I looked at my local Walmart and they have forward facing child seats from $176 to upwards of 400 dollars for the really fancy ones. Target is another national brand that has reasonably priced seats
Check out this page from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The type of seat that people have been referring to is the Forward Facing car seat in yellow box second from the left. Just under the pictures is a link to select a car seat based on your child's age and size.
LinkAs far as buckling the seat in the van, it's as simple as sliding the buckle through the back of the seat and clicking it to the buckle. then have your husband put his knee into the seat and add some weight while you tighten the belt. then just leave it secured there for the trip.