Car Seat Recommendations for Children
Choose a car seat based on your child’s age and height, and one that fits in your vehicle. The main thing with a car seat is to use it every time. Always refer to your car seat manufacturer’s instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system. To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements. Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.
Age
Birth – 12 months
Your child below age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be employed rear-facing. Convertible and
3-in-1 car seats usually have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.
1 – 3 years
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It’s the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child must remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.
4 – 7 years
Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to change to a booster seat, but still in the rear seat.
8 – 12 years
Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit correctly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.
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Are you a parent of two or more children? If your answer is yes, then you probably know how challenging it can be to try to keep both little ones by your side. The obvious feat of multiple children, specifically when they’re young, is that they often bolt off in different directions simultaneously, and I’m pretty sure the days of keeping your children of kiddy leashes has long since past.
You can also find yourself exhausted trying to carrying both children in your arms at the same time and even alternating which child you hold still doesn’t give your arms any break. The solution to this bittersweet dilemma is simple – you need to pick up one of the many, multi-featured double strollers. Choose from tandem-style strollers, where one child is seated directly behind the other or duo-seating strollers, which set your kids side by side. No matter the style, you’ll be sure to get the break you need while gaining more control over their actions.
After birthing a baby, you’ll find that this new bundle of joy requires constant attention and care. Not only will you find it challenging to find little pockets of time to yourself, but it’s also rare to sleep through the night uninterrupted for the first several months and the notion of exercise to work off your excess baby weight seems like an unattainable fantasy.
Fortunately, there are secrets to finding time for yourself that gets you out of the house and allows you to be active without abandoning the constant care and attention your baby needs. Running strollers are the perfect way for mothers (or fathers) to incorporate exercise and personal time. The gentle rumble of the rubber stroller wheels sliding against the pavement will rock your baby to sleep while you have time to jog behind with a clear mind and an active body.
Many women struggle with their weight or their body-image after having a baby. This is an unfortunate side-effect of our society that immediately after a woman gives the world a wonderful gift she must immediately return to looking like a super-model. So much for gratitude. Despite that, though, it’s probably a good idea to start planning for a healthy lifestyle before baby even arrives. It doesn’t have to be a weight loss plan. In fact, weight loss need not ever enter the picture. What you want to concern yourself with is keeping your baby’s mother as healthy as possible.
Soon after baby arrives you’ll want to be sure to get as much rest as possible, but don’t overdo it. Once you’re comfortable you can get out of bed, leave the house and even start a mild exercise routine. Walking around the block is a great way to introduce your baby to the outdoors and is not just great exercise for mom, but a great opportunity to bond with baby. Once they’ve graduated from walking, however, many new mothers enjoy the idea of running or jogging. A jogging stroller makes cardio with baby an affordable reality and once you feel strong enough to do it then by all means, get out there and run. But remember, don’t be overeager to conform to a shallow society’s impossible standards. You’re doing this for your health and the health of your baby!
The holidays are here and that means we’re quickly running out of time to get our holiday shopping done. If you’re anything like me then you probably have a long list of friends, family and loved ones to shop for. And you’re probably not looking forward to the traffic, the crowds and the long lines that inevitably come with holiday gift buying. Thankfully, lower shipping costs have made online gift buying easier than ever before, so we can get all of our shopping done without ever leaving the house.
For the new mom in your life, or just the mom with two small children, give the gift of a double stroller. Most people don’t plan to have two very small children at the same time so the purchase of a double stroller may never occur to them. But when you give one as a gift they’ll suddenly realize how ingenious it is and they’ll be sure to thank you for it. They’re affordable and easy to buy, making them the ideal gift for any mom or dad who’s been struggling with getting around with two small children.
If you have two small children then you know how tough it can be to get out-and-about with both kids in-tow. Double baby strollers are the perfect solution for the two-child family on the go. They make it easy and convenient to go anywhere you need to go without leaving anyone out. It’s fun and healthy for families to go out and experience life together and this type of stroller makes it easier than ever. And finding the right fit for you can make all the difference!
Affordable, easy-to-use and ultra-convenient, these strollers can make your next outing more rewarding and less of a struggle. With two strollers you need two parents which means whoever has the kids isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! Take that inconvenience out of your life with a high-quality stroller that seats two and you’ll be glad you did!
One of the best inventions I think I’ve seen in the world of baby care products is the car seat stroller. Light, versatile and most of all safe, these modern marvels take a lot of the pain out of going places with your baby or small child. Without having to transfer from a giant stroller to a complicated car seat, getting around is a breeze. Instead of having to take your baby out of a stroller and put them in a car seat you save yourself the trouble of wrestling with the stroller once your child is in the car.It’s safer for you and for baby. You’ll never have to chase the stroller down and you won’t waste time at the trunk struggling with an unwieldy stroller. What’s more, you don’t even have to wake baby! This can be a real God-send for anyone who’s heading out for the day. You don’t have to disrupt the nap schedule or upset your baby by transferring to and from a car seat or stroller!
Once a toddler is old enough to recognize the stigma that ‘older is cooler’, they’ll want to start doing all the same things the bigger kids are doing. Though obviously you shouldn’t let your toddler use the microwave to heat up lunch or draw their own bath, there are some activities that are okay for toddlers to start doing themselves. For example, a child washing their hands in the bathroom is a safe activity that can be achieved with a step stool and a little knowledge of how the faucet works.
Purchase a kids step stool to make them feel like they’re a real part of your home, and soon enough you’ll be able to ask them to wash their hands for meals and supper without supervision. There are several other activities toddlers can start helping with, like dressing themselves, putting on their shoes, and putting away toys and clothes. But it’s important to remember that they are still young and lack the endurance of younger children. So while you child may enjoy running around and exploring the world for a few hours, they tend to wear themselves out quickly. This is why it’s a good idea to invest in a toddler stroller for when they get tired on long daytrips.
When my husband and I decided to have children, we took the mentality of a basketball superstar entering college: one and done. We both had successful careers, and at the time, we really didn’t want the extra costs or commitment required to rear multiple children. During my second ultrasound, however, we found that I was due to have twins, and our plans quickly changed. We had to double our supply of diapers, invest in another crib and return our stroller for an augmented twin stroller.
Now that the boys are four years old and we’ve had time to adjust to the lifestyle, I wouldn’t change it for anything-although I’ll admit I was terrified at first. Over the years, we’ve learned how to manage two children, and it’s actually been nice for them to have a permanent playmate.
Now that our newborn is growing accustomed to her elegantly decorated round crib, my husband and I finally feel comfortable taking her on vacation. We loaded up the family van and headed down to visit our family in Southern California. My husband spent the majority of the trip playing golf with his brothers and taking me out to dinner in order to make up for it – not a bad approach, I must say.
I, on the other hand, spent the days taking my daughter to the beach. At night we set up one of the portable cribs that my in-laws had in storage. Luckily it was a round crib just like the one at home, and my daughter made the adjustment quickly and easily. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the overall lack of fuss and bother associated with this trip, and I look forward to more family vacations in the future.