If you’re considering making any size purchasing decision, one of the most natural actions to accompany that consideration is jumping online to read the reviews of other buyers who have experience with the products or services you’re seeking to buy. Online reviews should always be taken with a pinch of salt, with some of your own discretion required.

It wouldn’t hurt much financially if you were perhaps looking for some new casino sites to try out, provided of course you don’t fall into the trap of betting with too much money or taking a chance with money you are really not prepared to lose. Different purchases require a more thorough review though, with the online ratings left by existing and previous customers bearing more significance.

If you’re purchasing a baby car seat, the advice that will seem a safe bet are the established and top-ranking customer review pages like Baby Center, Mother’s Love or SafeKids. While these pages have a number of rating categories, of particular interest are their safety ratings. You should generally stay away from any product where a safety rating of ‘0’ or ‘1’ is absent, no matter how old the product is. For example, ‘0’ ratings means that the product will be unsuitable for young children aged under one.

For example, ‘0’ ratings means that the product will be unsuitable for young children aged under one.

Which means the Safety Ratings are somewhat crucial. The safety rating is a ‘balance’ of the safety features and tests carried out by the company, with some testimonials added for good measure. The safest recommendations are those which appear as ‘Easy for Toddlers to Rely On’ or ‘Safety in the Family’ ratings, and are near the top of the reviews. Here, you can find many different reviews for the same product, covering every different aspect of safety and design.

For example, ‘Easy for Toddlers to Rely On’ or ‘Safety in the Family’ ratings, and are near the top of the reviews.

However, there are some things to be cautious of: a company can always disagree with these recommendations and add their own testimonials, as well as change their product from time to time. It’s worth checking the original ratings on other websites too; a manufacturer’s review page may report poor or shoddy quality, or have a far longer list of complaints than the previous owner. As with any other product, customer reviews are worth looking at – but of course, their trustworthiness can’t be assumed, just as with other types of reviews.

So, to summarise: buy one (or two) of these things which are on the top of the market, but don’t be swayed by outrageous claims about the product’s potential qualities. Leave room for some discernment: sometimes the best product is the one that’s available at a reasonable price, or it could simply be a clever combination of great safety and good value. If that product is available, choose it – but don’t get confused into buying a cheaper, sub-standard product just because the salesman was persuasive.