Perfect Baby Tips

Installing a car seat is difficult, and the variations among child seats and cars’ back seats don’t make it any easier. Adding to the difficulty is the installation of the top tether, a strap built into the top of the child seat with a hook at the end that fastens on to an anchor in cars equipped with the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system. Consumers often install it incorrectly or overlook the top tether entirely. You’ll likely find top tether anchors on the rear parcel shelf for sedans (see image above, left) and on the rear seatbacks for SUVs and hatchbacks (see image above, right).

In a survey conducted in 2006 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only about half of the child safety seats installed in a vehicle equipped with an upper tether anchor were actually attached to the vehicle using a top tether, mainly because people didn’t know how to use it or didn’t think using it was necessary. We recently tested forward-facing convertible car seats both with and without top tethers. Based on those results, children are less likely to sustain injury in seats where the top tethers are attached. (See our new convertible car seat Ratings.)

I suggested that my husband consult the car’s instruction manual, which seemed to be the answer. Sure enough, the installation was very different from any we’d done before, particularly the installation of the top tether, which differed from the way it’s installed in our car.

Top tethers, when available, should always be attached for forward-facing seats, whether the seat is installed with the seatbelts or the LATCH system. Find more installation tips at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s LATCH page. If your vehicle isn’t equipped with a top tether anchor (many cars manufactured before 2002 don’t have them), ask your dealer about having one installed.

–Artemis DiBenedetto, Web associate editor

How to fight mosquito bites
Mosquitoes can ruin your backyard barbecue, camping trip, or just about any outdoor summer activity, but there are ways to fight them. Learn more about mosquitos and how to fight them in the full post on our Health blog.

Here’s an overview of what’s “hot” out there right now that may sway your buying decisions.

More functional designs. Manufacturers, after studying the preferences of parents, have decided that functionality is essential to sales success, and they’re right. The best products are not only safe, they’re durable, user-friendly, and tailored to your busy lifestyle. You’ll find ergonomic strollers with comfort features such as cup holders and compartments for your keys and cell phone. Some products today are developed with several uses in mind: high chairs that become toddler chairs and play yards that function as portable bassinets and changing tables.

Bottom line: Products that do double or triple duty have a longer useful life so consider those whenever you have that option.

More stylish choices. Manufacturers have upped the style ante. You’ll find products from cutesy to sophisticated, items inspired by popular children’s characters and television programs, and chic lines that fit your sense of style. You’ll find all-terrain strollers, for example, with chrome or aluminum accents in today’s hottest colors—chartreuse, periwinkle, orange, “cognac,” and black. You’ll also find baby products sold in collections: car seats, strollers, play yards, and high chairs all in the same fabric theme, designed to blend in with your home décor or just coordinate with each other. On the flip side, you’ll also find lots of baby products in traditional pink for girls and blue for boys.

Bottom line: Aesthetics are important to consider before and during your shopping trips. Although you may be tempted to buy the most stylish products on the market, remember that they will likely be more expensive, and that the most important factors to consider should be the products’ utility and safety.

Eco-friendly. You’ll find an array of “natural” and organic products for babies that are produced from organic or sustainable materials like hemp and bamboo, or are free of conventional chemicals typically used during manufacturing, such as dyes.

Bottom line: If you’re considering eco-friendly products, ask yourself: Are these products really better for my baby and the environment, and worth any extra cost? (See organic and natural toys.) Most “green” crib mattresses, for example, have some conventional (synthetic) components because not all mattress materials can be satisfactorily produced organically or come from nature. Plus, there are no organic standards for the mattress industry so it can be tough to know exactly what you’re buying. With eco-friendly products, as with most baby products, shop with a skeptical eye.

Written by Sandra Gordon and the editors of Consumer Reports, Consumer Reports Best Baby Products is an A to Z guide to everything parents will need for their baby, including a handy “Where-to-Buy Guide” and a master checklist for Moms and Dads. “We try to distinguish between the essential and the nonessential, helping you select the safest, most durable, and most useful products,” Gordon says. “In this economy, it’s all about stretching every penny and getting the most mileage from the baby registry, while keeping the focus on safety.”

From the test labs of America’s most trusted product-testing organization, the guide features in-depth guidance and Ratings for parents, from everyday items like baby food and formula to big-ticket items like strollers and vehicles. It also answers some of your most pressing questions, such as:

–Do I really need that $750 stroller?
–How can I buy the safest crib?
–Does it pay to buy organic baby food?
–How can I buy baby products without the chemical bisphenol A?
–Which baby products are safe to buy used and which aren’t?
–Can I use the same car seat for baby number 2?
–Are “eco-friendly” mattresses really eco-friendly?
–Which toys will my baby enjoy the most?

Consumer Reports Best Baby Products also offers money-saving strategies, product ratings, and tips on how to make returns when you buy defective products or receive duplicate gifts. “When there are so many options to choose from, getting ready for a new baby can be confusing,” says Gordon, a mom of two from Connecticut. “Our mission is to help you confidently narrow the field and have a good idea of which products are safe and right for you, your baby, and your budget before you shop online or in the store, or register for your baby shower. It pays to do your homework.”