Mason's birthday was soon approaching and we realized that he was getting too big for his rear facing car seat. It took us quite a while to find his rear facing seat as so many thing come to mind when buying a car seat:
- Style
- Price
- How easy it is to handle
- How easy it is to take baby in/out
- Buying an infant seat or a convertible
- Meets the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS).
We bought a Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat for Mason and it has been great! The only complaint I have is it's difficult to adjust the straps (loosening them).
Here is Mason when he was 1 day old leaving the hospital in his car seat:
Here is a great article on buying a car seat for an Infant.
So now being 1 year old and 31 inches long (that's 10 inches grown in ONE year!) Going to be a tall dude! My parents actually bought the car seat for us as a present and so I had to do a bit of research before they picked it up.
We chose the Schwinn 3-in-1 Car Seat (Canadian Tire). I based this decision on price, style and compared it to the other models available.
It also had high ratings from other parents who bought the same model. The one thing I love about this model is that the straps can be loosened with the push of a button! So much easier to put Mason in the seat if he has a bulky jacket on. The only downside is that since he's not in a recline position, his head flops around when he's asleep. I hate that. I'm not sure what product I can buy to help him keep his neck in a better position but lately I haven't had him in the car during naptimes!
If you are in the market to purchase a forward facing car seat, here is another article from Babycenter.ca.