This Week's Top Stories Concerning Newborn Car Seat
Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat
A car seat for newborns is also referred to as an infant safety seat or baby car seat, helps protect infants from harm and death in vehicle accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force to the body and head of the child, rather than the neck or spinal cord.
They are available in rear-facing as well as convertible versions, and come with the option of varying weights and height limits. These seats are also a part of a travel set that can be converted into the base of a stroller.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing newborn car seats offer unmatched protection for infants in crashes. They are designed to hold and support children, ensuring their neck, spine and head. In addition, they help to reduce 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 passenger seat, but instead a soft, padded surface inside their car seat.
According to the AAP, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Parents should keep their child facing rearwards until they reach the weight limit of their car seat or height limit. Most kids will outgrow their infant car seats around the age of one and are able to transition to convertible car seats that is able to face forward. But, many parents prefer to keep their child in a rear-facing car seat until they turn 2.
There are two primary types: infant-only car seat and convertible car seat. Both are equally secure, but have different features. For instance, infant-only chairs are smaller, lighter and have an easy release base that is able to be removed from the car and then reattached to the base of a stroller. sneak a peek at this web-site. are larger and heavier. They also do not come with a stroller base.

It is essential to always use the back seat, regardless of the type of seat. It is also recommended that you place washcloths that are tightly rolled or blankets between the crotch straps and your child to ensure there isn't any slack in the harness. In addition, make sure that the lower anchors are attached to the lower attachment points of the lower anchor bars of your vehicle and that the car seat is correctly fitted and secured.
Research has shown that babies who face the rear of the car are less likely to get injured in a car crash. Car seats with rear-facing infants also experience less 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
The majority of parents have invested a lot of thought into their baby car seat. It was an important item on your baby registry and the method you used to bring your child home from the hospital. Now that your child is older, you may be thinking about turning the car seat forward-facing. However, it's important remember that children aren't ready until they reach the weight and height limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.
Rear-facing is recommended until your baby weighs at minimum 20 pounds and has reached the age of one year. This is because babies younger than one year don't have neck muscles that can withstand the whiplash that can result from being thrown forward in an accident. They also have greater risk of suffering from spinal injuries in head-on collisions.
You can purchase a convertible or an all-in-one car seat, which allows you to keep your child rear-facing until they meet the weight and height limit for the seat. These seats are usually bucket-style infant seats that have a base to install in your vehicle. They are also removed from the base and attached to strollers in order to form travel systems. However, they usually have smaller weight and height limits than the standard convertible car seats.
Alternatively, you can get a booster seat. These are typically fitted with a harness for young children and can be converted to a belt-positioning booster seat when your child is ready for it. The primary benefit of this type of car seat is that it will remain in your vehicle through the childhood years, making it easy to transport your child from one place to another.
Whatever car seat you select be sure to read the instruction manual and follow the installation instructions. Contact a certified car 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 abuse car seats, and even the most well-intentioned parents could cause harm to their children. The best way to prevent this is to follow the instructions for car seats and following the guidelines of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents choose a convertible newborn car seat because they expand with your child and allow them to travel safely from infanthood to toddlerhood. They are less expensive than infant seats and offer longer life span. It's important to select one that fits your car and is easy to install. Also, make sure to keep your baby safe by buckling them up correctly each time.
Snug straps prevent the head from shifting into a potentially dangerous chin-to-chest posture, which can cause strangulation or asphyxiation. A majority of infant car seats have straps that are not buckled or loose. This is a major safety issue. Straps that aren't buckled can cause a dangling neck which has been the source of numerous accidents. If the crotch strap isn't tightened enough to pass a pinch test, it could be a risk. This test will determine if the crotch buckle is tight enough to stop a baby's legs from sliding around in the seat, causing them to be trapped or cut.
Some convertible newborn car seat include torso heights that are adjustable, which allows you to adjust the height limit based on your child's growth. The minimum torso must be at least 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 correct height for the seat.
The ideal convertible car seat for babies should be snug, have cushioning that is comfortable and a small base that allows you to put it in your vehicle. It should also feature an incredibly tight, snug harness that passes the pinch-test as well as a small, tightly-rolled towel or blanket for an emergency. It should also come with a tether that attaches to the anchor points of your vehicle, which will minimize injuries from an accident by reducing the impact force. It should also come with an infant travel set, which is a stroller and car seat that you can use to transfer your infant from the vehicle to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents have a lot to think about when choosing the appropriate car seat for their babies. Car seats are a crucial purchase for families with new children because their proper use can reduce the likelihood that children will be the victim of a fatal motor vehicle accident injury by 71. The decision between a child's car seat and a convertible one is dependent on several factors, such as safety features, compatibility with your vehicle, and ease-of-use.
Car seats for infants are made to keep the delicate physiology of a newborn in mind. They typically have a base that stays in the vehicle and a carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to move your baby from the car to stroller and back without disturbing them. They come with a crotch as well as a harness built in to ensure your child secure.
Some infant cars are also equipped with side impact protection that distributes crash force away from the infant's head and neck. Plastic, metal and foam absorb energy and shield the baby's face from direct contact with a vehicle frame or any other object involved in the event of a collision. Some include a specially designed pod on the door side that extends to shield the head of the infant.
Another safety feature that is becoming more prevalent in infant car seats is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps straight across your newborn's chest. The straps aren't strained or twisting around shoulders which can expose your child to risk of injury. If you select a seat that has this feature, make sure the chest clip is set at the armpit height. Avoid dressing your baby in heavy outerwear since it could cause interference with the harness.
Regardless of which type of car seat you pick ensure that it's mounted in your vehicle in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. This system consists of a connector which clips into the lower anchor points of your car, 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.