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Child safety is an area that I take seriously, especially when it comes to cars. Something I spent weeks researching online (such as Cars.com as a preferred source) when finally deciding what would work best.
The combination of vehicle and car seat you choose when traveling with your family is one of the biggest decisions you can make as a parent. Hence in this post, I want to share my experience as well as quick tips for making your search for the perfect car easier.
Safety First
Speaking of safety, crash ratings provided by NHTSA.gov should be a primary area of research when shopping for a car. Scenarios such a front collision, rollover possibility during emergency maneuvering, and side impacts with another vehicle are all performed in a controlled environment.
Their website is also a valuable tool for finding the right car seat. Simply enter the age, weight, and height of your child and a recommendation is given if he/she should sit in a rear or front facing car seat, booster seat or if they are physically ready for just a seatbelt.
Space Matters
So now that you have a handful of vehicles that made the list of potential future family haulers, you need to consider space. Having sold cars for many years, it was common to see a family walk into the dealer bright and early, baby in one hand and baggy full of cheerios on the other, along with a car seat. Their goal was to visit every dealer they could before lunchtime, installing their child seat in each vehicle they were considering, and find which one fits best.
You can save yourself a lot of trips by visiting Cars.com instead. They have a dedicated page called Child Car Seat Checks. I was amazed when I discovered this as I made my way to their car reviews section. In a nutshell, the staff at Cars.com take both standard child and booster seats and test fit them in new vehicles that are available for sale.
Ask The Right Questions
Cars.com scores every facet that should be valuable for a parent — a few things below to keep in mind.
- Does the vehicle have enough space to fit three child seats in a middle row?
- Do you have access to the third row if a child seat is installed in the second?
- And about those car latches that are supposed to make installation simpler. How easy is it to find them?
With over 200 different new vehicles available in the US, you will be saving time, and money by doing the necessary research at home, therefore eliminating the list of ten potential vehicles down to two or three. This will leave you with a minimum of cars to test drive, which you can easily manage to do in a day.
I hope that you find this article useful and if you do have any questions or tips you want to share, do so in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!