My wife and I have a baby now. We have to get a car seat among other things. But I’m not sure about that. Should we get a convertible seat? Or maybe an infant seat is better?

Well, that really depends on what exactly you want. Do you intend to use a stroller with the car seat? An infant car seat can be used as part of a travel car seat system. But a convertible seat can be used for longer than an infant car seat since they are designed both for babies and older children.

I'd get one car sear that goes from newborn to older child. Check out reviews and which seat has a high safety rating. Register car seat when you get it, in case of recalls. Buy only new, no second hand car seats.

Down and dirty. Look for a car seat system that will satify your needs and your budget and still be safe and secure for your child.

So the whole 9 months of preparation for these things and now that you HAVE the baby you ask? . . .

You are crowned "King of Procrastinators" . . . Unless of course you procured this newborn by other means . . .

Get a years subscription to "Consumers Digest" and look up "safety" and find the one that is the safest. - http://www.consumersdigest.com/subscribe

There are some really helpful units that have a base system (more then 1 if you have multiple cars) that you can move a baby car seat from one base to click into a stroller for quick moving of baby from car to stroller and then back again as needed.

http://www.babygearlab.com/Stroller-And-Car-Seat-Combo-Reviews

Worth a look:

http://www.lucieslist.com/baby-registry-basics/best-infant-car-seats-strollers

Not to be totally morbid, but motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of fatal injuries in children (AND adults) up to the age of 34. Eek. This is important stuff here, peeps, so pay attention…

There are two options for transporting your new babe: Aninfant seat(a.k.a. “the bucket”) or aconvertible seat, called so because it starts as a rear-facing seat and “converts” to a front-facing seat later on (around age 2+).

The majority of parents start with the infant seat (above, left) because of its portability.

However, youmay (yes, you may) skip the infant seat altogether and go directly to the larger, heavier convertible seat. Youcansave some money this way, but keep in mind you won’t be able to use it in conjunction with a stroller, which is amajor (major, major!) con.

If you choose to go straight to the convertible seat for your newborn, be sure to choose a seat withlowbottom harness slots, as this can be a problem area for newborns, especially preemies.