This article explains what you need to look for when choosing a car seat for grandparents
Here at phil&teds, we’re parents too, so we understand the challenges you face in the parenting day. One of these challenges is day care. When it comes to free day care your parents are the biggest asset you have. They are your go to baby sitters that enable you to get out and about and have at least a little normalcy in your life. Best of all, they LOVE to look after your children, whenever possible – for FREE! You need to take advantage of this. A great way to encourage them to take the children is to give them a car seat. Here’s an article about features to look for in a car seat for grandparents – so they have the freedom to travel.A couple of hundred years ago...
Back in the day parenting was a communal thing. In many cultures, it was the grandparents that raised the children while the parents provided essentials. The grandparents were the fountains of wisdom that gave the child invaluable worldly advice and the actual parents were the ones were the breadwinners. Unfortunately, people don’t live in villages anymore. People live in urban sprawl, usually separated from their parents by a significant distance. So, you’re going to have to figure out how they can safely transport your child from A to B.How to choose a car seat for grandparents
Every person has a list of priorities to suit their lifestyle. When you’re choosing a car seat for grandparents, we suggest that you prioritise longevity of use.If longevity is a priority - a group 0/1/2 car seat is ideal for the grandparents
A group 0/1/2 seat is also known as a convertible car seat. A convertible car seat will take a newborn and then ‘convert’ to a booster seat as the child grows. A convertible seat will last a number of years making it a once only purchase for your parents.A few features that make a convertible car seat great are:
- An easy to fit harness
- Rear facing for longer
- Quick installation
- Lumbar support
- Easy to clean
Rear face for longer
It is safer for children to rear face as long as possible. The law states 13kgs as the maximum weight a child can rear face to in ECEr44/04 seats. In New Zealand, there is generally accepted best practice that covers all different kinds of car seat. Here is a checkbox list for best practice in a rear facing seat taken from the NZTA’s child restraint technicians manual:
Contact a qualified Car Seat Restraint Technician to double check your installation. They can also advise you how to do it properly every time. When you’re choosing your 0-13kg booster, be mindful that they can use a convertible a lot longer than you would expect. Health data from the New Zealand Ministry of Health website says the average age for a 13kg girl is as follows:
- 98th percentile – 15 months
- 91st percentile – 21 months
- 75th percentile – 26 months
- 50th percentile – 31 months
- 98th percentile – 15 months
- 91st percentile – 19 months
- 75th percentile – 23 months
- 50th percentile – 28 months
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