Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A newborn car seat is also referred to a baby car seat or infant safety seat. It is designed to protect infants against injury and death during vehicle accidents. They come with harnesses that distribute the restraining forces over the child's body and head instead of the spinal cord or neck.
These seats are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, and come with a range of weight and height limits. These seats can also be part of a travel set that snaps into a stroller base.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing car seats for newborns provide unmatched protection in crashes for infants. They are designed to support and cradle children, protecting their spine, neck and head. Additionally, they assist to reduce the impact of a collision to prevent your child's body from being hit which reduces the risk of injuries. This is because your child's body is not collision-prone with the car seat or the front passenger seat, but instead a soft, padded surface inside their car seat.
Parents should make sure that their child remains 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). Around the age of one, most children will outgrow the infant car seat and move on 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 kinds: infant-only car seats and convertible car seat. Both are equally secure, but have different features. 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 attached to the stroller. Convertible car seats are heavier and larger. They also don't include a stroller base.
It is essential to always use the back seat, regardless of the type of seat. It is also recommended to place tightly rolled washcloths or blankets between the crotch strap and your baby to ensure that there isn't any slack in the harness. Check that the lower anchors of your car seat are properly installed, and that they are connected to the lower attachment points on the lower anchor bars.
While there is much disagreement about how long a child should ride with their back facing, research suggests that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to be injured in car accidents if they're facing the back of the car. Car seats that are rear-facing allow infants to feel less stress when they hit the car's front, in contrast to the rear which could result in serious injuries.
Forward-facing
Many parents have spent a lot of time into their infant car seat. It was one of the most important items on the baby registry, and how you got your little one home from the hospital. You might consider changing the car seat to face forward when your child gets older. However, it's important to remember that children aren't ready for this until they reach the height and weight limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.
Rear-facing is recommended until your baby weighs at minimum 20 pounds and reaches the age of one year. Children younger than one year do not have the neck muscles required to resist whiplash resulting from being hit in a crash. Moreover, they are at greater chance of suffering spinal injuries from head-on accidents.
You can buy a convertible or an all-in-one car seat that allows your child to remain rear-facing until they reach the height and weight limit for the seat. These are typically bucket-style infant seats that come with the base that you can install in your car and can be detached from the base and attached to strollers in order to form travel systems. They typically have lower weight and height restrictions than standard car seats.
You can also buy a booster. They are typically equipped with a harness designed for smaller children, and then convert into a belt-positioning booster seat when your child is ready. This kind of car seat has the primary benefit of being used in your vehicle for all of your child's growing years, making it easier to move the car seat from one location to another.
No matter which car seat you pick be sure to read the instruction manual and follow the instructions for installation. Contact a certified car safety technician to make sure that your child's car seat is installed and is used in a safe manner. The misuse of car seats is common, and well-meaning parents can injure their children if they don't know what they're doing. It is best to study the instructions on the car seat and follow the guidelines of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents choose a convertible newborn child car seat because they can grow with their child and allow them to safely travel through infancy and toddlerhood. These seats are less expensive than infant seats and have longer life span. However, it is important to select a seat that is easy to install and fits your vehicle. Also, make sure to protect your baby by securing them correctly each time.
Snug straps stop the head from moving to a risky chin-to-chest stance that could result in asphyxiation or strangulation. A lot of infant carseats have straps that are unbuckled or loose which pose a serious safety risk. Straps that are not buckled can cause necks to hang and is the reason of a lot of accidents. The crotch buckle can also pose a risk when it isn't tight enough to pass the pinch test. This test determines whether the crotch buckle fits enough to stop a baby's legs from sliding around in the seat, causing them to be injured or trapped.
Some convertible newborn car seat come with an adjustable torso-height that allows you to alter the height limit to suit your child's development. The minimum torso height should be equal to the height of your infant's shoulders, or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert that can help you raise your child to the right height.
The ideal convertible infant car seat should have a snug fit, comfortable padding and a slender base to allow you to install it easily in your vehicle. It should also come with an incredibly tight, snug harness that passes the pinch-test as well as a small, tightly-rolled towel or blanket for emergencies. It should also have a tether strap which is connected to the anchor points of your vehicle and can reduce crash injuries by decreasing the impact force on your infant. In addition it should include the travel system, which consists of a car seat that is paired with a stroller and an handle that you can use to move the infant from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
When it comes to choosing the best car seats for their babies parents face a variety of things to take into consideration. Car seats are an essential purchase for new families, as their correct use can reduce the chance that children will be the victim of a fatal motor vehicle accident injury by 71 per cent. The decision between a child's car seat and a convertible model is based on a variety of aspects, including safety features, compatibility of your vehicle, and the ease of use.
Infant car seats are made with the delicate baby's physiology in mind. The base of the seat is usually located in the car and the infant carrier snaps into the position. best infant car seat makes it simple to transfer your baby from stroller to car, and back without causing any disturbance. They come with a crotch and harness built in to keep your child secure.
Some infant cars are equipped with side-impact protection, which distributes the crash force away from the baby's neck and head. They are made of metal, plastic, and foam that absorbs energy and shields the baby's head from direct contact with the frame or other objects in a collision. Some include a specially designed 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 holds the harness straps straight across the chest of your baby. This stops the straps from getting caught or twisting at the shoulders, which can put your baby at higher risk of injury. If you select a seat that has this feature, make sure that the chest clip is at armpit height. Avoid dressing your baby in bulky outerwear as this could interfere with the harness.
Make sure that the car seat is set up according to the instructions of the manufacturer, regardless of what type you select. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. The system is comprised of an attachment that clips onto the lower anchor points of your car and an tether that is attached to an anchor in the vehicle. If your vehicle isn't equipped with LATCH, you can use the seat belt to secure your car seat.