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About car seats once you return home.
If you figure on adopting a child around 18 months of age, get a good quality convertible car seat. A convertible car seat can switch from the rear facing position to the forward facing position. Many children over one year of age will be able to face forward; however, if your child is under 20 lb. or very delayed -- e.g., unable to sit up well or hold his/her head up well -- you will want to use a rear facing seat for a while. Basically, the convertible seat is good in the forward facing position until a child reaches about 40 lb. and/or 4 years of age, unless he/she is unusually tall.
If you figure on adopting a child age 3-4, I would recommend getting a high back car seat that is equipped with a five-point harness and convertible to a booster seat. You need the high back because many children over age 3 or 4 are too tall for the traditional convertible car seat. If the 3-4 year old is under 40 lb., you definitely need to use the five-point harness. If the child is 40 lb. or over, you may generally switch to the booster mode (where the child is held in place on the seat by the car's seat belt system), although some pediatricians recommend keeping the child in the 5-point harness as long as possible, because it is safer.
There is a good discussion of car seats and boosters on the website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which you may want to read, as you think about your options.
My daughter was 18.5 mo. old when I adopted her in China. She weighed only 17 lb., but had good head control and was able to sit up well. As a result, the pediatrician said that I didn't need to use the rear facing position. She was in a convertible car seat until she was about 5, as she was so tiny.
I then bought a high back car seat that can convert to a booster. She didn't reach 40 lb. until she was almost eight (!), so she continued to use the 5-point harness, rather than the booster option. Although she is now 8 and about 42 lb., she still likes to use the 5-point harness. I plan to switch it over to a booster soon, if she'll let me, but meanwhile, she uses the booster I bought for use when transporting her larger friends, when she's in the mood.
Sharon
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