The Scoop on Child Safety Seats

By Bree Fowler, AP Auto Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — My husband and I are expecting our first child. So we're rookies when it comes to buying stuff for infants. We were overwhelmed when we dropped by our local baby superstore to search out the right model of child safety seat. The number of seats we saw was astronomical and some of the prices weren't much lower.

After a chat with a sales associate and a bit of home research, I narrowed down my options and was ready to make a decision.

To help you, here are three questions a parent should ask when buying a child safety seat.

1. DOES PRICE EQUAL SAFETY?

The answer: No. All child safety seats currently on the market meet minimum safety requirements, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But some do hold up better than others in crashes. What matters more is that parents install the seat correctly.

So while prices range from about $80 for a basic infant car seat to about $370 for a convertible car seat with all the trimmings, "ultimately parents have to be able to use (the seat) safely," said Jennifer Stockburger, program manager of child and vehicle safety for Consumer Reports.

Karen Aldana, a spokeswoman for NHTSA, said parents should focus on finding a seat that fits well in their car or truck and make sure that it's installed correctly. Hang on to all packaging and the sales receipt until you know the seat is a keeper.

Aldana said there's nothing wrong with using a hand-me-down car seat, but find out exactly how old it is and make sure it hasn't been recalled. Parents can also register their seats with NHTSA to be notified of future recalls.

Both Stockburger and Aldana said parents should have their seat checked at a NHTSA designated site, which can be found on the agency's Web site, www.nhtsa.gov, to make sure it's installed correctly.

"And parents don't panic. It's not your fault," Stockburger said. "It's a very complicated process and this is very precious cargo."