10 Apps That Can Help You Manage Your Newborn Car Seat

Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat

A car seat for newborns or infant safety seat, or a baby car seat, helps protect infants from harm and death in vehicle accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force across the child's body and head, rather than the spinal cord or neck.

These seats are available in rear-facing and convertible versions, and come with the option of varying weights and height limits. They 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 the most complete protection for infants during crashes. They are designed to support and cradle children, ensuring their neck, spine and head. They also help to reduce the impact of a crash from hitting your child's body and minimizing injuries. This is because the child's body does not collide with the vehicle seat, or front passenger seat. Instead, it is an upholstered, soft surface in their car seat.

Parents should ensure that their child is facing rear until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of the car seat, according to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Around the age of one, most children will outgrow their infant car seat and transition to a convertible car seat that can face forward. But, many parents want to keep their child in a rear-facing car seat until their 2nd birthday.

There are two primary kinds: infant-only car seats and convertible car seats. Both are equally safe and safe, but they each offer different conveniences. For instance, infant-only seats are smaller, lighter, and come with an easy release base which can be easily removed from the car and reattached to a stroller base. Convertible car seat for Newborn seats are bigger, heavier, and don't have a built-in stroller base.

Whatever seat you pick it is essential to adhere to the instructions of the manufacturer and to always place the seat in the back seat of your vehicle. You can also place a tightly rolled blanket or washcloth between the crotch harness and your child to ensure the harness is secure. Ensure that the lower anchors of your car seat are securely installed and are connected to the lower attachment points on the lower anchor bars.

Research suggests that babies who face the rear of the car are less likely to be injured in an accident. Baby car seats that face rear also experience less impact when they crash into the front of the car, as opposed to the rear of the car seat, which can result in serious injuries.

Forward-facing

Many parents have invested a lot of thought into their newborn car seat. It was a key item on the baby registry, and the way you brought your baby home from the hospital. Now that your child is older, you may be thinking about changing the car seat facing forward. It's important to keep in mind that your child's not ready until they've reached the weight and height limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.

When your baby is at least 20 pounds and one year old, they should be rear-facing. Children younger than one year do not have the neck muscles needed to resist whiplash resulting from being hit in a crash. They are also at a higher risk of spinal injuries in head-on collisions.

You can purchase a convertible or all-in-one car seat, which allows you to keep your child facing the rear until they reach the height and weight limit 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 removed and connected to strollers as a travel system. However, they tend to have lower maximum weight and height limits than a standard convertible car seat.

Alternatively, you can get a booster seat. These seats are equipped with a harness, and can be transformed into a booster that lets your child wear a seat belt when they are ready. This kind of car seat has the principal benefit of being used in your vehicle throughout the duration of your child's life which makes it much easier to move them from one vehicle into another.

It doesn't matter what car seat you choose be sure to read the instructions and adhere to them. It is recommended to consult a certified safety technician to ensure that the child's car seat is installed and used properly. The misuse of car seats is frequent, and even the most well-meaning parents can injure their children if they don't understand what they're doing. The best way to avoid this is by reading the instructions for your car seat and following the recommendations of a CPST.

Convertible

Many parents opt for a convertible newborn car seat since they can expand with your baby, allowing them to safely travel from infancy to toddlerhood. These seats are cheaper than infant ones and have a longer life span. But, it's crucial to choose a model that is easy to install and will fit in your vehicle. Also, make sure to ensure your child's safety by buckling them properly every time.

Snug straps prevent the head from slipping into a dangerous chin-to chest position that could result in strangulation or asphyxiation. Many infant car seats have straps that are not buckled or loose. This is a serious safety issue. Straps that aren't buckled can cause an unbalanced neck, which is the cause of many accidents. If the crotch strap is not sufficiently tight enough to pass the pinch test, it may be a risk. This test will determine whether the crotch strap is sufficiently tight to stop the legs of a newborn from sliding in the seat which could cause them to be trapped or cut.

Some convertible infant car seat for travel car seats include an adjustable torso that allows you to adjust the height limit based on your child's development. The minimum torso must be at least the height of the shoulders of your infant, or one inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert that can help raise your child to the appropriate height for the seat.

The best convertible newborn car seat should have a snug fit, comfortable padding, and a slender base to allow you to install it easily in your vehicle. It should also feature an incredibly tight, snug harness that passes the pinch-test and a small tight-rolled blanket or towel for emergencies. It should also include an attachment tether to the anchor points of your vehicle, which can help reduce injuries during a crash by reducing force of impact. It should also come with an infant travel set that includes a car seat and stroller that you can use to transfer your child from the car to the stroller.

Safety features

Parents have a lot to consider when they're choosing the right car seat for their newborns. Car seats are an essential purchase for families with young children because using them can reduce the risk of fatal child collisions with motor vehicles by 70 percent. The decision between a baby 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 designed to keep the delicate physiology of a newborn in mind. They typically come with an attached base that remains in the vehicle, and an infant carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to move your baby from the car seat newborn insert to stroller and back again without causing any disturbance to them. They come with a crotch and harness that are built-in to keep your child safe.

Some infant cars also come with side impact protection, which distributes crash force away from the baby's head and neck. Metal, plastic 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 have a special pod on the door side that extends out to shield the head of the infant car seats cheap.

Another security feature that's becoming more prevalent in car seats for newborns is a chest clip that keeps the harness straps flat across the chest of your baby. The straps aren't strained or twisting around the 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. Do not dress your baby in heavy outerwear since it could hinder the harness.

No matter what kind of car seat you choose make sure it's installed in your vehicle in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. 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 inside the vehicle. If your vehicle doesn't have LATCH, a belt can be used to secure the car seats.