns deliberated over the issues and came to a good solution. They wanted car seats for both cars so that either parent could do the daycare runs. The mother's cars do most of the transporting so the lighter infant car seats were installed in their cars. A larger longer-lasting convertible seat graces the father's cars.

Eric and Melissa Kerkoven of Calgary are both teachers and did their homework while researching car seats. The Nuna Pipa infant seat was chosen for the quick release system from the base, the capability to snap into a stroller and the fact that it's stylish. The Diono Rainier was chosen as the convertible as a result of the high ranking for safety, durability and because it appears to be a comfortable seat for long road trips.

"The Diono Rainier is a great seat; it has all the features we were looking for in a long-term car seat," Mr. Kerkoven said. "But installing it the first time was a bit of an effort."

Install the seat and use it correctly

Speaking of installing the car seat, Transport Canada states that auto accidents account for the largest number of child deaths annually. Why? Because as many as 80 per cent of the car seats on the road are not installed or used correctly.

Here are some of the top errors:

  • The seat is not tightly secured to the vehicle and can move more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in any direction.
  • The harness is not snug enough. Winter jackets can play havoc with the strap and should not be included when you strap in the child. That’s tough in Canada, but if you do leave the jackets on, make sure the straps are snug and that the child still sits in the seat properly with all that bulk.
  • Improper alignment of clips. If the baby grows overnight – which it feels like they do – don’t forget to monitor the settings. Is the chest clip at armpit level? Are the straps too tight?
  • The rear-facing car seat is in front of an air bag.
  • The angle on the car seat is not at 45 degrees for best head and neck support
  • And, worst thing of all – failing to restrain the child.

Consider looking for car-seat clinics, which are run in most major centres. And, here's an idea – practise installing and removing the seat a few times before bringing the baby home. You've got enough on your plate and don't need to be frustrated with mastering a tricky, yet lifesaving, strap.

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