The Three Greatest Moments In Newborn Car Seat History
Choosing Between an Infant 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 from injury and death in vehicle accidents. The harness distributes the restraining force across the child's body and head, rather than the neck or spinal cord.
These seats are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, as well as with an array of weight and height limits. They could also be part of a travel system that clicks into and out of a stroller base.
Rear-facing
Rear-facing newborn child car seats provide unbeatable protection in accidents for infants. They are designed to cradle and support children, while protecting their neck, head, and spine. They also help to disperse the force of a crash to prevent your child's body from being hit which reduces the risk of injuries. This is because your child's body is not collision-prone with the car seat or front passenger seat, but instead a soft, cushioned surface inside their car seat.
Parents should make sure that their child remains rear-facing until they reach maximum weight or height limit of their car seat, according to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The majority of children will outgrow their infant carseat around age 1 and are able to transition to convertible car seats that can be oriented forward. Many parents will put their child in the rear seat until their child turns two.
There are two types of rear-facing car seats: infant-only seats and convertible car seats. Both are safe, but each offers different advantages. Infant-only seats, for example are lighter and smaller. They also come with the quick-release base which can be removed from the vehicle and attached to the stroller. Convertible car seats are larger and heavier, but they do not come with an integrated stroller base.
It is essential that you always use the back seat regardless of the type of seat. It is also recommended that you put tightly rolled washcloths or blankets between the crotch straps and your child to ensure there is no slack in the harness. In addition, make sure that the lower anchors are connected to the lower attachment points of your vehicle's lower anchor bars and that the car seat is correctly installed and buckled.
Research suggests that babies who are facing the rear of the car are less likely to get injured in a car accident. Car seats with rear-facing seats allow babies to experience less impact when they strike the front of the car, as opposed the the back which could result in serious injuries.
Forward-facing
Many parents have given a lot of consideration to their newborn car seat. It was an important item on your baby's registry and the method you used to bring your baby home from the hospital. Now that your child is older, you might be thinking about changing the car seat around to forward-facing. It's important to keep it in mind that your child isn't ready until they reach the weight and height limits established 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 kids under one year don't have enough neck muscles to withstand the whiplash that can result from being forced forward in an accident. They are also at greater risk of suffering from spinal injuries in head-on collisions.
You can buy convertible or all-in-one seat that allows you to keep your child rear-facing until they reach the weight and height limits for the seat. These seats are usually bucket-style infant car seats that are attached to a base for installation in your vehicle. The base can then be detached and attached to strollers to form a travel system. However, they usually have lower maximum weight and height limits than the standard convertible car seat.
You can also purchase an extra booster. These are typically fitted with a harness for younger children, and then convert to a belt-positioning seat when your child is ready. This kind of car seat has the principal advantage that it can be used in your vehicle for all of your child's growing years, making it easier to transport the child from one vehicle to another.
It doesn't matter what car seat you select follow the directions and follow them. Get a certified safety technician to ensure that your child's car seat has been installed and is used in a safe manner. Car seat misuse is very frequent, and even the most well-meaning parents can injure their children if they don't understand what they're doing. The best car seat way to prevent this is to follow the instructions for your car seat and following the recommendations of a CPST.
Convertible
Many parents choose a convertible infant car seat because they can grow with their baby and allow them to travel safely through infancy and toddlerhood. They are less expensive than infant seats and have a longer lifespan. But, it's crucial to choose a seat that is simple to install and fits your vehicle. Also, ensure that you secure your baby properly every time.
Snug straps prevent the head from slipping to a risky chin-to-chest stance which could lead to strangulation or asphyxiation. A majority of infant car seat swivel car seats have straps that are loose or not buckled. This is a serious safety concern. Straps that aren't buckled can cause an unbalanced neck which has been the cause of numerous accidents. If the crotch strap has not been tightened enough to pass the pinch test, it could cause danger. This test determines whether the crotch buckle is close enough to stop a baby's legs from sliding around in the seat and causing them to be injured or trapped.
Some convertible car seats for newborns come with an adjustable torso-height that allows you to alter the height limit according your child's development. The minimum torso height should be equal to the height of the shoulders of your infant, or an inch lower. Some models include an infant insert that can help raise your child to the proper height for the seat.
The ideal convertible car seat for babies should be snug, have comfortable padding and a narrow base that allows you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also have an incredibly snug, secure harness that can pass the pinch test and a short, tightly rolled towel or blanket in case of an accident. It should also include a tether strap that attaches to the anchor points of your vehicle, which can reduce crash injuries by reducing the impact force on your infant. It should also include an infant travel set that includes a car seat and stroller that can be used to move your baby from the car to the stroller.
Safety features
Parents must consider when they're choosing the appropriate car seat for their infants. Car seats are a crucial purchase for families who are starting a new life, as their correct use can reduce the chance that children will be the victim of an fatal motor vehicle crash injury by 71 percent. The choice between an infant car seat and a convertible one is dependent on several aspects, including safety features, compatibility with your vehicle, and convenience.
Car seats for infants are created with the delicate body of a newborn 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 back again without causing any disturbance to them. They also have built-in harnesses and a crotch strap that keep your baby secure.
Some infant cars also come with side impact protection, which is designed to disperse the force of collision away from the newborn's neck and head. 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 an accident. Some even include a special pod on the door side that extends to protect the head of the infant.
A chest clip is another safety feature that is becoming more common in car seats for newborns. It keeps the straps of the harness flat against your baby's chest. This prevents the straps pinching or twisting around the shoulders which can put your child at risk of injury. If you choose a seat that has this feature, make sure the chest clip is set at the armpit height. Also, you should not dress your baby in bulky clothes that could interfere with the fit of the harness.
Whatever type of car seat you choose ensure that it's mounted in your vehicle in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Check for the lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system that consists of an attachment that clips onto the lower anchor points on a car and the tether strap, which is attached to the top rated baby car seats (intensedebate.com writes) of the seat. It then connects to an anchor in your vehicle. If your vehicle isn't equipped with LATCH, you can still use the seat belt to secure the car seat.
