Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A car seat for newborns or infant safety seat or baby car seat, helps protect infants from harm and death from car accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force to the body and head of the child, rather than the spinal cord or neck.
These seats can be either rear-facing or convertible and come in a variety of height and weight limits. They may also be part of a travel system that can click into and out of the base of a stroller.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing newborn car seats offer the best protection for infants in crashes. They are designed to hold and support children, while protecting their neck, head and spine. They also help to reduce the force of a crash from hitting your child's body, reducing injuries. This is because the child's body doesn't collide with the vehicle seat, or front passenger seat. Instead, it is an upholstered, soft surface in their car seat.
According to the AAP, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommend that parents keep their child facing rearwards until they reach the weight limit of their car seat or height limit. Around the age of one, most children will outgrow the infant car seat and move on to a convertible car seat that can face forward. Many parents will put their child in the rear seat until their child turns two.
There are two primary kinds of rear-facing car seats that are convertible and infant-only car seats. Both are safe, but offer different conveniences. For instance, infant-only seats are smaller and lighter. They also come with an easy-release base that can be easily removed from the vehicle and attached to a stroller. Convertible car seat are heavier and more spacious. They also don't include a stroller base.
Regardless of which type of seat you select it is essential to adhere to the instructions of the manufacturer and ensure that you use the seat in the back seat of your vehicle. You can also place an enveloping blanket or washcloth between the crotch straps and your child to ensure that the harness is tight. 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.
Research has shown that babies who face the rear of the car are less likely to be injured in a car crash. Car seats with rear-facing infants also have less impact when they hit the front of the car, in contrast to the back of the car seat, which could result in serious injuries.
Forward-facing
Many parents have given plenty of consideration to their newborn car seat. It was a key item on your baby's registry and the method you used to bring your baby home from the hospital. You might think about changing the car seat to face forward when your child grows older. However, it's important to be aware that children aren't quite 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. This is because babies younger than one year old don't have enough neck muscles to withstand the whiplash that can result from being caught in a crash and thrown forward. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of suffering spinal injuries in head-on accidents.
You can purchase a convertible car seat or an all-in one seat that lets you keep the child rear-facing until the child reaches the weight and height limit of 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 be removed and connected to strollers as a system for travel. They are typically lighter in weight and height restrictions than standard car seats.
You can also purchase 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. The major benefit of this type of car seat is that it will remain in your vehicle all through the childhood years, making it easy to transport your child from one place to another.
Whatever car seat you choose, always read the manual and follow the installation guidelines. It's recommended to consult a certified safety technician for your seat to ensure that your child's seat is set up and is used correctly. Incorrect use of a car seat is frequent, and even the most well-meaning parents can injure their children if they don't understand what they're doing. The best way to avoid this is by reading the instructions for your car seat and following the advice of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents opt for a convertible newborn child car seat because they grow with their baby and allow them to travel safely through toddlerhood and into infancy. They are also less expensive than car seats for infants and have longevity for a long time. However, it is important to select a seat that is simple to install and fits your vehicle. Also, make sure that you secure your baby properly every time.
Snug straps stop the head from slipping into a dangerous chin-to-chest position which could lead to asphyxiation or strangulation. Many infant carseats come with straps that are loose or not buckled, and this is an extremely risky safety issue. Straps that aren't buckled could cause a neck to hang and is the reason of numerous accidents. The crotch buckle may be a danger in the event that it is not secure enough to pass the pinch test. This test determines whether the crotch buckle is close enough to prevent a newborn's legs from sliding around in the seat and leading to them getting cut or trapped.
Some convertible infant car seats have adjustable torso height that allows you to adjust the height limit according to the growth of your child. The minimum torso must be at least the height of the shoulders of your infant or one inch lower. Some models include an infant insert that can help you raise your child up to the correct height.
The ideal convertible car seat for newborns must be padded and comfortable, with comfortable padding and a narrow base that allows you to put it in your vehicle. It should also feature a secure, tight harness that passes the pinch test and a small, tightly-rolled towel or blanket to use in an emergency. It should also have an tether strap that is attached to the anchor points on your vehicle and can reduce crash injuries by decreasing the impact force on your infant. In addition, it should come with an infant travel system that consists of a car seat that is paired with a stroller and a handle you use to move the infant from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents must take into consideration when selecting the right car seat for their infants. However, car seats are an essential purchase for families who are just starting out because using them reduces the chance of fatal collisions with motor vehicles by 71 percent. The decision between a baby car seat and a convertible car seat is based on some key factors such as safety features that are compatible with your car, and ease of use.
Infant car seats are made with the delicate physiology and body of a newborn in mind. They typically have an attached base that remains in the vehicle, and a carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to move your baby from car to stroller and back without causing any disturbance to them. They come with a crotch and harness built in to ensure your child secure.
Some infant cars are also equipped with side impact protection that distributes 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 involved in a collision. Some come with a special pod that extends from the door to shield the child's head.
A chest clip is a different safety feature that is becoming more common on newborn car seats. It keeps the harness straps firmly against the chest of your baby. This stops the straps from slipping or twisting around the shoulders, which can put your baby at higher risk of injury. If you opt for a car seat with this feature, ensure that the chest clip is set at armpit level. Do not dress your baby in bulky clothing as it can hinder the harness.
No matter what kind of car seat you choose make sure it's installed in your vehicle according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Check for the lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system, which consists of a connector that clips into the lower anchor points of a car and a tether strap that attaches to the top of the seat and connects to an anchor on your vehicle. If infant car seats on sale doesn't have LATCH, a belt can be used to secure car seats.