As a parent, your main concern is the safety of their bundle of joy. You make it a point that your child is safe and secure all the time, from your home to your vehicle. If you want added safety when traveling with your baby, you may want to consider getting a baby seat cover. Seat covers can improve your little one’s comfort dramatically and also acts as a wind and sun protection.

What Are Infant Safety Seat Covers?

Baby safety car seat covers are canopies that you can place over the car seat, stroller or portable carrier of your child. They will provide him protection from temperature changes and harsh elements. These covers can provide babies with the warmth and coziness they need to feel comfortable during the ride. So that’s another thing off of your worry list. Moreover, they are made from highly soft fabric which will not irritate your baby’s sensitive skin.

There is a wide selection of car seat covers available out there, making it a bit hard to choose which is the right one. Look for a model that comes with straps for your baby’s shoulder, both his thigh and between his legs. Those with t-straps may not give ample support in a moving vehicle.

Seat covers come in the following types:

Publication from Car Seat Covers & Accessories (@bohocheeks) 11 Янв 2017 в 4:59 PST

If you spend a lot of time in your car, or you just live in an area that gets a lot of extreme weather, you might find that a coat and hat aren’t enough to keep your baby safe. Keeping your baby safe is one of the most important jobs that you have as a parent, but sometimes you can use a little bit of help. While there are many ways to do this, one of the easiest things you can do is getting a baby car seat cover.

These fit over the top of your baby’s car seat (and carrier) somewhat like a shower cap would fit over your head. Your baby will be inside a tent of sorts, and usually won’t be upset about it.

Is a baby car seat cover really necessary?

No – a baby car seat cover really isn’t necessary for everyone. However, having one can offer many benefits for families. The first is that the cover will provide warmth to your child when the weather is cold, as well as protect from some of the elements. It is also a great idea for the summer months, because it can protect against the sun and sunburns. If you travel in the morning, you can use it as a way to block the sun as it rises and your baby tries to get more sleep.

When you purchase a car seat cover, you are purchasing yourself more than just protection from weather, however. You are also getting added safety and security. In a world where cameras and cell phones are all around, it can feel a bit intrusive to go anywhere. A car seat cover can keep your child protected from the glare of the camera.

Types of Car Seat Covers

There are a few different kinds of car seat covers. What you need will deeply influence what type of car seat cover that you buy. While you do want to think about the different thicknesses and temperatures that your baby will endure when in a car seat, there are infant car seat covers for any season that are available.

Some of the most common types of seat covers include:

1. Summer Car Seat Covers: These seats have built-in sun protection against sunburn, but they do not had weight to the seat, so they are not too warm. Most often, these covers are made out of cotton so that it breathes. You might even find some that have air vest or mesh inserts for a bit of a cool down.
2. Winter Car Seat Covers: These are the car seat covers used for bad weather and warmth. It doesn’t matter how cold it is, or what it is doing outside, your baby will be comfortable. You do want to look for thicker material on the inside, but ensure that your baby is still able to breathe. Your best bet is to get a seat that has air vents on the sides or at least a window so that you can see into the seat.
3. Rainy Weather Car Seat Covers: If you have to leave your house on a day that it is rainy, you know how difficult it can be to keep your child dry and covered while also keeping yourself at least somewhat dry. A wet weather car seat cover, or a rain shield, does not have any gaps or mesh because that invites water into your seat. What you don’t want is a completely plastic car seat cover, because this will be extremely uncomfortable for your baby and could even be dangerous. Never keep the plastic cover on when you are indoors or even in the car. You can simply put it back on before you take him out of the car again.
4. Insect Car Seat Cover: If you don’t live in an area where you need protection from the weather, there is a chance you live somewhere with many, many insects. Mosquitos, bees, and fire ants are some of the insects that you might have to worry about. These covers are almost always made out of netting or mesh material. However, you do have to ensure that cover doesn’t have holes at any point, because mosquitos are able to get into very small holes if they want to – and they will.

What kind of car seat cover will you want?

Now you’re probably wondering what the new rules are when it comes to car seats for children and you’re somehow concerned if such rules will directly affect you.

The regulations and also the rules for these child seats are now being modified according to the safety needs of kids when travelling by car. On the other hand, parents shouldn’t get worried if they already bought seats for their kids as they will not have to replace them at all.

What Changes Will Take Place

Modifications on allowable height as well as weight requirements for kids who are utilizing booster seats will be implemented. Such changes already have the approval of United Nations to ensure safety when using such type of seats that are also backless.

As per the current rules, such kind of seats can be utilized by kids who are weighing for about 15 kg and above or more likely kids who are already three years old and older. As per the new regulations as well as rules, kids who are over 22 kg and are over 125 cm tall are the ones who can actually utilize such kind of seats.

Since United Nations is responsible for setting up the standards for the safety of these vehicular seats, they are also the ones responsible in having such rules implemented via the EU. Since the rules have been in effect since March of 2017, the whole of UK is currently participating in ensuring that such rules are being taken seriously by parents or adults who travel with their kids all the time.

Why Implement the New Rules Soon

1. Those who are experts in evaluating car seats for kids claims that through testing and research, they found out that such type of seat is not that suitable for little children.
2. Since such kind of booster seat doesn’t hold the child securely to the seat, chances are kids have less protection in case there is a vehicular side-on collision that takes place.

What to Do When You Already Purchased One for Your Child

If you’ve currently purchased a different type of seat and not the backless ones, you definitely don’t have to worry at all. Such rules are only applicable for those who are using backless seats for their kids.

However, new seats which are known to be available in the market today currently meet the standards in terms of safety so less worries for those who are not using this type of seat yet.

There’s no reason for parents and guardians to actually obtain a new seat. The manufacturers of these seats are absolutely the ones responsible for ensuring that the new seats are compliant with the modified standards for car seat safety and are properly labelled on the products they sell.

What Parents Should Know

It’s essential to obtain the appropriate seat for your kids to keep them safe at all times when they travel by car. Know the different seat requirements for the different age gap of your child.

According to the law the vehicle driver is liable for a child who’s under fourteen and isn’t wearing a seat belt or on the other hand is not on a child restraint seat. The fine for such violation is up to £500. Although here are exceptions to this case, parents and guardians should at all times be mindful of the laws.

Your kids are probably all grown up now and you’re trying to clear up all the clutter that was left of their childhood. One of the bulky and spacious things that may catch your attention would be old car seats uninstalled from your car.

Such bulky equipment will not only be eating up your space at home but may as well be accumulating too much dust from the many years it has not been used. And because of this, you might just want to get rid of it soon.

However, due to the many memories that you share with your children when they were still seated safely on these outgrown seats that were once installed on your car, you probably feel awful thinking that it’s just not worth the memories to throw these once meaningful things in the garbage just like that.

Although we are aware that these seats when they were still functional did their job in keeping our kids safe from harm, however on the other side of the story when we really don’t have anything to do with these things anymore can absolutely be a huge bulk of trash that might not even be that easy to recycle at all.

The good news is that there are ways on how you can dispose these old car seats in the right way for recycling both in the U.S. and Canada.

Here are few tips for you to consider

1. First thing to consider are recycling depots. All you need to do is to start searching for depots that accepts old seats from various vehicles which they as well recycle. Some depots may charge for a particular amount for recycling the material and some may as well require having the seat partly dismantled.
2. Another option is to reuse the seats. If you know somebody who is need and cannot afford to buy a car seat and you have some to spare which were outgrown by your children, you can absolutely donate the seats to a charitable institution or to a social welfare organization. 

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However, the seats should at least meet three major criteria before it can be reused

• Seats should not be expired.
• Seats have never been damaged due to an accident.
• The straps of the seats haven’t been washed or cleaned utilizing harmful chemicals.

Lastly, you can always recycle. Dismantling the car seat may not be that easy but it is the best way for you to start discovering what you can use from the different parts of an old car seat.

You will have to use various tools in taking the pieces apart from the seats and it may also take a lot of time and effort to perform such task. In then end though you’ll be able to separate those metal pieces and plastic that can be recycled and hen do away with the parts that need to go to trash.

These are only a few options for you to look upon when it comes to disposing the old car seats that your children have outgrown for some time. In the U.S. there is this Earth Month celebration where Target had this Car Seat Trade event. Target had teamed up with recycling company that will accept old car seats for recycling and in return those who brought their seats got a discount coupon.

Always keep your eyes open for such type of events that will not only help you get rid of the clutter at home but also help save our environment.

If you’re aiming to make certain that your child’s protected whenever you drive your car to travel anywhere you want to go to, as parents and guardians you should look for the most reliable car seats that you can easily fasten your kids on and keep them safe all throughout travel time.

Take note that aside from the vehicle you’re driving, the particular seat where you child is restrained is the first thing that will protect your child from any unforeseen events on the road. This is why it’s very essential to obtain the safest seat that will also not protect your child but will bring comfort to the child as well.

Transitioning Seats for Your Child’s Safety

It’s recommended that you move your children from one type of seat to another in accordance with your state’s law. Generally speaking your newborn babies should be on a seat that can be detached and is placed only on a rear facing position. This position in your car has been assessed to be less prone to fatality during accidents on the road.

When your little ones grow heavier and taller, they can then be moved to a convertible seat which should still be facing the rear side of your car and then eventually can be switched to face forward when your little ones grows older. As they grow up the gain more weight and grow taller which will then require them to be transferred to a booster seat so their position can be raised up to the point that they fit your vehicle’s seat belts.

Several crash test results as well as various fact finding teams were able to determine that there are great chances that kids can easily outgrow their very own seats not by weight but by height instead. Having known this, consumer reports is now advising guardians and parents to have their kids move from an infant seat to a convertible seat facing the rear side of their car when they reach the age of one to prevent possible injuries on the head.