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The following information will cast some light on the most important piece of equipment you will be buying and quite often the hardest to research.

At Moms to be…and More your child’s safety comes first. Our car seat section hosts only the highest quality units the industry offers. Whenever you purchase a car seat at Moms to be…and More you are entitled to a free professional Installation at the Canadian Car Seat Installation Centre (which is a drive in facility located 5 minutes from the store.)

The infant or “bucket seat”

Commonly referred to as the Bucket Seat because of the carrying handle, these seats are the ones you will have to bring to the hospital with you. Their weight ratings start at 5 pounds (which is normally the weight a baby has to reach before being released from the hospital). Each seat rating is based on weight or length of your child. These will vary from seat to seat. The information regarding these ratings is posted by law, on a sticker on the side of the car seat. It is safe to say that the majority of children seem to reach the required length before weight, yet many parents seem to focus on the weight instead. (We are not sure why, just be aware of both factors). The infant car seat is a single stage unit for babies only. After your child grows out of the infant unit you will start shopping for a convertible car seat.

KJ’s Tips on what to look for in an infant car seat

These features will always be present when you purchase high quality products.

More about the harness system

The reason to choose a 5 point harness in any car seat is to ensure your child is secured at the shoulders and the hips. Choosing a front adjustable strap will allow for no fuss adjusting, ensuring that the harness to fits perfectly to your babies body every time they are in their car seat. If you purchase a seat without this feature, all adjustments will have to be done from the back of the seat, without the child seated, making it more guesswork instead of precision work. Your child is properly strapped in when no more that one finger worth of space is under the chest strap and the chest buckle should sit at the armpit level.

After you spend time researching and purchasing a quality piece of equipment, always make sure that it is used to it’s full potential by having the car seat professionally installed. If you do not have this installed properly, it will not protect you baby.

As well as providing free installations with car seat purchases, the professional at our Canadian car Seat Installation Centre are happy to perform free inspections. Please be aware that if you require an installation, you will need to book an appointment.

Please contact the Canadian Car Seat Installation Centre (CCIC) located at 89 Research Road 416-422-2242 for details.

After your child has outgrown their infant car seat (generally around the 6 month age), you will begin shopping for a convertible car seat.

Convertible Car Seats

These seats are rated from 5 pounds up to and beyond 40 pounds. They are known as “convertibles” because they can accommodate baby to infant, and sometimes into the toddler stage. It differs from the infant car seat in the following ways:

  1. Most importantly the convenience of the bucket will be gone, because this next stage car seat needs to be installed into your car permanently.
  2. It needs to be installed in your car in the rear facing position until your child is one year old and at least 20 pounds.(or the rating posted on the side of the car seat). This is important because small children have very little upper body stability to sustain an impact. It is commonly said that children look uncomfortable as they approach the age of one, please consider safety over comfort.
  3. As the correct age and weight is reached the convertible car seat can be turned around allowing your child to be forward facing until the maximum weight/height is reached. Your child will be in this seat for a matter of years, not months.
  4. A shocking realization for many parents is that when the convertible car seat is placed in the rear facing position it is often behind the passenger and due to it’s size it often impedes the use of the passenger seat. This can be seen as an inconvenience, but keep in mind that it’s nice for the baby to have a little company (about 6 months), you may want to ride in the back, and on your child’s first birthday this seat should be re-installed forward facing.

On the child’s first birthday, (and at 20 or more pounds) milestone your convertible car seat can be turned around to the forward facing position. This is where you child will be until they reach the minimum of 40 pounds, which is the lowest weight for allowing a child to sit in a booster seat. There are exceptions to the rule, the Britax Marathon being one, which allows a child to remain in the 5-point harness until 48 pounds.

Once you child exceeds the limits of the convertible car seat, it is time for a booster.

As well as providing free installations with car seat purchases, the professionals at our Canadian car Seat Installation Centre are happy to perform free inspections. Please be aware that if you require an installation, you will need to book an appointment.

Please contact the Canadian Car Seat Installation Centre (CCIC) located at 89 Research Road 416-422-2242 for details.

Booster Seats

Boosters can be used once a child has reached 40 pounds. Units that are strictly boosters are simply sat on the rear seat of the car. A child sitting in the booster uses the adult safety restraint system in the car. If you are using a convertible seat which turns into a booster try to leave it tethered to the car for more stability.

For professional Car Seat Installations please contact the Canadian Car Seat Installation Centre at 89 Research Road, 416-422-2242 to set up an appointment, or drop in for a free inspection.