Of all the "baby gear" you buy, your child's car safety seat may be the most important — and the most confounding. Properly installed child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. Sadly, more than half of the children under 5 who died in vehicle crashes were unrestrained; of those who were restrained, 20 percent were merely buckled into adult seat belts.

Although all child safety seats currently on the market meet federal safety standards, hand-me-down seats may not. And not every type of seat is a good match for your particular vehicle. A good place to begin your search is with the owner's manual of your vehicle. It will offer information about the kind of seat belts in your car, which will be important to know when you're selecting the best safety seat for your youngster.

No matter how safe the car seat, it has to be used properly. And the stakes are high. In 2000, according to the National Safety Council, 2,067 children from birth to age 15 died in motor vehicle crashes, and another 296,000 more children were injured. In 1999, nearly six out of 10 children who died in crashes were not restrained.

Buying the right safety seat and using it even for short trips are critical. But equally important is ensuring that the safety seat is properly installed in your car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that eight out of 10 child safety seats are installed incorrectly. Are your palms sweaty yet?

Don't worry. To find out if your child safety seat is properly installed you can visit an NHTSA-certified inspection center in your area. They will inspect your car seat and show you how to install it properly in your vehicle.

Car Seat Basics
There are four basic types of child safety seats:

Infant-only seats:

• Used rear-facing only.
• For babies up to 20 to 22 pounds.
• Never placed in the front seat with a front passenger air bag.
• Place harness straps at or below the baby's shoulders and keep them snug.
• Place chest clip at infant's armpit level to secure harness straps.
• If needed, place a rolled towel around the baby's head and neck for support.
• Do not put heavy clothing or jacket on the baby or put cushioning under the baby. Secure the infant in the seat, then put a blanket over him (but do not cover his face with it).
• Get more infant car seat use and installation tips from the NHTSA.

Convertible seats

• Rear-facing or forward-facing.
• From birth up to 40 pounds (used rear-facing until the baby is at least 20 pounds and a year old. Many are available with rear-facing weight limits up to 30 to 35 pounds for larger babies).
• Place harness straps at or below your infant's shoulders (in the lower slots) and keep harness straps snug.
• Place the chest clip at your infant's armpit level to keep harness straps in place.
• Do not put your child in heavy clothing or a jacket before strapping into the carseat. The bulky clothing prevents the harness straps from being snug enough.
• If using a convertible seat rear-facing for a newborn, place a rolled towel around the baby's head and neck for support. Never place any extra cushioning under or behind the baby, which will prevent the harness straps from being pulled snug enough.
• When selecting a convertible seat for a newborn, choose one without a t-shield or tray shield in front of the baby. The shield comes up too high on the newborn and may make proper adjustment of the harness difficult.
• Get more convertible car seat use and installation tips from the NHTSA.

Forward-facing-only seats

• Forward-facing only.
• From 20 to 30 pounds up to 40 pounds or more. Child must be at least one year old, up to age 3 to 4.
• Place harness straps at or above child's shoulders. Forward-facing-only seats have several slots; choose the slots closest to your child's shoulders.
• Place chest clip across the chest at armpit level to keep harness straps in place.
• Keep harness straps snug.
• Get more forward-facing car seat use and installation tips from the NHTSA.

Belt-positioning booster seats

• From 30 to 40 pounds up to 80 to 100 pounds (and at least age 3 to 4).
• Must be used with vehicle lap and shoulder belt — never with only lap belt.
• Booster without back may be used if child's head is supported (up to the top of the ears) by the vehicle seat back.
• High-back booster recommended if vehicle has a low seat back or does not have a head restraint.
• The NHTSA does not recommend seat belt-positioning devices. In many cases these devices pull the lap belt up onto the child's stomach, which can cause severe injuries in a crash.
• Get more booster seat use and installation tips from the NHTSA.

Riding Safely With Your Youngster
Beginning in September 2002, all new vehicles are equipped with the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system. The LATCH system is designed to make installation of child safety seats easier by requiring child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle's seat belt system. Click here for more on the LATCH system and a list of manufacturers of LATCH child safety seats.

Whichever child safety seat you purchase, be sure to return the registration card to the manufacturer so that they can notify you in case of a recall. Click here to see if your current child safety seat has been recalled. To report a possible defect with your child safety seat or with your vehicle, call the NHTSA Hotline at 1-888-DASH2DOT (1-888-327-4236).

The back seat is the safest place in case of a crash. If your car is equipped with a passenger-side airbag, all children age 12 and under should remain in the back seat. If your child must be in the front seat, investigate having an air bag on-off switch installed in your car. The NHTSA has information on these new devices and where they can be installed.

Set a good example for your child, from the day you take them home from the hospital. An NHTSA study found that when the driver is wearing a seat belt, children are buckled in 87 percent of the time, but when the driver is unbuckled, the percentage of children belted in drops to only 24 percent.