A Brief History Of Newborn Car Seat History Of Newborn Car Seat

Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat

A car seat for newborns, also known as an infant safety seat or a baby car seat, protects babies from injury and death from car accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force over the child's body and head instead of the neck or spinal cord.

These seats are available in rear-facing as well as convertible versions, and come with a range of weight and height limits. They may also be part of an entire travel system that snaps into and out of a stroller base.

Rear-facing

Rear-facing newborn child car seats provide unmatched protection in crashes for infants. They are designed to support and cradle children, ensuring their neck, spine and head. They also aid in reducing injuries by keeping the force of an accident from hitting your child. This is because your child's body is not collision-prone with the car seat or front passenger seat, but rather a soft, padded surface inside their car seat.

Parents should ensure that their child is facing rear until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat, as per the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Around the age of one, most children will outgrow their infant car seat and move on to a convertible seat that can be oriented forward. But, many parents want 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 equally safe however, each has its own features. For example, infant-only seats are smaller, lighter and come with a quick release base that can be easily detached from the car and then reattached to the base of a stroller. Convertible car seats are larger and heavier. They also don't include a stroller base.

Whatever seat you select, it is important to adhere to the instructions of the manufacturer and always use the seat in the back of your vehicle. It is also recommended to put tightly rolled washcloths or blankets between the crotch straps and your baby to ensure that there isn't any slack in the harness. Check that the lower anchors of your car seat are correctly installed and are connected to the lower attachment points on the lower anchor bars.

While there is  good infant car seats  about how long a baby should be rear-facing, research has shown that infants up to 12 months old are less likely to sustain injuries in car accidents when they're facing the back of the car. Car seats with rear-facing seats allow babies to feel less stress when they strike the front of the car, instead of the rear which can 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 was the method you used to get your child home from the hospital. You may think about changing the car seat to face forward when your child grows older. It's important to keep in mind that your child isn't yet ready until they've reached the weight and height limits established by the car seat manufacturer.

As long as your baby weighs at least 20 pounds and one year old, they should remain rear-facing. Children younger than one year do not have the neck muscles required to resist whiplash resulting from being hit in a crash. Moreover, they are at greater risk of 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 meet 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 are also detached from the base and attached to strollers to create travel systems. They typically have lower weight and height restrictions than a standard car seat.

Alternatively, you can get a booster seat. These seats come with a harness and can be transformed into a booster seat that lets your child wear a seat belt once they are ready. The main advantage of this type of car seat is that it will remain in your vehicle throughout the early years of life making it easy to move your child from one place to another.

It doesn't matter which car seat you choose, read the instructions and adhere to the guidelines. It's recommended to consult a certified car safety technician to make sure that your child's seat is installed and used in a safe manner. Incorrect use of a car seat is common, and well-meaning parents could injure their children if they aren't aware of what they're doing. The best way to avoid this is by reading the car seat instructions and following the guidelines of a CPST.

Convertible

Many parents opt for convertible infant car seat because they can expand with their child and allow them to safely travel through infancy and toddlerhood. These seats are cheaper than infant seats and offer a longer lifespan. But, it's crucial to choose a model that is easy to install and is suitable for your vehicle. Also, make sure you buckle up your baby properly every time.

Snug straps prevent the head from slipping into a dangerous chin-to chest position that could lead to strangulation or asphyxiation. Many infant car seats have unbuckled or loose straps. This is a major safety concern. Straps that are not buckled can cause necks to hang and is the reason of many accidents. If the crotch strap has not been sufficiently tight enough to pass the pinch test, it may be a risk. This test will determine whether the crotch strap is tight enough to prevent the legs of a newborn baby from slouching in the seat and causing them to be injured or trapped.

Some convertible infant car seats have adjustable torso height, which lets you adjust the height limit to suit the growth of your child. The torso's minimum height should be the same as the height of your infant's shoulders, or one inch lower. Some models include an infant insert to help bring your child up to the correct height for the seat.

The most suitable convertible infant car seat should have a snug fit, comfortable padding, and a slender base that allows you to install it in your car. It should also come with a snug, tight harness that is able to pass the pinch test and a small, tightly rolled blanket or towel in the event in the event of an accident. It should also have an attachment tether to the anchor points of your vehicle, which can help reduce injuries during a crash by reducing force of impact. In addition, it should come with an infant travel system that comprises an infant car seat that can be paired with a stroller and an attachment that allows you to move the baby from the car to the stroller.

Safety features

Parents have a lot to take into consideration when selecting the best car seat for their infants. However, car seats are a must-have for new families because correctly using them reduces the chance of fatal child motor vehicle collision injuries by 71 . The decision between a child's car-seat and a convertible one is dependent on several factors, including safety features, compatibility with your vehicle, and the ease of use.

Car seats for infants are designed with a newborn's fragile physiology in mind. They typically come with an attached base that remains in the car and an infant carrier that snaps into the position, making it simple to move your baby from the car to stroller and back again without causing any disturbance to them. They have a crotch and harness built in to ensure your child safe.

Some infant cars have side-impact protection that distributes the crash force away from a newborn's head and neck. Foam, metal, and plastic absorb energy and shield the baby's face from direct contact with a vehicle frame or any other object involved in an accident. Some include a specially designed pod on the side of the door that extends to shield the head of the infant.

Another safety feature that is becoming more common in car seats for newborns is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps straight across your newborn's chest. This prevents the straps from pinching or twisting around the shoulders, which can put your baby at higher risk of injury. If you opt for a seat with this feature, make sure that the chest clip is placed at armpit height. It is also important to be sure to avoid dressing your baby in bulky clothes which could hinder the harness's fit.

Regardless of which kind of car seat you choose, check that it's installed in your vehicle in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. 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 the tether strap, which is attached to the top of the seat and connects to an anchor in your vehicle. If your vehicle isn't equipped with LATCH, you can use a seat belt to secure your car seat.