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Any time you decide to buy a car seat for your child, you should make an effort to stay up to date on any product recalls. That means you'll need to check on the news often. Visit websites that will keep you notified of any car seat recalls in effect.

But what happens if your child's car seat is recalled? What do you do next?

First, visit the website for the recalled seat, or call the toll-free number. The manufacturer will likely have a special webpage or phone line set up strictly for the recall.

You can be sure that whenever there's a recall, car seat companies won't dawdle. They're going to want to make sure your child is safe. Be sure to follow the instructions you get from the website or the phone line.

When you visit the website or phone the manufacturer, be sure you have the child's car seat in hand. You might need the serial number or the model name, which will usually be printed in the instruction manual.

You will probably be advised to keep using the car seat until you receive your repair kit. In almost all cases, it is much safer for your child to be in a recalled car seat than it is for your child to ride in a car with no safety restraints at all.

Here's another way to stay on top of car seat recalls: Whenever you buy a car seat for your child, register it with the manufacturer. Like many products, all car seats come with a registration card.

People usually throw the cards away without a second thought. But when it comes to your car seat, you should register it so that the manufacturer can contact you.

While you can't do anything to ensure that they won't send advertisements to your address, you can at least rest assured that you'll be contacted in the event of a recall.

However, a car seat isn't automatically bad just because of a car seat recall. There are always errors in manufacturing, and when these errors occur in a car seat, the company acts quickly to fix the problem.

If you still have concerns after a car seat recall, talk to someone at the company. They will probably be able to ease your mind, or recommend another course of action.