If you give birth in a hospital, your car seat is probably the first big-ticket item your baby will come into contact with.
Car seats will take over the back of your vehicle from the day you bring your baby home until they are around 12 years old. Baby and toddler car seats literally save lives (I’m living proof: my parents love to tell the story of the accident they were in when I was six months old and safely strapped into my own car seat).