Baby’s First Car Ride

Being a new parent is the most awesome experience that one cannot define in words. The pain and strain that the Mom has under gone through out her 9 months is all forgotten the moment she see her baby. Those precious moments definitely have no words. Now that you are ready getting prepared for that awesome moments, let’s take a look at “How to Be prepared for your baby’s first ride”. Being prepared for this first ride with your baby will help you enjoy the moments.

Be Prepared …

Yes, be prepared for the day and understand what’s on your way. Do enough research online, talk to experienced people, gather all the stuff that you would need in hospital. Many hospitals encourage and make it mandatory to have an Infant Car seat before you get discharged. Start buying the most important things for your new baby at least 8 weeks before your due date. Infant Car Seat is one among those in the list that you can never miss. While choosing keep in mind below things so that you can make better choice.

• Pick a Car seat that is suggested for New Borns. Most Infant Car Seats start from 5 pounds as the lower weight limit. While this is completely OK, it is better to check your family history & current condition to understand if you need a lower limit for any reason. Car seats like, ‘Graco SnugRide 35 LX’ Or ‘ Birtax B-Safe 35 Lite’ have a limit range between 4-35 lbs.
• Pick the car seat which has got good harness system. This will help to have your new born with less discomfort, but more secured.
• If you know that you are going deal with double joy, be prepared to have 2 car seats.
• Try to pick a seat which has got padded cushions on the sides of the head. They provide proper support since the baby is not yet ready to balance his/her head straight.
• Make sure that you have a proper car seat base for the infant car seat. This will help to have the car seat fixed in proper place and condition. Most these also provide an ability to adjust the height of the seat, which is very much needed in those initial days.
• Latest (after 2007) car models do have LATCH systems beneath the car seats. If your car have such options, consider these while purchasing your car seat. This will help you avoid un-necessary time spending whenever you have to take the car seat(base) out.

Get Ready for the Day !!!

Once you finalize your choice, make sure you go to the Store and have feel of the product, Read enough reviews, consumer complaints, talk to the store person and understand from any one who is using this product, etc., Realize that no product is completely perfect, but choose the best among the lot to give a good one for your baby.

Start practicing the Car Seat installation using a toy or doll at least from 4 weeks before Due Date. Reach out to your Hospital to see if they are running any classes for Car Seat installations & maintenance, if so, join them. Reach out to local or nearest Fire Department office, they help you to inspect your car seat and help you in getting it fixed correctly first time. Make sure you understand this very well and learn this process.

If you are still not ready or not made final decision on purchasing the car seat, make sure you at least borrow it from some one for a day or two. But make sure that seat is not old nor ever been in an accident.

Make sure you buy the seat earlier and get it along with you on the day of birth. This will help you get it checked with the Health Care providers if there is any special need for your baby.

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On the Actual Day !!!

Have a very comfortable clothing your self, be relaxed, make sure to have some one along with you. Have your baby dressed up comfortably. One other interesting aspect of this whole thing is to choose what to dress up on his first visit to Home :), so have fun and enjoy the moment.

Check before you Leave – Ensure your baby had enough milk and got diaper changed. This will help you not to worry about any thing while on the ride. Since you are taking your baby first time, you may have so many things to check if baby starts crying. So, this check can at least leave out some potential possibilities.

Set your car temperature to normal, if it is Hot Sunny day, make sure you turn on the AC much ahead of getting baby in to the car, if it is Winter cold, make sure you turn on the Heat and get the car to normal temperature which was set in the hospital. Don’t over heat or over cool the vehicle.

Get some one for help for sure – Don’t drive alone from hospital to home under any circumstances. Have some one drive for you or let some one be with the baby in the back seat.

If you have practiced the process of Car Seat installation with help of experts, follow the instructions laid down by them, if not ask for help from hospital staff, (be prepared, not all the hospital staff are permitted or will take this responsibility, so learn everything by now)

Try to sit beside the baby in the car seat & enjoy your ride home.

Some Quick Tips/Precautions …

1. Infant Car seat should always face rear side of the car.
2. Always have the infant in the back seat.
3. Always check the latches connections between your car infant seat base & car seat, before inserting the car seat into the base.
4. If you are using a car which do not have latch options or if your infant car seat base do not have such provision, make sure that, the car seat is securely strapped.
5. Test if your infant car sea base is properly fitted. This can be tested by shaking the base, once it is latched. It should not shake more than an inch as a best fitment.
6. Make sure that harness if secured correctly and is in the right positions on your baby.

Visit, NHTSA website to know about any Infant Car Seat recalls before you buy. Visit safekids.org (http://www.safekids.org/checklist/car-seat-checklist-parents-pdf) for a quick checklist.

Let us know how you prepared yourself for your baby’s first ride. Also, let us know if this guide was helpful. This can be helpful for other new parents or going to be parents.