Suki Mama Mania: Car Seat Giveaway

We're continuing Suki Mama Mania with a Car Seat Giveaway!

There are so many car seats on the market. How can you be sure you're choosing the best one for your child? Here with what need to know about child safety seats is Car Seat Specialist Emily Levine, who shared with us a few car seat purchasing and placing tips.

And Levine is helpin us give away a Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car seat, which is valued at $150. Click here for your chance to win. The winner will be chosen at random and you have until Wednesday, June 24 to enter. Good luck!

You can keep up with Suki and her pregnancy on her blog, www.wpix.com/sukimama.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST.

• One of the most important things about child safety seats is choosing one that will fit in your car, fit your child, and that you can operate easily and correctly every day (and one that is in your budget).

• Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger air bag. If the air bag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat, right where your baby's head is, and could cause serious injury or death.

• 'Graduating' a child from one of these levels to the next is actually a demotion in safety if the child has not outgrown the safer level (i.e. turning a child forward-facing while he is still within his convertible child safety seat's rear-facing height and weight limits is a demotion in safety.

• All infants should always ride rear-facing until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds.

• Use a seat that can be used rear-facing by children who weigh more than 20 pounds and keep your baby rear-facing as long as possible into the second year of life, or at least until he has reached his first birthday

• If your baby slouches down or to the side in his car safety seat, pad around your child (never under or behind) with rolled-up cloth diapers or blankets. Do not use any sort of car safety seat insert unless it came with the seat or was made by the manufacturer of the seat.

• Children over forty pounds should be placed into a belt positioning booster seat.

• You should not use your car's regular seat belts until they fit correctly when your child is about 80 pounds and is 4'9" tall. Your child will not be ready to use regular seat belts until the shoulder strap fits across his shoulder and not his neck, and the lap belt fits across his hips and not his stomach.