Travel Baby

It’s important to choose a car seat designed for your child’s age and weight to give him or her the best chance of escaping injury in a crash. There are three main types of car seats — infant car seats, infant/toddler convertible car seats, and booster seats. Below are the facts about car seat options and some tips for making educated purchasing decisions for each car-seat type:


If your baby is less than a year old, he or she must ride in a rear-facing car seat.


One choice is to buy a rear-facing infant car seat (suitable for babies up to 20lbs), that will fit your baby snugly during the first few months and often comes with a handle for easy carrying. And, if you’re looking for the utmost in convenience, select a travel system. Infant travel systems include a ready made car seat and stroller combination.


The downside to the infant car seat is that you’ll spend $60 to $150 on the seat and your child will outgrow it in 6 months to a year. You’ll have to upgrade to a convertible car seat once your baby reaches 20 lbs. If this is a concern for you, you can buy a convertible car seat that will face the rear for your newborn and can turn around to face the front for your baby once he or she reaches 20 lbs.


However, some parents feel that their newborn is “swimming” in a convertible car seat and prefer to use an infant car seat until their baby gets big enough to sit in a front-facing car seat.


No matter what you decide to use for your infant, you’ll eventually need a convertible car seat.


Regardless of the choice you make as to whether to use a convertible car seat from day one or use an infant car seat until your baby weighs 20 lbs, you’ll need to buy a convertible car seat at some point. Convertible car seats are larger than infant-only car seats and are designed to grow with your child through the toddler years. Most convertible car seats fit babies up to 40 lbs (usually around age 4) and some convert to a booster car seat and are safe for children up to 80 lbs.


Convertible car seats range in price from $80 to $300.


For toddlers weighing more than 40 lbs and big kids, you’ll need a booster car seat.


Booster car seats are designed for children age 3 or older who weigh at least 40 lbs. They are designed to use your car’s lap and shoulder seat belts. They literally boost your child into a position that makes it safe to use the car’s seat belt system.


Booster car seats are essential to your child’s safety because using your car’s seat belts on a child without a booster seat can actually cause injury. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that children who’ve outgrown their convertible car seats use a booster car seat until they are 8 years old and 4 feet 9 inches tall.


Some booster seats provide back support and you should choose one of these options if your vehicle seat is low or has no head restraint. A backless option is fine for vehicle seats that offer plenty of support behind the head.


Booster car seats range in price from $60 to $200.

By: Bob Russell

The secret behind successfully travelling with a baby is to plan your journey with care. To be honest babies are very adaptable and resilient and can easily cope with travel as long as you feed them, change their diapers, pay them attention and don’t forget their baby toys and books.

Travel cribs are a brilliant invention, they are easy to set up and make your baby feel really at home and there’s a stroller available for nearly every terrain. Going by car is the best way to travel, you can carry everything you need and so once your baby is safely strapped into a car safety seat and all essentials are packed into the boot you can go wherever you want to go.

If you have chosen to use cloth diapers make sure you have sufficient supply, they aren’t as easy to get hold of as disposal diapers if you run short. Don’t forget to take a well equipped changing bag and plenty of changes of baby clothes.

Baby wipes are a must when you’re travelling. They’re a brilliant invention for when you are faced with a mucky baby with no water around. Keep a supply in the car all the time.

If you are bottle feeding don’t forget formula milk, bottles, teats and your sterilising kit.

A newborn will probably sleep for most of the journey but if you have an older baby make sure you take baby toys to keep your baby occupied while you are travelling. There are some well designed toys nowadays that you can stick to the back of the seat or the window of the car.

If you are travelling by bus, train or plane then make sure you plan with extra care. A backpack is quite good for all your essentials leaving your arms free for your baby which you could carry in a baby sling if need be. There are some really lightweight and easy to carry strollers nowadays specifically designed for confined spaces which are worth investing in if your use public transport on a regular basis.

Take care to keep your baby out of the sun. It’s well worth buying a good hat for when you are out and about and taking lots of sun cream. If it’s cold don’t forget your baby is likely to be a lot colder than you so will need a few more layers. It’s well worth checking that your baby is at a comfortable temperature at regular intervals throughout your journey.

By: Terry Ross