Those of us with small children under about 8 years old know that one of the most expensive investments we'll make up to that age is a carseat.

It starts before your child is born with a rear-facing seat of some type, then moves on to a forward-facing seat after one year, then finally the booster.

Manufacturers have made it easier to buy a seat that will last a bit longer, saving us some money along the way.

For instance, you can buy your newborn either an infant child carrier that is easily removed from a base or a larger convertible seat.

The infant carrier is great because newborns spend so much of their time asleep that you can run errands and take the carrier in and out of your vehicle without waking your baby. The convertible seat is a larger seat that starts our rear-facing, but grows with your child into the forward-facing position.

The infant carrier cannot be turned forward-facing, so purchasing this seat requires that you'll be buying at least one more carseat before you are done. The convertible is nice because even though you might wake your baby, these seats can usually accommodate your child up to about 35 to 40 lbs.

As your child grows, you have to move on to larger seats to accommodate his/her size and weight. One option at the forward-facing stage is that you can buy a combination seat. This seat is convenient because it has a much larger weight limit, and is made so that when your child is too big to be in the 5-point harness, you can remove this harness and use the seat as a belt positioning booster.

Now all this information brings the question, what brand is the best?

The answer in carseats is that you do not always get what you pay for. All carseats have to meet the same minimum safety standards prior to being put on a store shelf. They have to be crash tested at the same speeds with the same weight crash test dummies as well as other requirements. Yes, some companies go above and beyond when they manufacture a carseat. However, usually those modifications are for aesthetics and/or comfort and have nothing whatsoever to do with the safety performance of your seat.

Britax, for example, makes a convertible carseat (rear and forward-facing) that runs about $260.

The same basic seat is also made by Graco, Evenflo, Safety 1 st as well as others and those run from about $95 to $180 depending on where you buy them.

The point here is not to say that Britax does not make a good carseat and that your child will not be safe in it. Britax makes an excellent carseat, it has plenty of cushion and really nice fabric, but that is not what keeps your child safe.

All the seats have to meet the same minimum standards as set by the federal government. What it boils down to is that a fancy, expensive carseat will not ensure your child's safety in a crash. What will keep your child safer is making sure that whatever seat you choose to purchase is properly installed following the guidelines set forth by both the manufacturer and safety advocates and that your child is properly secured in the seat.

All this information can be very confusing, from what type of seat to buy, where and how to put it in your car, as well as securing your child.

If you have any questions concerning your child safety seat, please call GreaterBrighton Fire at 303-659-4101. We have certified carseat technicians who would be happy to answer your questions as well as help you install your seat and/or check to make sure you have installed it properly. You can also visit our website at http://www.gbfpd.org/car_seat.htm to view the most current Colorado Child Restraint Laws.

If you would like to read more about the safety standards as set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Dawn Blunt
Public Safety Educator