Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A car seat for newborns is also known as a baby car seat or infant safety seat. It is designed to protect infants from injury and death in car accidents. They come with a harness that distributes force of restraining over the head and body of the child rather than the spinal cord and neck.
They can be rear-facing or convertible and are available in a variety of height and weight limits. They may also be part of an entire travel system that snaps into and out of the base of a stroller.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing car seats for newborns provide unmatched protection in crashes for infants. They are designed to hold and support children, protecting their spine, neck and head. Additionally, they assist to disperse the impact of a crash to prevent your child's body from being hit and minimizing injuries. This is because your child's body is not collision-prone with the car seat or the front seat, but instead the soft, cushioned surface inside of their car seat.
Parents should keep their child rear-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of their car seat, as per the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Around age 1, most children will outgrow the infant car seat and be moved to a convertible car seat that can face forward. But, many parents prefer to keep their child in a rear-facing seat until the 2nd birthday of their child.
There are two primary kinds of rear-facing car seats that are convertible and infant-only car seats. Both are safe, but have different features. For instance, infant-only seats are smaller and lighter. They also have the quick-release base which can be removed from the vehicle and then attached to a stroller. Convertible car seats are heavier and larger. They also do not include a stroller base.
Regardless of which type of seat you pick it is essential to follow the manufacturer's instructions and to always place the seat in the back seat of your vehicle. You can also put an enveloping blanket or washcloth between the crotch harness and your child's harness to ensure the harness is secure. Make sure 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.
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 when they're facing the back of the car. Car seats with rear-facing infants also experience a lesser impact when they strike the front of the car, as opposed to the back of the car seat which could result in serious injuries.
Forward-facing
Most parents have given plenty of thought to their infant's car seat. It was a key item on the baby registry, and how you got your child home from the hospital. You might consider changing the car seat to face forward as your child gets older. rotating infant car seat to keep in mind that your child isn't ready until they reach the weight and height limits established by the manufacturer of their car seat.
When your baby is at least 20 pounds and one year old, they should be rear-facing. Children under one year old don't have the neck muscles necessary to withstand whiplash when involved in an accident. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of suffering spinal injuries in head-on collisions.
You can buy a convertible or all-in-one car seat, which allows your child to remain rear-facing until they reach the weight and height limit for the seat. These are typically bucket-style infant seats that have the base that you can install in your vehicle. They are also detached from the base and attached to strollers to form travel systems. They typically have lower weight and height restrictions than standard car seats.
You can also purchase an extra booster. These seats are equipped with a harness, and can be converted into a booster seat which allows your child to wear a seat belt once they are ready. This kind of car seat has the primary benefit of being used in your vehicle throughout the duration of your child's childhood making it simpler to transport the car seat from one location to another.
It doesn't matter what car seat you select follow the directions and follow the guidelines. It's also a good idea to consult a certified car safety technician to make sure that your child's seat is properly installed and used properly. The misuse of car seats is common, and 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 follow the car seat instructions and following the guidelines of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents choose to purchase a convertible newborn car seat because they can expand with your baby which allows them to safely travel from infanthood to toddlerhood. These seats are also less expensive than infant car seats and have longevity for a long time. It is important to choose the right model that is compatible with your vehicle and is simple to install. Be sure to ensure your child's safety by buckling them up in a proper manner each time.
Snug straps stop the head from slipping into the risky chin-to-chest position that could result in strangulation or asphyxiation. A majority of infant car seats have unbuckled or loose straps. This is a serious safety issue. Unbuckled straps can lead to an unbalanced neck, which has been the cause of many accidents. The crotch buckle could pose a risk when it isn't tight enough to pass the pinch test. This test determines whether the crotch buckle is sufficiently tight to stop the legs of a newborn baby from slouching in the seat, causing them to get injured or trapped.
Some convertible infant car seats have adjustable torso height, which lets you adjust the height limit to suit your child's growth. The torso's minimum height should be the same as the height of your infant's shoulders, or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert to raise your child to the appropriate height for the seat.
The ideal convertible car seat for newborns 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 an incredibly snug, secure harness that can pass the pinch test and a short, tightly rolled blanket or towel in case of an accident. It should also come with a tether strap that attaches to the anchor points on your vehicle, which can reduce crash injuries by reducing the force of impact on your baby. It should also come with an infant travel set that includes a car seat and stroller that can be used to move your baby from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents have a lot to consider when they're choosing the right car seat for their babies. Car seats are a crucial purchase for new families, as their correct use reduces the risk that a child will suffer an fatal motor vehicle crash injury by 71 percent. The choice between an infant car-seat and a convertible one comes down to several factors, such as safety features, compatibility of your vehicle, and ease-of-use.
Car seats for infants are designed with the fragile physiology of a newborn in mind. The seat's base is usually located in the car and the infant carrier snaps into place. This 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 have side-impact protection, which distributes the force of the collision away from a newborn's head and neck. They have plastic, metal and foam that absorbs energy and shields the head of the infant from direct contact with the frame of the vehicle or other objects involved in a collision. Some even include a special pod on the door side that extends to protect the head of the infant.
Another safety feature that's becoming more prevalent in newborn car seats is a chest clip that holds the harness straps flat across the chest of your baby. This prevents the straps from slipping or bending at the shoulders, which can expose your baby to greater risk of injury. If you opt for a car seat that has this feature, ensure that the chest clip is set at armpit level. It is also important to avoid dressing your baby in bulky clothes which could hinder the fit of the harness.
Make sure that the car seat is fitted according to the manufacturer’s instructions regardless of the type you choose. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. The system is comprised of a connector which clips into the lower anchor points of your vehicle and an tether that is attached to an anchor on the vehicle. If your vehicle doesn't have LATCH, you may use a seat belt to secure the car seat.