Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A car seat for newborns is also referred to a baby car seat or infant safety seat. It protects babies against injury and death during vehicle accidents. They have a harness that distributes the force of restraining over the child's body and head rather than the neck and spinal cord.
These seats can be either front-facing or convertible, and are available in a range of heights and weight limits. They can also be part of a travel system that can click into and out of the base of a stroller.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing infant car seats provide unmatched protection in crashes for infants. They are designed to hold and support children, ensuring their neck, spine, and head. They also help to disperse the impact of a crash from hitting your child's body which reduces the risk of injuries. This is because your child's body is not hitting the car seat or the front passenger seat, but instead a soft, cushioned surface inside their car seat.
Parents should keep their child facing rear until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of the car seat, according to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Most kids will outgrow their infant car seat around age 1 and can transition to a convertible car seat that can be oriented forward. However, many parents prefer to keep their child in a rear-facing car seat until the 2nd birthday of their child.
There are two types of rear-facing car seat that are convertible and infant-only car seats. Both are equally secure and safe, but they each offer different conveniences. Infant-only seats, for instance are lighter and smaller. They also have a quick-release base that can be easily removed from the vehicle and reattached to the stroller. Convertible car seats are bigger, heavier, and do not have a built-in base for strollers.
It is important to use the back seat, regardless of the seat type. You can also place a tightly rolled blanket or washcloth between the crotch straps and your child's harness to ensure the harness is securely secured. Ensure that the lower anchors of your car seat are correctly installed, and that they are connected to the lower attachment points on the lower anchor bars.
There is a lot of disagreement about how long a child should be rear-facing, research has shown that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to sustain injuries in car accidents if they're facing the back of the car. Babies in rear-facing car seats also experience a lesser impact when they crash into the front of the car, in contrast to the rear of the car seat which can result in serious injuries.
Forward-facing
The majority of 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 thinking about turning the car seat facing forward. It's important to keep it in mind that your child isn't yet ready until they've reached the weight and height limits set by their car seat manufacturer.
Until your baby is at least 20 pounds and one year old, they should remain rear-facing. Children younger than one year do not have the neck muscles needed to withstand whiplash when hit in a crash. They also have greater risk of suffering from injury to the spine when involved in head-on collisions.
You can purchase a convertible car seat or an all-in one seat that allows you to keep your child facing forward until the child is at the weight and height limits of the seat. These seats are typically bucket-style infant car seat s that are attached to a base for installation in your vehicle. The base can be detached and attached to strollers as a travel system. However, they usually have smaller weight and height limits than the standard convertible car seats.
You can also buy an extra booster. These seats are equipped with a harness, and can be transformed into a booster seat that allows your child to wear a seat belt once they are ready. The major benefit of this type of car seat is that it can remain in your vehicle all through the childhood years, making it easy to move your child from one vehicle to another.
No matter which car seat you choose follow the directions and follow the guidelines. Contact a certified car safety technician to ensure your child's car seat is properly installed and used properly. Car seat misuse is very common, and even well-meaning parents can injure their children if they aren't aware of what they're doing. The best way to prevent this is to read the instructions for car seats and following the guidelines of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents choose to purchase a convertible newborn car seat since they can expand with your child which allows them to travel in a safe manner from infancy to toddlerhood. They are also less expensive than car seats for infants and have a long lifespan. But, it's crucial to choose a model that is easy to install and is suitable for your vehicle. Additionally, be sure to protect your baby by buckling them up properly every time.
Snug straps stop the head from slipping to a risky chin-to-chest stance that could result in asphyxiation or strangulation. Many infant car seats have straps that are loose or not buckled. This is a serious safety issue. Straps that aren't buckled can cause an unbalanced neck that has been the source of numerous accidents. The crotch buckle could cause danger when it isn't tight enough to pass the pinch test. This test determines if the crotch buckle fits enough to prevent a baby's legs from sliding around in the seat, result in them being cut or trapped.
Some convertible infant car seats come with an adjustable torso height, which lets you adjust the height limit according to the growth of your child. The minimum torso height must be equal to the height of your infant's shoulders or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert to aid in raising your child to the proper height.
The best convertible car seat for infants should be comfortable, with soft padding and a slim base that allows you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also come with a snug, tight harness that is able to pass the pinch test and an incredibly small, tightly-rolled blanket or towel in the event there is an accident. It should also come with an tether strap that is attached to your vehicle's anchor points, which can reduce crash injuries by reducing the impact force on your baby. It should also include a travel set that is a car seat and stroller that you can use to transfer your child from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents have a lot to take into consideration when selecting the right car seat for their babies. Car seats are a crucial purchase for families who are starting a new life because their proper use reduces the risk that a child will suffer a fatal motor vehicle injury by 71 per cent. The decision between a child's car seat and a convertible one is based on a variety of factors, including safety features, compatibility with your vehicle, and the ease of use.
Car seats for infants are created with the delicate body of a newborn in mind. They typically come with a base that stays in the car and a carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to transfer your baby from car to stroller, and then back without disturbing them. They come with a crotch and harness built in to ensure your child secure.
Some infant cars also come with side impact protection, which disperses the force of a crash away from the infant's neck and head. Foam, metal, and plastic absorb energy and protect the baby's face from direct contact with a vehicle's frame or any other object involved in an accident. Some even have a special pod on the side of the door that extends to protect the head of the infant.
Another safety feature that's becoming more common in car seats for newborns is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps flat across your newborn's chest. This prevents the straps pinching or twisting around shoulders which can expose your child to risk of injury. If you choose a car seat that has this feature, make sure the chest clip is set at the armpit level. Do not dress your baby in bulky outerwear as this could hinder the harness.
Verify that the car seat is set up in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions regardless of the model you select. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. This system consists of a connector which clips into the lower anchor points of your vehicle and an tether that is attached to an anchor inside the vehicle. If your vehicle doesn't have LATCH, you can use the seat belt to secure your car seat.