If you’re expecting a baby in the next few months, chances are good that you’ve often thought about bringing them home. It’s a great time in your family’s life, the arrival of a newborn infant. However, it’s also a time where you really have to step back and make very sure that you have everything that your child needs before the big day arrives Since we never really know when a baby is going to be born, we need to make sure that we take steps several months in advance to have the big essentials down pat.

So it has to be said up front: if you really want to make sure that your child will be all right, you have to get your baby car seat before you try to bring them home from the hospital! A car seat is an investment when it’s brand new, but you will want to spend as much as you can to really make sure that your child has a great car seat to ride along in. If you and your family are big car people that like to drive often, you’ll find that purchasing a baby car seat new is definitely the way to go.

Now, if you don’t have the funds to pick up a brand new car seat, you will still want to make sure that you pick up a used car seat. You will just have to really make sure that it’s not too old. If you can look at the serial number before you purchase it, that’s even better. This way, you will be able to look it up online to ensure that your car seat hasn’t already been recalled. If you do end up getting a recalled car safety seat, you won’t be able to take your child from the hospital in it.

Why does it matter? Aside from the safety of your newborn, many hospitals are now refusing to discharge newborns that are not going to ride home safely in a car seat. This is a problem that has grown rapidly in the last few years, but that doesn’t mean that it to continue to grow. You can decide that you will put your child’s health first and get the best baby car seat that you can — that’s really all there is to it!