Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat

A car seat for newborns is also referred to as an infant car seat rear facing safety seat, or a baby car seat, protects infants from harm and death from car accidents. The harness distributes the restraining force over the body and head of the child instead of the spinal cord or neck.

They are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, and come with an array of weight and height limits. These seats can also be part of a set for travel that snaps into the base of a stroller.

rear facing infant car seat-facing

Rear-facing infant car seats provide the most complete protection for infants during crashes. They are designed to hold and support children, protecting their neck, head and spine. They also help to reduce injuries by stopping the impact of an accident from hitting your child. This is because the child’s body doesn’t hit the seat of the vehicle or the front seat. Instead, it’s a soft, cushioned surface inside their car seat.

According to the AAP as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, parents should keep their child rear facing until they reach the weight limit of their car seat or height limit. At around the age of 1, children will outgrow their infant car seat and transition to a convertible seat that can be oriented forward. Many parents will keep their child in the rear seat until their child turns two.

There are two kinds of rear-facing car seats: infant-only seats and convertible car seats. Both are safe, but offer different conveniences. For instance, infant-only chairs are smaller, lighter and have a quick release base which can be easily removed from the car and reattached to a stroller base. Convertible car seat are larger and heavier. They also don’t come with a stroller base.

It is essential that you always use the back seat regardless of the seat type. It is also recommended to place washcloths that are tightly rolled or blankets between the crotch strap and your child to ensure that there is no slack in the harness. Also, ensure that the lower anchors are anchored to the lower attachment points of your vehicle’s lower anchor bars and that the car seat is properly fitted and secured.

Research suggests that babies who are facing the rear of the car are less likely to get injured in a car crash. Babies in rear-facing car seats also have less impact when they hit the front of the car, in contrast to the rear of the car seat which could result in serious injuries.

Forward-facing

The majority of parents have given plenty of thought to their infant’s car seat. It was a key item on your baby registry as well as the way you brought your baby home from the hospital. You might think about changing the car seat to face forward when your child grows older. It’s important to keep in mind that your child’s not ready until they reach the weight and height limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.

Rear-facing is recommended until your baby weighs at least 20 pounds and is at the age of one year. Children younger than one year don’t have the neck muscles necessary to withstand whiplash when thrown in an accident. They are also at greater risk of suffering from spinal injuries in head-on collisions.

You can purchase a convertible car seat or an all-in-one one that allows you to keep your child facing forward until the child reaches the weight and height limit of the seat. These seats are typically bucket-style infant car seats that are attached to a base for installation in your vehicle. The base can be removed and connected to strollers as a system for travel. However, they typically have lower maximum weight and height limits than the standard convertible car seats.

You can also get an extra booster. These are typically fitted with a harness for younger children and can be converted to a belt-positioning seat when your child is ready. This kind of car seat has the principal benefit of being used in your vehicle for all of your child’s childhood making it simpler to transport them from one vehicle into another.

No matter which car seat you select follow the directions and follow the guidelines. It’s recommended to consult a certified car safety technician to ensure that the child’s car seat is installed and used properly. The misuse of car seats is common, and well-meaning parents could cause harm to their children if they don’t know what they’re doing. It is recommended to read the instructions on the car seat and follow the guidelines of a CPST.

Convertible

Many parents choose convertible infant car seat, as they grow with their child and allow them to travel safely through toddlerhood and into infancy. These seats are less expensive than infant seats and have longer life span. It’s important to select the right model that is compatible with your vehicle and is simple to install. Also, make sure to ensure your child’s safety by securing them correctly each time.

Snug straps keep the head from moving into a potentially dangerous chin-to-chest posture, which can cause asphyxiation or strangulation. Many infant car seats by age seats have straps that are unbuckled or loose which pose a serious safety risk. Unbuckled straps may cause a neck to hang and cause of numerous accidents. The crotch buckle may be a danger when it isn’t tight enough to pass the pinch test. This test will determine if the crotch strap is secure enough to stop the legs of a newborn baby from slouching in the seat which could cause them to be injured or trapped.

Some convertible infant car seats have adjustable torso-height, which allows you to adjust the height limit to suit the development of your child. The minimum torso height should be at least the height of the shoulders of your infant or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert to help bring your child up to the correct height for the seat.

The best convertible car seat for babies should be snug, have cushioning that is comfortable and a small base that allows you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also have an incredibly tight, snug harness that passes the pinch-test as well as a small and tightly-rolled blanket or towel for emergencies. It should also have an anchor tether that connects to the anchor points of your vehicle, which will help reduce injuries during an accident by reducing the force of impact. It should also include the travel set, which is a car seat and stroller that can be used to transfer your child from the car to the stroller.

Safety features

When choosing the right car seats for their babies, parents have many things to take into consideration. However, car seats are a must-have for new families because correctly using them reduces the risk of fatal child motor vehicle collision injuries by 71 . The decision between a baby car seat and a convertible seat is based on several key elements, including safety features, compatibility with your vehicle and user-friendliness.

Car seats for infants are created with the delicate physiology of a newborn in mind. They typically have a base that stays in the vehicle and an infant carrier that snaps into the position, making it simple to move your baby from the car to stroller and back again without causing any disturbance to them. They also come with harnesses built-in and a crotch strap that ensure your baby’s safety.

Some infant cars also come with side impact protection, which disperses the force of a crash away from the infant’s head and neck. They have plastic, metal, and foam that absorbs energy and protects the head of the infant from direct contact with the frame or other objects in a collision. Some even include a special pod on the door side that extends out to shield the head of the infant carrier seat.

Another safety feature that’s becoming more prevalent in newborn car seats is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps straight across your newborn’s chest. This prevents the straps pinching or twisting around the shoulders which can expose your child to the risk of injury. If you opt for a car seat that has this feature, ensure that the chest clip is set at armpit height. Avoid dressing your baby in bulky outerwear as this could interfere with the harness.

No matter what type of car seat you select make sure it’s installed in your vehicle in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Check for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system comprising connectors that clip into a car’s lower anchor points and the tether strap, which is attached to the top rated baby car seats of the seat and connects to an anchor in your vehicle. If your vehicle isn’t equipped with LATCH, you can still use a seat belt to secure the car seat for Newborn seat.