Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat

A newborn car seat, also known as an infant safety seat or baby car seat, helps protect infants from harm and death in vehicle accidents. They are fitted with a harness that distributes the force of restraining over the child's body and head instead of the spinal cord and neck.

They are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, and with a range of weight and height limits. They can also be part of a travel system that can click into and out of a stroller base.

Rear-facing

Rear-facing newborn car seats offer unmatched protection for infants in crashes. They are designed to support and cradle children, while protecting their neck, spine and head. In addition, they help to disperse the impact of a collision from hitting your child's body which reduces the risk of injuries. This is because the child's body doesn't hit the seat of the vehicle or the front passenger seat. Instead, it is a soft, cushioned surface within 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, as per the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The majority of children outgrow their infant car seat around the age of one and can move to an convertible car seat that can be oriented forward. Many parents will keep their child in the rear seat until they turn two.

There are two main kinds of rear-facing car seats that are convertible and infant-only car seats. Both are equally secure, but each offers different advantages. For instance, infant-only chairs are smaller, lighter and come with an easy release base which can be easily removed from the car, and then reattached to the base of a stroller. Convertible car seats are bigger and heavier, and do not have a built-in base for strollers.

It is crucial to use the back seat regardless of the type of seat. It is also recommended that you place washcloths that are tightly rolled or blankets between the crotch straps and your child to ensure that there is no gap in the harness. In addition, make sure that the lower anchors are connected to the lower attachment points of your vehicle's lower anchor bars and that the car seat is correctly fitted and secured.

While there is much debate over how long a baby should ride with their back facing, research suggests that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to suffer injuries in car accidents if they're facing the back of the car. Rear-facing car seats allow babies to be less impacted when they strike the front of the car, instead of the rear which can result in serious injuries.

Forward-facing

Most parents have spent a lot of time into their infant car seat. It was an important item on your baby's registry and the method you took your baby home from the hospital. Now that your child is older, you may be considering turning the car seat facing forward. However, it's important remember that children aren't 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 reaches the age of one year. This is because children younger than a year don't have strong neck muscles that can withstand the whiplash caused by being thrown forward in an accident. Furthermore they are at a higher risk of suffering spinal injuries in head-on accidents.

You can purchase convertible or all-in-one seat, which will allow your child to remain 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 for installation in your vehicle. The base can be removed and connected to strollers as a travel system. However, they tend to have lower maximum weight and height limits than the standard convertible car seats.

If you prefer, you can purchase a booster seat. These are typically fitted with a harness for younger children and can be converted to a belt-positioning seat once 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 growing years, making it easier to move the child from one vehicle to another.

Whatever car seat you choose make sure you read the instructions and follow the installation guidelines. It's also a good idea to speak with a certified car safety technician for your seat to make sure that the child's car seat is properly installed and used properly. The misuse of car seats is frequent, and even the most well-meaning parents could injure their children if they aren't aware of what they're doing. The best way to avoid this is to read the instructions for your car seat and following the advice of a CPST.

Convertible

Many parents choose a convertible newborn child car seat, as they can expand with their baby and enable them to travel infant car seat safely through toddlerhood and into infancy. They are less expensive than infant seats and offer a longer lifespan. It's important to select one that fits your car and is easy to install. Also, ensure that you secure your baby correctly every time.

Snug straps stop the head from slipping into a dangerous chin-to chest position that could result in strangulation or even asphyxiation. Many infant car seats have straps that are loose or not buckled. This is a major safety concern. Unbuckled straps may cause a neck to hang and cause of many accidents. If the crotch strap isn't sufficiently tight enough to pass a pinch test, it could be a risk. This test will determine if the crotch buckle is tight enough to prevent a baby's legs from sliding around in the seat and leading to them getting cut or trapped.

Some convertible car seats for newborns come with an adjustable torso-height that allows you to alter the height limit according your child's growth. The minimum torso should be equal to the height of the shoulders of your infant or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert that can help raise your child to the correct height for the seat.

The best convertible car seat for newborns must be padded and comfortable, with cushioning that is comfortable and a small base so that you can put it in your vehicle. It should also include an incredibly snug, secure harness that can pass the pinch test and a short, tightly rolled blanket or towel in the event there is an accident. It should also come with a tether strap which is connected to the anchor points on your vehicle and can reduce crash injuries by reducing the impact force on your baby. Additionally, it should come with the travel system, which includes an infant car seat that can be paired with a stroller, and comes with a handle you use to move the infant from the car to the stroller.

Safety features

Parents have a lot to think about when choosing the best infant seat car seat for their babies. Car seats are an important purchase for new families and their use can reduce the likelihood that a child will suffer a fatal motor vehicle accident injury by 71 per cent. The decision between a child's car seat and a convertible one comes down to several factors, such as safety features, compatibility with your vehicle, and convenience.

Car seats for infants are designed with the delicate baby's physiology in mind. They usually come with a base that stays in the vehicle, and an infant carrier that snaps into the position, making it simple to move your baby from car to stroller, and then back without causing any disturbance to them. They come with a crotch and harness that are built-in to keep your child safe.

Some infant car seat rear facing cars also come with side impact protection, which is designed to disperse the force of collision 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 vehicle frame or other objects in a collision. Some even include a special pod on the side of the door that extends out to protect the head of the infant.

Another security feature that's becoming more common in infant car seats is a chest clip that holds the harness straps flat across your newborn's chest. This stops the straps from slipping or twisting at the shoulders, which could put your baby at greater risk of injury. If you select a seat with this feature, make sure that the chest clip is at armpit height. Do not dress your baby in bulky clothing as it can interfere with the harness.

Make sure that the car seat is set up in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions regardless of the type 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 car seats newborn, and the tether which is attached to an anchor in the vehicle. If your car doesn't have LATCH, you can use a seat belt to secure the car seat.