Your guide to smart and safe baby gear

Mazel tov! You just welcomed a new baby into your life. It could be your first, or your seventh, but one thing is certain — you’re also welcoming a lot of baby gear into your living space. what items do you really need and what are extras? And how do you know what’s safe or that you’re using it correctly? This isn’t just a question for new parents. Even veteran mothers need to stay updated — What worked for your oldest kid may not be recommended anymore

Car Seats

Babies can spend a lot of time in the car during their first year, whether it’s just from running to the many well-checkups or tagging along with carpool.

“You don’t need to spend a lot on a car seat,” says Dr. Sherrie Orzel, a board-certified pediatrician with over 15 years of experience. “Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s safer. All car seats sold in the US must meet the same federal safety and crash performance standards. Just look for the label that says, ‘This restraint system conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.’ If it’s on the market, you know it’s perfectly safe.”

“Never, ever, ever buy a knockoff car seat on sites like AliExpress or Temu,” Lani Harrison, a CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician) who has installed thousands of car seats, says emphatically. “Those seats have been shown to literally fall apart in crash testing. Take a step back and realize that the goal of a car seat is simply to keep the baby safe in a crash. Any colors, styles, or other features are a far second to that goal.”

Car seats and car seat accessory safety is determined through crash testing. Once the crash testers install the seat and put in a dummy, which is created to be as close to a human body as possible, they put sensors on and run it on a crash test line. They’re required to do it many times with many different permutations. (Latch install, seatbelt, not tethered, different size dummies if both fit in the seat, etc.)

“Certain seats don’t pass crash testing with certain inserts,” says Lani. “It makes sense if you think about it. If you put something like a couch pillow behind a kid in a car seat, obviously they are going to bounce around much more than if you put something that’s comfortable, but more rigid.” Infant inserts, like head supports, should only be used if they came with the car seat. Be sure to read the manual, as some may need to be removed when the child reaches a certain weight.

The same concept applies to bulky winter coats or snowsuits, which can make the baby unsafe in their car seat. When the car comes to a short stop, or there is impact, the fluff compresses, leaving several inches between the child and the straps. Loose straps increase the risk of injury or may even cause the child to get ejected from the seat. One workaround is warming the car before bringing the baby in, and placing a blanket over the baby for the (hopefully) short walk from your home to the car.

“They’re only cold for a second,” says Dr. Orzel. “Contrary to popular belief, it is not dangerous for a baby to be briefly exposed to the cold. You don’t get sick from being cold for a minute or two. Typical winter illnesses come from viruses and bacteria.”