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Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat A newborn car seat is also known as a baby car seat or infant safety seat. It helps protect babies against injuries and deaths in car accidents. They are fitted with harnesses that distribute the restraint forces across the head and body of the child rather than the spinal cord or neck. These seats can be either rear-facing or convertible and are available in a variety of height and weight limits. They can also be part of a travel system that clicks into and out of a stroller base. Rear-facing Rear-facing car seats for newborns offer unbeatable protection in crashes for infants. They are designed to support and cradle children, ensuring their neck, spine and head. In addition, they help to disperse the force of a crash from hitting your child's body which reduces the risk of injuries. This is because the child's body does not hit the seat of the vehicle, or front passenger seat. Instead, it is an upholstered, soft surface inside their car seat. Parents should keep their child rear-facing until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat, according to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Around age 1, most children will outgrow their infant car seat and be moved to a convertible seat that can be oriented forward. But, many parents prefer to keep their child in a rear-facing seat until they turn 2. There are two kinds: infant-only car seats and convertible car seats. Both are equally safe but have different features. For infant car seat for travel , infant-only seats are smaller, lighter, and have a quick release base that is able to be removed from the car, and then reattached to a stroller base. Convertible car seats are heavier and larger. They also do not come with a stroller base. It is crucial to always use the back seat regardless of the seat type. It is also recommended that you place washcloths that are tightly rolled or blankets between the crotch strap and your baby to make sure that there is no gap in the harness. Also, ensure that the lower anchors are anchored to the lower attachment points of your vehicle's lower anchor bars and that the car seat is properly installed and secured. Research has shown that babies who sit in the rear of the car are less likely to be injured in an accident. Car seats with rear-facing infants also experience less impact when they strike the front of the car, as opposed to the rear of the car seat which can cause serious injuries. Forward-facing The majority of parents have invested a lot of thought into their infant car seat. It was a key item on the baby registry and how you got your child home from the hospital. You might think about changing the car seat to face forward as your child grows older. 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 is at the age of one year. This is because kids under a year don't have strong neck muscles that can withstand the whiplash that results from being caught in a crash and thrown forward. Additionally they are at greater risk of spinal injuries in head-on collisions. You can buy a convertible car seat or an all-in-one one that allows you to keep the child rear-facing up until the child reaches the weight and height limit of the seat. They are usually bucket-style infant seats that have a base to install in your car and can be removed from the base and attached to strollers to create travel systems. However, they tend to have smaller maximum weight and height limits than the standard convertible car seats. You can also buy a booster. They are typically equipped with a harness for young children and can be converted to a belt-positioning booster seat once your child is ready for it. This type of car seat has the main benefit of being used in your vehicle throughout the duration of your child's childhood which makes it much easier to transport them from one vehicle into another. Whatever car seat you pick be sure to read the instruction manual and follow the installation guidelines. It's also a good idea to speak with a certified car safety technician for your seat to ensure that your child's seat is installed and used in a safe manner. The misuse of car seats is common, and even well-meaning parents could cause harm to their children if they aren't aware of what they're doing. The best way to prevent this is to follow the instructions for your car seat and following the guidelines of a CPST. Convertible Many parents opt for a convertible infant car seat, as they can expand with their child and allow them to safely travel through infancy and toddlerhood. These seats are also less expensive than infant car seats and offer an extended lifespan. However, it is important to choose a model that is simple to install and fits your vehicle. Be sure to keep your baby safe by securing them correctly each time. Snug straps prevent the head from slipping into the dangerous chest-to-chin position that could lead to strangulation or asphyxiation. Many infant car seats have straps that are unbuckled or loose and pose an extremely risky safety issue. Straps that are not buckled can cause necks to hang and cause of many accidents. The crotch buckle could be a danger in the event that it is not secure enough to pass the pinch test. This test determines if the crotch strap is sufficiently tight to stop the legs of a newborn from slouching in the seat, causing them to get trapped or cut. Some convertible infant car seats come with an adjustable torso height that lets you alter the height limit to suit your child's development. The minimum torso height must be equal to the height of your infant's shoulders, 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 to allow you to install it easily into your vehicle. It should also feature a secure, tight harness that passes the pinch test as well as a small and tightly-rolled blanket or towel for emergencies. It should also have an attachment tether to the anchor points of your vehicle, which will help reduce injuries during an accident by reducing the force of impact. In addition it should be equipped with a travel system, which comprises a car seat that pairs with a stroller and has an handle that you can use to carry the baby from the car to the stroller. Safety features Parents must consider when they're choosing the appropriate car seat for their infants. However, car seats are an essential purchase for families with young children because using them reduces the chance of fatal child motor vehicle collision injuries by 70 percent. The choice between an infant car seat and a convertible seat is based on several key elements that include safety features and compatibility with your vehicle and the ease of use. Car seats for infants are created with the delicate body of a newborn in mind. They typically have an attached base that remains in the vehicle, and an infant carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to transfer your baby from the car to stroller and back again without disturbing them. They come with a crotch and harness built in to keep your child secure. Some infant cars also come with side impact protection that distributes crash force away from the infant's neck and head. Metal, plastic and foam absorb energy and shield the baby's face from direct contact with the frame of a vehicle or any other object in an accident. Some even have a special pod on the door side that extends to protect the baby's head. Another security feature that's becoming more prevalent in car seats for newborns is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps straight across your newborn's chest. This stops the straps from pinching or twisting around shoulders, which could expose your child to risk of injury. If you choose a seat with this feature, make sure the chest clip is set at the armpit height. Also, you should avoid dressing your child in bulky clothing that might interfere with the fit of the harness. Make sure that the car seat is installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, regardless of what type you select. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system. This system consists of connectors that clip into the lower anchor points of your car and a tether that hooks onto an anchor inside the vehicle. If your vehicle does not have LATCH, a seatbelt can be used to secure car seats.