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 helps protect babies against injuries and deaths in vehicle accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force over the body and head of the child instead of the neck or spinal cord.
They are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, as well as with a range of weight and height limits. They can also be part of a travel system that clicks 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. In addition, they help to disperse the impact of a crash from hitting your child's body, reducing injuries. This is because the body of your child is not collision-prone with the car seat or the front seat, but rather the soft, cushioned surface inside of their car seat.
According to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, parents should keep their child facing rearwards until they reach their car seat's maximum weight or height limit. Around the age of one, most children will outgrow the infant car seat and transition 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 kinds: infant-only car seats and convertible car seats. Both are equally safe however, each has its own conveniences. For instance, infant-only seats are lighter and smaller. They also have an easy-release base that can easily be detached from the vehicle and attached to a stroller. Convertible car seats are larger and heavier, but they don't have a built-in stroller base.
Regardless of which type of seat you choose regardless of the type, you must adhere to the manufacturer's guidelines and always use the seat in the back seat of your vehicle. You can also put a tightly rolled blanket or washcloth between the crotch harness and your child's harness to ensure the harness is tight. Make sure that the lower anchors of your car seat are securely installed, and that they are connected to the lower anchor points on the lower anchor bars.
While there is much debate about the length of time a baby can ride with their back facing, research suggests that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to sustain injuries in car accidents if they are facing the back of the car. Rear-facing car seats allow babies to be less impacted when they strike the front of the car, as opposed the the back which could result in serious injuries.
Forward-facing
Most parents have given lots of thought to their infant's car seat. It was a key item on your baby registry as well as the method you used to bring your child home from the hospital. You might think about changing the car seat to face forward as your child gets older. However, it's important to keep in mind that children aren't yet ready until they reach the height and weight limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.
When your baby is at least 20 lbs and a year old, they should stay rear-facing. Nania Children Booster Seat Beline Mickey - Group 1/2/3 under one year old don't have the neck muscles needed to resist whiplash resulting from being thrown in an accident. They also have a higher risk of injury to the spine when involved in head-on collisions.
You can buy a convertible car seat or an all-in-one seat that will allow you to keep your child facing forward until the Nania Topo Child Booster Seat in Blue reaches the weight and height limits of 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 to form travel systems. They are typically lighter in weight and height restrictions than a standard car seat.
Alternatively, you can get a booster seat. These are typically fitted with a harness for younger kids and convert to a belt-positioning booster seat once your child is ready for it. The major benefit of this type of car seat is that it can remain in your vehicle throughout the childhood years, making it easy to move your child from one place to another.
It doesn't matter which car seat you select follow the directions and follow them. Get a certified safety technician to ensure your child's car seat has been installed and is used in a safe manner. It is typical for parents to make mistakes with car seats, and even well-intentioned parents can cause injury to their children. The best way to prevent this is to read the instructions for car seats and following the advice of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents opt for a convertible infant car seat, as they can expand with their child and enable them to travel safely through toddlerhood and into infancy. They are less expensive than infant seats and have longer life span. However, it's important to choose a seat that is easy to install and will fit in your vehicle. Also, make sure that you buckle up your baby in the correct way each time.
Snug straps prevent the head from moving into a dangerous chin-to-chest position, which can cause asphyxiation or strangulation. Many infant car seats have unbuckled or loose straps. This is a major security issue. Straps that are not buckled can cause a neck to hang, which is the cause of many accidents. The crotch buckle may be a danger if it is not tight enough to pass the pinch test. This test will determine if the crotch buckle fits enough to prevent a baby's legs from slouching down in the seat and causing them to be injured or trapped.
Some convertible newborn car seats include an adjustable torso that lets you alter the height limit to suit your child's development. The minimum torso must be equal to the height of the shoulders of your infant, or an inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert to help raise your child to the correct height for the seat.
The best convertible car seat for babies must be padded and comfortable, with cushioning that is comfortable and a small base to allow you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also feature an incredibly tight, snug harness that passes the pinch-test and a small and tightly-rolled blanket or towel to use in an emergency. It should also include an anchor tether that connects to the anchor points of your vehicle, which could help reduce injuries during a crash by reducing impact force. It should also come with an infant travel set, which is a car seat and stroller that can be used to move your infant from the vehicle to the stroller.
Safety features
When selecting the right car seats for their infants parents face a variety of aspects to consider. However, car seats are a must-have for families who are just starting out because using them reduces the chance of fatal motor vehicle collision injuries by 71 . The decision between an infant car seat and a convertible car seat comes down to several key elements that include safety features and compatibility with your vehicle and user-friendliness.
Infant car seats are designed to keep the delicate physiology of a newborn in mind. They usually come with a Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix3 ISOFIX Base for Car Seats - Buy Now And Save that stays in the car and an infant carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to move your baby from the car to stroller and back without causing any disturbance to them. They come with a crotch and harness built in to ensure your child safe.
Some infant cars come with side impact protection, which is designed to disperse the force of collision away from the infant's head and neck. They come with metal, plastic and foam that absorbs energy, and protects the head of the infant from direct contact with the frame of the vehicle or other objects in a collision. Some come with a special pod that extends beyond the door to protect the child's head.
Another security feature that's becoming more common in infant car seats is a chest clip that holds the harness straps straight across your newborn's chest. This stops the straps from getting caught or bending at the shoulders, which can place your baby at a higher risk of injury. If you opt for a seat that has this feature, make sure the chest clip is at armpit height. Avoid dressing your baby with bulky clothing as it can cause interference with the harness.
Make sure that the car seat is set up according to the instructions of the manufacturer, regardless of what type you choose. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. This system comprises connectors that clip into the lower anchor points of your car, and a tether that hooks onto an anchor inside the vehicle. If your vehicle does not have LATCH, a seatbelt can be used to secure the car seats.