baby-car-seats

Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car SeatA newborn car seat, also known as an infant safety seat or baby car seat, helps protect infants from injury and even death in car accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force across the body and head of the child instead of the spinal cord or neck.These seats can be either rear-facing or convertible and come in a variety of height and weight limits. These seats are also a part of a set for travel that snaps into a stroller base.Rear-facingRear-facing infant car seats provide unmatched protection for infants in crashes. They are designed to cradle and support children, securing their neck, head and spine. Additionally, they assist to reduce the force of a crash from hitting your child’s body and minimizing injuries. This is because your child’s body isn’t colliding with the vehicle seat or front passenger seat, but rather a soft, padded surface inside of their car seat.Parents should make sure that their child remains rear-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of their car seat, as per the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Around the age of one, most children will outgrow their infant car seat and be moved to a convertible seat that can face forward. However, many parents want to keep their child in a rear-facing seat until they turn 2.There are two primary kinds: infant-only car seats and convertible car seat. Both are equally safe but have different features. For instance, infant-only chairs are lighter, smaller, and have a quick release base that is able to be removed from the car, and then reattached to the base of a stroller. Convertible car seat are larger and heavier. They also don’t come with a stroller base.Whatever seat you choose regardless of the type, you must follow the manufacturer’s instructions and to always place the seat in the back of your vehicle. It is also recommended to put tightly rolled washcloths or blankets between the crotch strap and your baby to make sure that there isn’t any slack in the harness. In addition, make sure that the lower anchors are attached to the lower attachment points of the lower anchor bars of your vehicle and that the car seat is correctly fitted and secured.Research shows that babies who are facing the rear of the car are less likely to be injured in a car crash. Car seats with rear-facing infants also experience less impact when they crash into the front of the car, in contrast to the rear of the car seat, which can cause serious injuries.Forward-facingMost parents have spent a lot of time into their infant car seat. It was a major item on the baby registry, and the way you brought your baby home from the hospital. Now that your child is older though, you might be considering turning the car seat forward-facing. However, it’s important to be aware that children aren’t quite ready for this until they reach the weight and height limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.When your baby is at least 20 pounds and one year old, they should be rear-facing. This is because babies younger than one year don’t have enough neck muscles to handle the whiplash that can result from being thrown forward in an accident. Additionally, they are at greater risk of spinal injuries in head-on accidents.You can purchase a convertible or all-in-one car seat, which allows you to keep your child rear-facing until they meet the weight and height limit for the seat. These are usually bucket-style infant car seats that are attached to a base that can be installed in your vehicle. The base can then be removed and connected to strollers to form a travel system. They typically have lower weight and height restrictions than a standard car seat.If you prefer, you can purchase a booster seat. They are typically equipped with a harness designed for smaller kids and convert to a belt-positioning booster seat once your child is ready. Read More Here of this kind of car seat is that it can remain in your vehicle throughout the child’s life, making it easy to move your child from one place to another.No matter which car seat you pick make sure you read the instructions and follow the installation instructions. Consult a certified car safety technician to ensure your child’s car seat is properly installed and used properly. It is not uncommon for parents to make mistakes with car seats, and even well-intentioned parents may cause harm to their children. The best way to avoid this is to follow the car seat instructions and following the recommendations of a CPST.ConvertibleMany parents choose a convertible newborn child car seat because they can expand with their baby and enable them to travel safely through infancy and toddlerhood. These seats are also less expensive than infant car seats and have an extended lifespan. It is important to choose the right model that is compatible with your vehicle and is simple to install. Also, make sure to keep your baby safe by buckling them up in a proper manner each time.Snug straps prevent the head from slipping into a potentially dangerous chin-to-chest posture which could lead to asphyxiation or strangulation. Many infant car seats have straps that are loose or not buckled. This is a serious security issue. Straps that are not buckled can cause a neck to hang and is the reason of numerous accidents. If the crotch strap is not enough tight to pass a pinch test, it could pose a danger. This test determines whether the crotch buckle is tight enough to stop a baby’s legs from sliding down the seat, leading to them getting injured or trapped.Some convertible infant car seats come with an adjustable torso-height that allows you to adjust the height limit according your child’s growth. The minimum torso height must be equal to the height of your infant’s shoulders, or one inch lower. Some models include an infant insert that can aid in raising your child up to the right height.The ideal convertible car seat for babies should be snug, have cushioning that is comfortable and a small base to allow you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also come with an incredibly snug, secure harness that passes the pinch test, and an incredibly small, tightly-rolled blanket or towel in the event there is an accident. It should also have an anchor tether that connects to the anchor points of your vehicle, which can minimize injuries from collisions by reducing the impact force. In addition it should be equipped with the travel system, which comprises a car seat that is paired with a stroller and an handle that you can use to transport your infant from the car to the stroller.Safety featuresWhen choosing the right car seats for their infants parents face a variety of aspects to consider. Car seats are a crucial purchase for new families because correctly using them reduces the chance of fatal child collisions in motor vehicles by 70 percent. The decision between a child’s car-seat and a convertible one is based on a variety of aspects, including safety features, compatibility of your vehicle, and ease-of-use.Car seats for infants are designed with a newborn’s fragile physiology in mind. They typically have the base that is able to stay in the vehicle and a carrier that snaps into the position, making it simple to transfer your baby from the car to stroller and back without disturbing them. They have a crotch and harness built in to keep your child safe.Some infant cars come with side impact protection that distributes crash force away from the baby’s neck and head. They come with metal, plastic and foam that absorbs energy and protects the head of the infant from direct contact with the frame or other objects in the event of a collision. Some have a special sock that extends beyond the door to protect the child’s head.Another security feature that’s becoming more common in car seats for newborns is a chest clip that holds the harness straps straight across your newborn’s chest. This prevents the straps from slipping or bending at the shoulders, which could place your baby at a higher risk of injuries. If you opt for a seat with this feature, make sure that the chest clip is at armpit height. Avoid dressing your baby in bulky outerwear as this could cause interference with the harness.No matter what type of car seat you pick ensure that it’s mounted in your vehicle as per the instructions of the manufacturer. Look for the lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system that consists of an attachment that clips onto the lower anchor points on a car and a tether strap that attaches to the top of the seat and connects to an anchor inside your vehicle. If your vehicle does not have LATCH, a seatbelt may be used to secure car seats.