When you go to purchase a carseat there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are buying a carseat for a baby on the way you have a few options. One option is an infant carseat, these carseats usually are small, snug, with a removable head support, carrying handle, canopy, and removable base. If you are going to get an infant carseat you should know they will last your baby until he/she is about 20lbs OR 32 inches, and usually they outgrow them height wise before weight, this occurs usually around 7-10 months, depending on the baby. The baby will be rear facing in this carseat.

Another type of carseat you can get for an infant is a convertible carseat which can be used from ages 0-4 or 5 years old. These car seats are typically stationary and will stay in the vehicle. These can be rear-facing or forward facing depending on the baby's age and weight. A baby must be rear-facing until they are at least 1 year of age and at least 20lbs. After a baby is at least 1 year old and 20 lbs or more they can then face forward. These car seats are usually seat belt adaptable and/or come with the LATCH system if your car has it, most cars made after 2003 have LATCH.

The differences between a infant carseat and a convertible carseat are a few. One plus to having an infant carseat is, that your infant will probably fall asleep in the car and since the carseat comes out, your baby can stay sleeping and the carrier makes for a good sleeping place when going out, or visiting. Another plus is the canopy, which you can adjust to keep the sun out of baby's eyes. Also the fact that the carseat is a smaller scale makes it more cozy for the baby to fall asleep in, they can rest their head on the padded sides of the seat. If you plan on grocery shopping an infant carseat is also able to click right onto the seat of the cart so baby can shop along with you. Another thing to consider is that most infant carseats come in a set with a stroller, and the infant seat just clicks into the stroller.

A convertible carseat will save you some money, overall but you have to consider that the convertible carseat will not come out of the car, so you may have to wake your sleeping baby. It also does not offer shade protection in any model I've ever seen. They also are fairly wide- since this will be the carseat until about age 4-5, which means a baby will probably not be able to rest it's head on the sides of the seat. One other helpful tip is that if your baby is still rear facing, and you don't have latch, some cars middle seat belts will not reach around some models of carseats to strap them into the car, rear facing - I learned this the hard way.

My recommendation is probably clear by now, I would always recommend buying an infant carseat for baby, it is so much more convienient and for the price, about $70-150 depending on what brand you buy, it is a small price for the convienience and comfort of your baby. Convertible carseats are the ones to buy when your baby outgrows their infant carseat, these will last until they are about 4-5 years old so make sure to do your research and get a durable one, and you will want removable fabric. My son used a Graco infant carseat until about 10 months and now uses a Graco Comfortsport convertible carseat and will until he's about 4. The comfortsport was the only convertible carseat that would rearface in my car using the middle seatbelt of the back seat, the others were too big to get the belt around and my car was a 2002 without the LATCH system.

So hopefully this will help you make your decision on carseats, visit your local carseat safety check to make sure you install it correctly in your car, it should take you about 10-20 mins to put in a base or a convertible seat properly. Straps on baby's shoulders should never be more loose than one of your fingers fitting between the strap and your child.