Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat

A newborn car seat is also referred to as an infant safety seat, or a 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, rather than the spinal cord or neck.

They can be rear-facing or convertible and are available in a range of heights and weight limits. They can also be part of a set for travel that can be converted into a stroller base.

Rear-facing

Rear-facing top rated infant car seats car seats offer unbeatable protection in crashes for infants. They are designed to hold and support children, while protecting their head, neck, and spine. They also help reduce injuries by keeping the impact of an accident from striking your child. This is because the child's body does not collide with the vehicle seat, or front passenger seat. Instead, it is a soft, cushioned area in their car seat.

Parents should make sure that their child remains rear-facing until they reach maximum height or weight limit of their car seat, as per the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The majority of children will outgrow their infant car seat around the age of one and can move to a convertible car seat that is able to face forward. Many parents will keep their child in the rear 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 have different features. For instance, infant-only seats are lighter, smaller, and come with an easy release base that is able to be removed from the car, and then reattached to the base of a stroller. Convertible car seats are larger and heavier, but they do not have a built-in base for strollers.

It is important to use the back seat regardless of the type of seat. It is also recommended to put tightly rolled washcloths or blankets between the crotch strap and your baby to ensure that there is no gap in the harness. Make sure 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.

While there is much disagreement about how long a child should ride rear-facing, research shows that infants as young as 12 months old are less likely to be injured in car accidents when they are facing the rear of the car. Babies in rear-facing car seats also experience a lesser impact when they crash into the front of the car, in contrast to the rear of the car seat which can result in serious injuries.

Forward-facing

Many parents have spent a lot of time into their baby car seat. It was an important item on your baby registry and the method you took your baby home from the hospital. Now that your child is older, you might be considering turning the car seat around to forward-facing. However, it's important remember that children aren't ready for this until they reach the height and weight limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.

Until your baby is at least 20 pounds and a year old, they should remain rear-facing. This is because children younger than one year old don't have neck muscles that can withstand the whiplash that results from being caught in a crash and thrown forward. Moreover they are at a higher risk of suffering spinal injuries in head-on collisions.

You can purchase convertible or all-in-one seat that 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 come with a base to install in your vehicle. They can also be detached from the base and connected to strollers to create travel systems. They are typically lighter in weight and height restrictions than a standard car seat.

You can also purchase a booster seat. They are typically equipped with a harness for young kids and convert to a belt-positioning booster seat when your child is ready for it. The primary benefit of this kind of car seat is that it will remain in your vehicle throughout the child's life making it easy to move your child from one place to another.

Whatever car seat you pick make sure you read the instructions and follow the installation guidelines. Get a certified safety technician to make sure that your child's car seat has been installed and used correctly. It is not uncommon for parents to misuse car seats, and even well-intentioned parents may cause harm to their children. The best car seat infant way to prevent this is to follow the instructions for car seats and following the advice of a CPST.

Convertible

Many parents opt for a convertible infant car seat because they can expand with their baby and allow them to travel safely through infancy and toddlerhood. They are less expensive than infant ones and have a a longer lifespan. But, it's crucial to choose a model that is simple to install and fits your vehicle. Also, make sure to ensure your child's safety by buckling them properly every time.

Snug straps keep the head from shifting into a dangerous chin-to chest position that could result in strangulation or asphyxiation. Many infant car seats have straps that are unbuckled or loose which pose a major safety risk. Straps that aren't buckled could cause necks to hang, which is the cause of many 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 if the crotch buckle fits enough to prevent a newborn's legs from sliding down the seat and result in them being cut or trapped.

Some convertible car seats for newborns have adjustable torso height that allows you to adjust the height limit according to your child's development. The minimum torso height should be at least the height of the shoulders of your infant or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert to bring your child up to the proper height for the seat.

The best convertible car seat for newborns should be comfortable, with cushioning that is comfortable and a small base so that you can fit it into your vehicle. It should also come with a snug, tight harness that passes the pinch test and a small, tightly rolled towel or blanket in case in the event of an accident. It should also include an tether strap that is attached to your vehicle's anchor points, which can reduce crash injuries by cutting down the impact force on your infant. Additionally, it should come with an infant travel system that comprises a car seat that is paired with a stroller, and comes with a handle you use to move the infant from the car to the stroller.

Safety features

When choosing the right car seats for their newborns parents must consider a myriad of things to take into consideration. However, car seats are a crucial purchase for new families because correctly using them reduces the chance of fatal collisions with motor vehicles by 70 percent. The decision between an infant car seat and a convertible car seat comes down to some key factors such as safety features, compatibility with your vehicle and user-friendliness.

Car seats for infants are created with the fragile baby's physiology in mind. They typically come with the base that is able to stay in the vehicle, and the carrier snaps into place, making it easy to transfer your baby from car to stroller, and then back without disturbing them. They also come with harnesses built-in and a crotch strap that keep your baby secure.

Some infant cars have side-impact protection that distributes the force of a crash away from the infant's head and neck. They come with metal, plastic and foam that absorbs energy, and protects the baby's head from direct contact with the frame of the vehicle or other objects in a collision. Some have a special sock that extends from the door to shield the child's head.

Another security feature that's becoming more common in infant car seats is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps flat across your newborn's chest. This prevents the straps pinching or bending around shoulders, which could put your child at risk of injury. If you select a seat with this feature, ensure that the chest clip is set at the armpit height. It is also important to not dress your baby in bulky outerwear which could hinder the fit of the harness.

Verify that the car seat is set up according to the manufacturer’s instructions, regardless of what type you choose. Look for the lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system comprising an attachment that clips onto the lower anchor points of a car and a tether strap that attaches to the top rated baby car seats of the seat. It then connects to an anchor inside your vehicle. If your vehicle does not have LATCH, a belt can be used to secure car seats.