Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A newborn car seat or infant safety seat or baby car seat, helps protect babies from injury and death in vehicle accidents. The harness distributes the restraining force to the child's head and body instead of the neck or spinal cord.
They are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, and come with the option of varying weights and height limits. They can 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 most complete protection for infants during crashes. They are designed to support and cradle children, ensuring their neck, spine and head. They also aid in reducing injuries by stopping the force of an accident from hitting your child. This is because your child's body isn't hitting the car seat or front passenger seat, but rather the soft, cushioned surface inside their car seat.
Parents should keep their child rear-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of the car seat, according to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). At around the age of 1, 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-facing seat until they turn two.
There are two types of rear-facing car seat that are convertible and infant-only car seats. Both are safe, but offer different conveniences. For instance, infant-only seats are lighter, smaller, and come with a quick release base that is able to be removed from the car and reattached to a stroller base. Convertible car seats are larger and heavier, and do not come with an integrated stroller base.
Regardless of which type of seat you pick, it is important to adhere to the instructions of the manufacturer and always use the seat in the back seat of your vehicle. You can also place a blanket that is tightly rolled or washcloth between the crotch straps and your child's harness to ensure the harness is securely secured. In addition, make sure that the lower anchors are anchored to the lower attachment points of the lower anchor bars of your vehicle and that the car seat is properly fitted and buckled.
While there is much debate about how long a baby should be rear-facing, research has shown that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to suffer injuries in car accidents when they are facing the back of the car. Car seats with rear-facing seats allow babies to feel less stress when they crash into the car's front, in contrast to the rear, which can lead to serious injuries.
Forward-facing
Many parents have spent a lot of time into their infant 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 as your child gets older. However, it's important to be aware that children aren't quite ready until they reach the weight and height limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.
Until your baby is at least 20 lbs and a year old, they should remain rear-facing. This is because kids under a year don't have strong enough neck muscles to handle the whiplash that can result from being forced forward in an accident. Moreover they are at a higher chance of suffering spinal injuries from head-on collisions.
You can buy a convertible car seat or an all-in-one one that lets you keep the child rear-facing up until the child is at the weight and height limits of the seat. These are typically bucket-style infant seats that have an installation base that can be inserted into your vehicle. They can also be removed from the base and connected to strollers in order to form travel systems. However, they tend to have smaller weight and height limits than a standard convertible car seat.
Alternatively, you can get a booster seat. These seats are fitted with a harness, and can be transformed into a booster that lets your child wear a seat belt once they are 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 move your child from one vehicle to another.
No matter what car seat you select make sure you read the instructions and follow the installation guidelines. It's recommended to speak with a certified car seat safety technician to ensure that your child's seat is properly installed and is used correctly. 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. It is recommended to read the instructions on the car seat and follow the advice of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents opt for a convertible newborn child car seat since they can grow with their baby and allow them to travel safely through infancy and toddlerhood. These seats are also less expensive than infant car seats and offer a long lifespan. But, it's crucial to choose a seat that is simple to install and will fit in your vehicle. Also, make sure to protect your baby by buckling them up correctly each time.
Snug straps stop the head from moving to a risky chin-to-chest stance that could result in asphyxiation or strangulation. Many infant car seats come with straps that are loose or not buckled, and this is a serious safety risk. Unbuckled straps may cause a neck to hang and is the reason of a lot of accidents. The crotch buckle may cause danger if it is not tight enough to pass the pinch test. This test will determine whether the crotch buckle is tight enough to prevent the legs of a newborn from slouching in the seat and causing them to be cut or trapped.
Some convertible infant car seats have adjustable torso-height, which allows you to alter the height limit based on your child's development. The minimum torso should be the same as the height of the shoulders of your infant or an inch lower. Some models include an infant insert that can help bring your child up to the appropriate height for the seat.
The best convertible car seat for babies should be comfortable, with comfortable padding and a narrow base to allow you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also come with a snug, tight harness that passes the pinch-test as well as a small tight-rolled blanket or towel for an emergency. It should also have an anchor tether that connects to the anchor points of your vehicle, which could reduce injuries in collisions by reducing the force of impact. Additionally it should be equipped with the travel system, which includes an infant car seat that can be paired with a stroller and an attachment that allows you to transport your baby from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents have a lot to take into consideration when selecting the right car seat for their infants. However, car seats are a crucial purchase for new families because correctly using them reduces the chance of fatal collisions in motor vehicles by 71 percent. The decision between a baby car seat and a convertible seat comes down to several key elements such as safety features that are compatible with your car, and ease of use.
Infant car seats are made with the delicate physiology and physiology of a newborn in mind. The base of the seat is typically in the car and the infant carrier snaps into the position. This makes it simple to transfer your baby from stroller to car and back without disturbing them. They have a crotch and harness built in to keep your child secure.
Some infant cars are equipped with side-impact protection, which distributes the force of a crash away from the infant's head and neck. Plastic, metal and foam absorb energy and protect the baby's face from direct contact with a vehicle frame or any other object in an accident. Some have a special sock that extends beyond the door to protect the child's head.
A chest clip is a different safety feature that is becoming more common in car seats for newborns. visit the up coming document keeps the harness straps firmly against the chest of your baby. The straps aren't strained or bending around shoulders, which could put your child at risk of injury. If you choose a car seat that has this feature, ensure that the chest clip is set at the armpit level. Avoid dressing your baby with bulky outerwear as this could hinder the harness.
Whatever type of car seat you pick ensure that it's mounted in your vehicle according to the manufacturer's instructions. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. This system consists of connectors that clip into the lower anchor points of your vehicle and a tether that hooks onto an anchor inside the vehicle. If your vehicle does not have LATCH, a seatbelt may be used to secure the car seats.