Pregnancy & Baby 

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Is baby sitting comfortably?

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If you’re lucky enough to find more than one seat that fits your car, look for these additional features:

• Infant car seats should be lightweight with comfortable handles, so you can lift them in and out of the car, without banging your legs or pulling your arm out
• There should be lots of lovely side and back padding. This way your baby is less likely to resist being strapped down, because he feels snug and secure – especially important when the seat is also part of a travel system (can be fitted onto a chassis to make a pushchair)
• A newborn can’t support his head and neck, and will need a head hugger or cushion, so if a seat doesn’t come with one, budget for it as an extra
• Many infant car seats can be used as little rocking chairs in the house, so check the rocking motion looks like it would soothe your baby back to sleep, if he rouses as you lift him from the car
• Be prepared to pay anything from £50 to £150.

Six safety tips

1. Always read the instructions and follow each one carefully. If you take the seat out of the car, make sure it goes back in correctly. It’s easy to remember to strap your baby into the seat, and just as easy to forget to secure the car seat to the car
2. Beware of a second-hand car seat, it may have been damaged in an accident, and you won’t be able to see the tiny cracks in the frame or the stretch in the harness and, without the instructions, you may not be able to fit it correctly. It may be old and therefore not up to current safety standards
3. You MUST NOT put a car seat where there’s a passenger airbag – if it inflates it could kill your baby
4. Make sure that the seat is securely fitted in the vehicle, and that it doesn’t wobble about forwards or backwards
5. When strapping your baby in, tighten the harness following the instructions - and keep the harness buckle low, with the lap section across your baby’s pelvis, not her stomach
6. Regularly check the seat for wear and tear and straighten out any twists in the harness.

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