Little Tykes has been making high quality outdoor toddler toys for children for over thirty years. Many of the kids who grew up playing with these great toys are now buying new versions of similar products for their children – and the cycle continues. Their toys simply hold so much value in the eyes of a child that they simply cannot be denied as some of the greatest toys for toddlers, infants and young children ever created.

Without a doubt, their most successful and most easily recognized toy has been the Coupe, a small multicolored car which children can sit in and either power on their own or have someone push them. While it is still available as one of the greatest outdoor toddler toys ever made, it now comes in a huge variety of different colors which is sure to appeal to just about any child. No longer can you only buy it in its classic red and yellow color scheme, but you can now purchase a Little Tykes Coupe in white, black, green, blue, yellow, red and just about any other color you can think of.

Now, the Little Tykes Coupe is certainly not the only outdoor toddler toy that this amazing company makes. Nope, they also manufacture a massive selection of other goods for both boys and girls. From play sets with swings and slides designed for kids who enjoy lots of activity when they are outdoors to outdoor kitchens for children who enjoy role playing, there are toys for just about any child’s (and parent’s) preferences. So before the summer ends, head on over to your local toy store and pick out some outdoor toddler toys from Little Tykes – your children will thank you later.

There are 5 types of car safety seats that can be used forward facing.

1. Convertible seats are ones that can be used rear facing or forward facing.

2. Forward facing toddler seats can only be used forward facing with a harness. These are for children who weigh up to 80 pound. You must check the specifications on each model, because some can only be used up to 40 pounds.

3. There are car seats that can be used forward facing or as a booster. These are called a combination forward facing/booster seat. These car seats can be used forward facing for children weighing up to 40 to 65 pounds, depending on the model. They can be used as a booster car seat without the harness for children weighing up to 80 to 100 pounds.

4. Some vehicles are made with forward facing car seats built right in. Read your vehicle owner’s manual to find out the weight and height limits for your particular vehicle. They will vary.

5. Travel vests are a pretty new product on the market. They are a safe alternative for forward facing child car seats. Travel vests can be useful when you have a vehicle with only lap seat belts in the back seat. They are great to move from vehicle to vehicle, so you do not have to take your car seat in and out. Travel are used for large toddlers who can no longer fit in a traditional car safety seat or for children who just simply will not stay in their car seat. They can be used for children between 20 pounds all the way up to 168 pounds.

Installation tips for forward-facing seats

1. The car safety seat must be installed tightly in the car. The harness should fit snug against your child.

2. When rear facing, the shoulder straps must be in the slot at or below your child’s shoulders. To switch a convertible seat to forward facing, you must move the shoulder straps to the slots at or above your child’s shoulders.

3. With some car seats you may have to adjust the angle of the seat to recline.

4. Vehicles made after 2002 should come with the LATCH system. This is used to secure car safety seats. If you have this, it should be used. It keeps the car seat more secure than an ordinary seat belt. Check your owners manual for your vehicle to find out where your tether anchors are located in your car. Use your manual for you particular safety car seat to learn how to use this system with your car seat.

Always use your manual and your car seats specification when using and installing it. Remember, even though you think your little one is big enough to ride with just a seat belt, statistics show they are not. Even children from the age of 4 to 8 years should be in a booster seat. So keep your child safe and use a safety seat.

If your baby is less than a year old, he or she must ride in a rear-facing car seat.

One choice is to buy a rear-facing infant car seat (suitable for babies up to 20lbs), that will fit your baby snugly during the first few months and often comes with a handle for easy carrying. And, if you’re looking for the utmost in convenience, select a travel system. Infant travel systems include a ready made car seat and stroller combination.

The downside to the infant car seat is that you’ll spend $60 to $150 on the seat and your child will outgrow it in 6 months to a year. You’ll have to upgrade to a convertible car seat once your baby reaches 20 lbs. If this is a concern for you, you can buy a convertible car seat that will face the rear for your newborn and can turn around to face the front for your baby once he or she reaches 20 lbs.

However, some parents feel that their newborn is “swimming” in a convertible car seat and prefer to use an infant car seat until their baby gets big enough to sit in a front-facing car seat.

No matter what you decide to use for your infant, you’ll eventually need a convertible car seat.

Regardless of the choice you make as to whether to use a convertible car seat from day one or use an infant car seat until your baby weighs 20 lbs, you’ll need to buy a convertible car seat at some point. Convertible car seats are larger than infant-only car seats and are designed to grow with your child through the toddler years. Most convertible car seats fit babies up to 40 lbs (usually around age 4) and some convert to a booster car seat and are safe for children up to 80 lbs.

Convertible car seats range in price from $80 to $300.

For toddlers weighing more than 40 lbs and big kids, you’ll need a booster car seat.

Booster car seats are designed for children age 3 or older who weigh at least 40 lbs. They are designed to use your car’s lap and shoulder seat belts. They literally boost your child into a position that makes it safe to use the car’s seat belt system.

Booster car seats are essential to your child’s safety because using your car’s seat belts on a child without a booster seat can actually cause injury. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that children who’ve outgrown their convertible car seats use a booster car seat until they are 8 years old and 4 feet 9 inches tall.

Some booster seats provide back support and you should choose one of these options if your vehicle seat is low or has no head restraint. A backless option is fine for vehicle seats that offer plenty of support behind the head.

Booster car seats range in price from $60 to $200.

There are 5 types of car safety seats that can be used forward facing.

1. Convertible seats are ones that can be used rear facing or forward facing.

2. Forward facing toddler seats can only be used forward facing with a harness. These are for children who weigh up to 80 pound. You must check the specifications on each model, because some can only be used up to 40 pounds.

3. There are car seats that can be used forward facing or as a booster. These are called a combination forward facing/booster seat. These car seats can be used forward facing for children weighing up to 40 to 65 pounds, depending on the model. They can be used as a booster car seat without the harness for children weighing up to 80 to 100 pounds.

4. Some vehicles are made with forward facing car seats built right in. Read your vehicle owner’s manual to find out the weight and height limits for your particular vehicle. They will vary.

5. Travel vests are a pretty new product on the market. They are a safe alternative for forward facing child car seats. Travel vests can be useful when you have a vehicle with only lap seat belts in the back seat. They are great to move from vehicle to vehicle, so you do not have to take your car seat in and out. Travel are used for large toddlers who can no longer fit in a traditional car safety seat or for children who just simply will not stay in their car seat. They can be used for children between 20 pounds all the way up to 168 pounds.

Installation tips for forward-facing seats

1. The car safety seat must be installed tightly in the car. The harness should fit snug against your child.

2. When rear facing, the shoulder straps must be in the slot at or below your child’s shoulders. To switch a convertible seat to forward facing, you must move the shoulder straps to the slots at or above your child’s shoulders.

3. With some car seats you may have to adjust the angle of the seat to recline.

4. Vehicles made after 2002 should come with the LATCH system. This is used to secure car safety seats. If you have this, it should be used. It keeps the car seat more secure than an ordinary seat belt. Check your owners manual for your vehicle to find out where your tether anchors are located in your car. Use your manual for you particular safety car seat to learn how to use this system with your car seat.

Always use your manual and your car seats specification when using and installing it. Remember, even though you think your little one is big enough to ride with just a seat belt, statistics show they are not. Even children from the age of 4 to 8 years should be in a booster seat. So keep your child safe and use a safety seat.

Toddler car seats come in three basic varieties: (1) those that can be used only as a toddler car seat, (2) those that can be used both as an infant car seat and a toddler car seat, and (3) those that can be used both as a toddler car seat and a booster car seat. Seats that are designed to be used in two different modes are called ‘convertible’ car seats.

Convertible infant/toddler car seats can be used for children from infancy (with the car seat in the rear facing position), into their toddler years (with the car seat turned around and used in the forward facing position), until they are ready for a booster car seat. In the rear facing mode, these types of car seats can typically be used with a child up to about 25 lbs, and then used in the forward facing position until the child reaches about 40 lbs. These types of car seats have a larger seat than an infant only car seat, and many come with padded inserts for use when the child is still small.

Convertible toddler/booster car seats are forward facing, and typically use both the car’s seat belts and a separate harness during the ‘toddler’ stage, and just the car’s seat belts during the ‘booster’ stage.

This is fine for newbies who buy a pink car seat for their little girl because it is pink and they like the pattern. But then along comes Johnny and he can’t sit in a pink car seat. So, here you are left with an infant car seat carrier that was barely used, but cannot be used again. Now I must say that most parents or parents-to-be do not use much forethought when it comes to the initial products that they purchase for their little one. If a novice parent says you need it, you get it. No questions asked. But what we tend to forget is that baby products have a life value like a car. As soon as you buy it and drive out of the parking lot, it looses its value because another new and updated version will be on the shelf in five minutes. This holds true for car seats, both infant and toddler. Now, if you are a consumer this may not bother you too much because you do not mind spending the $150-$300 on a new and improved version. However, there is now a much easier, cuter and cheaper way to change the look of your car seat.

These cuter and easier ways are possible because of replacement car seat covers. These covers are always fashionable and hip for the trendy parent. Some covers are just that, fashionable and hip. Other covers while being trendy, also serve a purpose. The cover actually has a waterproof backing to it that stops any spills and messes from soaking through to the original manufacturers cover.

Brilliant!

This waterproof replacement cover slips on over the manufacturers cover without having to remove the car seat from the car, which is a big factor in safety. As a new parent or even a not so new parent, it is always difficult to install the car seat properly. Some even take their cars to the fire station to make sure the car seat is installed properly. By using a waterproof cover you are preventing the need to uninstall the seat when there is a spill or accident. These covers DO NOT interfere with the safety mechanisms of the car seat working properly.

Jennifer Pines is owner of EmmaLu Designs, an online retailer and manufacturer of custom children’s car seat covers.

There are 5 types of car safety seats that can be used forward facing.

1. Convertible seats are ones that can be used rear facing or forward facing.

2. Forward facing toddler seats can only be used forward facing with a harness. These are for children who weigh up to 80 pound. You must check the specifications on each model, because some can only be used up to 40 pounds.

3. There are car seats that can be used forward facing or as a booster. These are called a combination forward facing/booster seat. These car seats can be used forward facing for children weighing up to 40 to 65 pounds, depending on the model. They can be used as a booster car seat without the harness for children weighing up to 80 to 100 pounds.

4. Some vehicles are made with forward facing car seats built right in. Read your vehicle owner’s manual to find out the weight and height limits for your particular vehicle. They will vary.

5. Travel vests are a pretty new product on the market. They are a safe alternative for forward facing child car seats. Travel vests can be useful when you have a vehicle with only lap seat belts in the back seat. They are great to move from vehicle to vehicle, so you do not have to take your car seat in and out. Travel are used for large toddlers who can no longer fit in a traditional car safety seat or for children who just simply will not stay in their car seat. They can be used for children between 20 pounds all the way up to 168 pounds.

Installation tips for forward-facing seats

1. The car safety seat must be installed tightly in the car. The harness should fit snug against your child.

2. When rear facing, the shoulder straps must be in the slot at or below your child’s shoulders. To switch a convertible seat to forward facing, you must move the shoulder straps to the slots at or above your child’s shoulders.

3. With some car seats you may have to adjust the angle of the seat to recline.

4. Vehicles made after 2002 should come with the LATCH system. This is used to secure car safety seats. If you have this, it should be used. It keeps the car seat more secure than an ordinary seat belt. Check your owners manual for your vehicle to find out where your tether anchors are located in your car. Use your manual for you particular safety car seat to learn how to use this system with your car seat.

Always use your manual and your car seats specification when using and installing it. Remember, even though you think your little one is big enough to ride with just a seat belt, statistics show they are not. Even children from the age of 4 to 8 years should be in a booster seat. So keep your child safe and use a safety seat.

Infant-toddler seats are also known as convertible car seats because these can be adjusted to face forward or backward as and when needed. These car seats can be used by both infants and older children weighing up to 40 lbs. The seat is to be installed in the back seat for infants below age one, facing the rear until they reach a year old.

The infant-toddler car seat can be turned to face forward when the kid weighs a minimum 20 lbs but it should be done only when s/he has reached age one. However, experts advise against this and suggest that it’s safest to seat the kid facing the rear as long as possible if the kid is comfortable and the seat can take his/her weight. This is the safest method in case of an accident. That is because, in a frontal collision, the stress on a forward-facing child’s neck can injure his/her spine.

Speaking of this, a majority of the newly designed infant-toddler car seats can carry kids up to 30 lbs in a rear-facing position. These convertible car seats are thus useful for those who reach 20 lbs. before age one, and also for keeping them extra safe after that.

The cost of an infant-toddler seats generally start at around $70.

Qualities of an ideal infant-toddler car seat

1. Simple and easy to install: A complex process can hamper proper installation of the seat and secure harnessing of the baby which is necessary for adequate safety.

2. Buy a seat with sufficient harness: An ideal infant-toddler seat must have at least a five-point safety harness. There should be one strap for each shoulder, each thigh, and one between legs. These are safer for an infant than plastic shields or T-bar restraints. You also need to keep in mind that buying new seats are safer than buying used seats which often use outdated safety techniques.

3. Belt adjustments from the front: The better seats are those that let you make adjustments from the front and have raised belt slots for buckling ease. Hence, these are much safer than seats that make belt adjustments from the back. Some new models now come with automatic adjustment.

4. LATCH system: Beginning September 2002, all new child safety seats and vehicles must be compatible with the LATCH system, which is acronym for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This system combines the previously existing top tethers with two lower anchors, built into the rear of the car. It is designed to make installation of a car seat easier and safer by attaching it directly to the vehicle instead of using the seat belt to secure it.

5. Washability and comfort: Although babies are notorious for making a mess of things, only a few manufacturers of infant-toddler car seats consider this common aspect. Most car seats come with permanently fixed pad covers which are un-washable. Always buy one with pad covers that could be detached and laundered in a washing machine. Also opt for a well padded seat with enough head and back support. This will enable your child to enjoy a more comfortable ride.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE

The major brands of car seats you’re likely to encounter are, in alphabetical order: Baby Trend, Britax, Chicco, Combi, Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Peg Perego, and Safety 1st.

There are also car beds for preemies and other very small newborns if there’s a concern that a car seat may not provide a secure fit or that it may exacerbate breathing problems. In addition, there are specially designed car seats for children with physical disabilities. Every model of car seat sold in the U.S. must meet federal safety standards. These are your basic choices:

Infant seats. These rear-facing seats are for babies up to 22 pounds. They allow infants to recline at an angle that doesn’t interfere with breathing and protects them best in a crash. Many strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats. All infant car-seat models come with a handle, and nearly all have a base that secures to your vehicle with LATCH connections or a vehicle safety belt, a convenience that lets you remove the seat and use it as a carrier. You can strap most infant seats into a car without a base, using the vehicle safety belts, but most people don’t use them that way.

Infant seats have either a three-point harness–two adjustable shoulder straps and a lock between the child’s legs or–even better–an adjustable five-point system–two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap. The handle usually swings from a position behind the seat’s shell when in the car to an upright position for carrying. Remember to swing the handle to the vehicle position before each trip. Slots underneath most seats help them attach to the frame of a shopping cart.

With an infant car seat, you also can move your baby from car to house or vice versa without waking him or her up–a plus for both of you. Note also that extra bases are available so you can keep a secured base in each of your vehicles. Your baby may outgrow an infant car seat quickly and become too heavy for you to use it as a carrier. As a result, you may find yourself having to buy a convertible car seat after your baby is 6 to 9 months old. However, our advice is still to start with an infant seat before moving up to a convertible seat.

If a baby is riding in an infant–only seat (the type that usually has a handle and detachable base) it should be replaced with a rear–facing convertible seat before the baby reaches the maximum weight specified (22-35 pounds) or if the top of the head is within an inch of the top edge of the seat. Most babies outgrow the typical infant–only seat before they are one year old, but they are not ready for a forward–facing seat. New convertible seats available today allow children to remain rear facing until they weigh 30-45 pounds, depending on the model.

Babies have heavy heads and fragile necks. In a crash, an infant’s soft spinal column can stretch, leading to spinal cord damage if he is riding facing forward. The baby could die or be paralyzed permanently. This is true even for babies who have strong neck muscles and good head control. The neck bones are flexible, and the ligaments are loose to allow for growth.

If the baby is facing forward in a frontal crash, which is the most common and most severe type, the body is held back by the straps — but the head is not. The head is thrust forward, stretching the neck and the easily injured spinal cord. Older children in forward facing safety seats or safety belts may end up with temporary neck injuries or fractures that will heal. But a baby’s neck bones actually separate during a crash, which can allow the spinal cord to be ripped apart. Picture what happens if someone yanks an electrical plug out of a socket by the cord, causing the wires to break.

In contrast, when a child rides facing rearward, the whole body — head, neck, and torso — is cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash. Riding in a rear–facing safety seat also protects the child better in other types of crashes, particularly side impacts, which are extremely dangerous, if not quite so common.

Children in Sweden ride rear facing until they are three to five years old, lowering traffic death and injury rates substantially. Although most safety seats sold in the U.S. are not designed to be used rear facing as long as those in Sweden, safety experts recommend that children ride rear facing as long as possible, at least until they are two years old.