Choosing Between infant car seats Push Chairs & Prams and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A car seat for newborns 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. The harness distributes the restraining force over the child's head and body, rather than the neck or spinal cord.
They can be front-facing or convertible, and are available in a range of heights and weight limits. These seats can also be a part of a travel set that can be converted into the base of a stroller.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing infant car seats provide the most complete protection for infants during crashes. They are designed to hold and support children, ensuring their neck, spine and head. They also help to reduce injuries by preventing the force of an accident from hitting your child. This is because the child's body does not hit the seat of the vehicle or the front seat. Instead, it is an upholstered, soft surface inside their car seat.
According to the AAP as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommend that parents keep their child rear-facing until they reach the weight limit of their car seat or height limit. The majority of children will outgrow their infant car seat around the age of one, at which point they can move to convertible car seats that is able to face forward. Many parents will keep their child in the rear seat until they turn two.
There are two primary types: infant-only car seats and convertible car seats. Both are equally secure however, each has its own advantages. For example, infant-only seats are smaller, lighter, and have 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 larger and heavier, and don't have an integrated stroller base.
Whatever seat you select regardless of the type, you must follow the manufacturer's instructions and ensure that you use the seat in the back of your vehicle. You can also put an enveloping blanket or washcloth between the crotch harness and your child to ensure that the harness is secure. Check that the lower anchors of your car seat are correctly installed and are connected to the lower anchor points on the lower anchor bars.
While there is much debate about how long a baby should ride rear-facing, research shows that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to be injured in car accidents if they are facing the back of the car. Car seats that are rear-facing allow infants to be less impacted when they crash into the front of the car, as opposed the the back, which can lead to serious injuries.
Forward-facing
The majority of parents have spent a lot of time into their newborn car seat. It was a key item on your baby registry as well as the way you brought your child home from the hospital. You might consider changing the car seat to face forward as your child gets older. It's important to keep in mind that your child isn't yet ready until they've reached the weight and height limits set by the car seat manufacturer.
When your baby is at least 20 pounds and one year old, they should remain rear-facing. Children younger than one year do not have the neck muscles necessary to resist whiplash resulting from being hit in a crash. Additionally, they are at greater risk of spinal injuries in head-on collisions.
You can purchase a convertible or all-in-one car seat that allows your child to remain rear-facing until they meet the weight and height limit for the seat. These seats are typically bucket-style infant car seats that are attached to a base for placement in your vehicle. The base can then be detached and attached to strollers to form a travel system. They tend to have lower weight and height restrictions than standard car seats.
You can also get a booster. These are typically fitted with a harness for young children and can be converted into a belt-positioning booster seat when your child is ready. The main advantage of this type of car seat is that it will remain in your vehicle through the child's life making it easy to transport your child from one place to another.
Whatever car seat you pick be sure to read the instruction manual and follow the installation instructions. It's also a good idea to speak with a certified car seat safety technician to ensure that the child's car seat is installed and used in a safe manner. The misuse of car seats is common, and even well-meaning parents could injure their children if they aren't aware of what they're doing. The best way to prevent this is to read the instructions for car seats and following the recommendations of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents opt for convertible infant car seats because they can grow with your baby, allowing them to travel safely from infanthood to toddlerhood. They are also less expensive than infant car seats and have longevity for a long time. It is essential to select a model that fits your vehicle and is easy to install. Also, make sure that you buckle up your baby correctly every time.
Snug straps prevent the head from shifting into a dangerous chin-to-chest position that could result in strangulation or asphyxiation. Many infant car seats have loose or unbuckled straps, and this is a major safety risk. Straps that aren't buckled could cause a neck to hang and cause of a lot of accidents. If the crotch strap has not been tightened enough to pass the pinch test, it can pose a danger. This test determines if the crotch buckle is close enough to stop a baby's legs from sliding down the seat and leading to them getting injured or trapped.
Some convertible infant car seats have adjustable torso-height, which allows you to alter 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 aid in raising your child up to the proper height.
The most suitable convertible infant car seat should have a comfortable fit, comfortable padding and a narrow base to allow you to put it in your car. It should also come with an incredibly tight, snug harness that passes the pinch-test, and a short, tightly-rolled towel or blanket for an emergency. It should also come with an anchor tether that connects to the anchor points of your vehicle, which could minimize injuries from an accident by reducing the force of impact. It should also come with an infant travel set that is a car seat and stroller that can be used to move your child from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents have a lot to consider when they're choosing the appropriate car seat for their newborns. Car seats are an important purchase for families with new children and their use reduces the risk that children will be the victim of an fatal motor vehicle crash injury by 71 percent. The decision between a child's car-seat and a convertible one is based on a variety of aspects, including safety features, compatibility with your vehicle, and convenience.
Infant car seats are designed with the fragile physiology of a newborn in mind. They typically come with the base that is able to stay in the vehicle, and an infant carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to transfer your baby from the car to stroller, and then back without disturbing them. They come with a crotch and harness that are built-in to keep your child secure.
Some infant cars come with side-impact protection that disperses the force of the collision away from a newborn'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 frame or other objects involved 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 prevalent in newborn car seats is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps straight across the chest of your baby. This prevents the straps from getting caught or twisting at the shoulders, which can put your baby at greater risk of injuries. If you opt for a car seat with this feature, ensure the chest clip is set at armpit height. It is also important to be sure to avoid dressing your child in bulky clothing that might interfere with the harness's fit.
Verify 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 (LATCH) system that consists of a connector that clips into the lower anchor points of a car and the tether strap, which is attached to the top of the seat. It then connects to an anchor in your vehicle. If your vehicle doesn't have LATCH, you may use the seat belt to secure the car seat.