I just added it up and realized my family has spent $1,200 on car seats and boosters over the past 10 years. When I spied the total, I felt the sudden impulse to throw myself across my purse.
Are we ridiculous spendthrifts? Actually, we’re the family with the 14-year-old sedan in our driveway. The fact is, kid expenses add up fast.
When I was a first time mother, I stalked ConsumersReports.org and researched every last baby purchase. If a pregnant friend bragged about a car seat she collected off the side of the road, my internal voice screamed “You’re putting your baby in a death trap!” because with salvaged car seats, there’s no telling if they’ve been involved in a crash or not.
But even brand new car seats vary wildly. Sign on to SafeCar.gov where you can investigate your vehicle safety ratings, as well as your car seat’s ease of use ratings, and prepare to be paranoid.
The first car seat we purchase was a Peg Perego infant seat that cost about $180. My husband and I read the directions cover to cover, and installed the car seat with great precision. Then we took it to a car seat safety check and realized we have leveled it incorrectly. Crap!
When our son outgrew his infant seat, we coughed up $300 to buy a Britax. If you’re an older person reading this you might be thinking “$300 for a car seat. Is it made out of gold?” No, but boy are those Britax car seats heavy. I thought my arms were beefy from lugging around the infant seat, but my muscles were no match for the Britax.
A major selling point of the model we bought was that it could accommodate a child up to 65 pounds, meaning we could keep our son in a 5-point-harness for as long as possible. It also had safety features like side impact head protection and a special clip that clamped to the seatbelt. If, God forbid, we were in a car crash and the seatbelt buckle failed, the tether and the seatbelt clamp would prevent the car seat from flinging out of the car. At the time, all available car seats offered the tether, but the seatbelt clamp was a special feature.
Transferring car seats between vehicles is inconvenient and risks user error, so we purchased a second Britax for my mother-in-law’s weekly Grammy days. Then, after our daughter was born and outgrew the Peg Perego, we bought a Britax for her too because big brother’s was occupied. Tack on a couple of booster seats and you’ll see how we spent $1,200.
Thankfully, no matter what your car seat budget, making sure they are properly installed is free. Safe Kids Snohomish County offers a list of places you can visit at SnoSafeKids.org. Since it’s estimated that 8 out of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly, you might have your “Oh, crap,” moment too.
Jennifer Bardsley is an Edmonds mom of two. Find her on Twitter @jennbardsley and at www.heraldnet.com/ibrakeformoms
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