How To Choose A Car Seat For Newborn

What Are The Types Of Car Seats

Infant-Only Seats

Infant-only seats fit newborns and smaller infants best. You’ll need to buy another seat when your baby outgrows it. Infant-only seats are designed to protect babies from birth until they reach up to 35 pounds , depending on the model.

Infant car seats should always be installed to face the rear of the car. A small child is much less likely to die or be seriously injured when in a rear-facing seat. That’s because the back of the safety seat will cradle the baby’s head, neck, and torso in a crash. At this age, a child’s neck usually isn’t strong enough to support the head in a crash.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants and toddlers ride in a rear-facing seat until they reach the highest weight and height limits recommended by the seat’s manufacturer. Safety experts say to do this based on a child’s size, not age. Small children can stay rear-facing until age 3 or 4.

Infant-only safety seats are convenient because they’re designed to double as carriers, chairs, or rockers when not used in the car. Many models detach right from the base, letting you leave the base installed in the car. Some can be clicked into strollers to be wheeled around. If your baby is in the infant safety seat outside of the car, never put the seat on a high surface like a kitchen counter, a dresser, or changing.

S On Attaching A Car Seat To Your Stroller

First, learn about the construction of the car seat. Learn how to detach the straps and how they attach to the strollers frame. When the time comes to attach it, this will come in handy.

Step Two: Align the vehicle belt or LATCH strap on top of the car seat with the stroller frame where the car seat will be attached. Fasten it to the top of the strollers frame using a LATCH connector or a vehicles seat belt loop, then fasten it again as securely as possible.

Step 3: Make sure there is no slack between the car seat and the stroller frame. Tighten the way theyre attached if there are any!

Fourth, loosen or tighten the connection between the car seat and the stroller frame as necessary. This will help with how much space there is for how you to get on or off, how much space there is in the stroller basket at the bottom of it, and how your child sits up.

Step Five: Fasten them together securely so that your car seat wont fall out if they accidentally hit something.

Car Seat Safety: What You Should Know

Its important to be aware that there are many car seats available for you to buy, marketed at different age groups by different brands. Its best to use a car seat that matches the size of your child, and fits well with your vehicle.

If you have a two-seater car or truck, it should be common sense that these are a big no-no for your children. Make sure you have a car that is safe and has a set of seats at the back to provide added protection for your child. Not doing so can be considered a major breach of the law, and cause other disastrous results for your family .

Always inspect your car seats for rips, tears and breaks, and make sure that theyre covered by the federal and also state seating standards. Remember, higher price doesnt always correlate to a safer car seat make sure that your child fits the seat comfortably as this is directly linked to safety.

Car safety is something you cant take lightly and based on the statistics to our right, it only reinforces the point. Too many lives are unnecessary taken away each year from families dont be a statistic.

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Current Car Seat Guidelines

The American Academy of Pediatrics makes annual recommendations for car seat safety . These recommendations are summarized in the following image, which is extracted from the NHTSA Child Car Safety guidance.

As you can see in the chart, your baby will always begin in the rear-facing position, and maintain that position until they reach the car seat manufacturers height or weight limit. This applies for both infant car seats and convertible car seats.

Most infant car seats max out at 35 pounds. Some new convertible car seats car support children in the rear-facing position all the way up to 50 pounds! For example, the Nuna Rava, Graco Extend2Fit, Maxi Cosi Magellan, and a few others . Then your child will transition to a forward-facing car seat with a 5-point harness until they are about 7 years of age. Then they should transition to a booster seat until they are about 10-12 years old, and then finally to using the vehicles seat belts. Of course, these are very general guidelines and will change if your child is shorter or taller, or smaller or larger than most children. They are also only roughly summarized here for a more thorough explanation, see our AAP policy article here. Also, just because the government makes a recommendation for car seat usage, be sure to check your local laws and also double-check the car seat manufacturers guidelines!

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Focus On The Most Important Features

At the lower end of the price range , whether you’re purchasing an infant car seat or a convertible car seat, look for a model that has a 5-point harness , side-impact protection , and compatibility with the LATCH system .

If you can afford to buy a premium car seat, priced above $200, expect additional features, such as an anti-rebound bar at the foot of the seat that limits the amount of movement during a crash. Other features that bump up the price include cushier fabric, accessories such as a little “boot” around baby’s feet, and a larger canopy.

Another feature to size up are the straps: To save trouble, check to see if straps of the car seat you’re buying will be easy to adjust as your baby grows. Ideally, you want straps that will not have to be rethreaded. Many brands now have adjustment handles in the back of the seat, or a pull cord between baby’s legs, that make rethreading a thing of the past.

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What Type Of Car Seat Should I Choose

When you are considering buying a new car seat, you have to consider the age, height, and weight of your kid. If you are a new parent, for example, you need to start with an infant car seat and then transition to a convertible car seat as your child grows. The following are the different models and at what age they are meant for your child:

If You Want To Save Money Use A Car Seat Stroller

While a convertible car seat would save you money in the long term, some parents argue that the convenience of being able to transfer a sleeping infant from one location to another while still in an infant car seat is well worth the additional expense. Buying a travel system, which includes an infant car seat and a stroller, can help you save money if you need to buy one but are otherwise set on doing so. These may be located in the stroller section rather than among the car seats.

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Car Booster Seats For Older Children

• High-Backed, Harnessed Booster Seats

Try the Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster Car Seat : its LATCH connectors are not only safe but also mean the booster wont fly off the seat when not in use.

Chicco MyFit Harness+ Booster Seat

• Backless Car Booster Seats

Your child should move to a backless booster seat once their ears reach the top of the head restraint of the high-back or harnessed booster seat. Backless boosters use the cars safety belt to keep your child in place, lifting them higher in the seat so the belt contacts firm parts of the body, like shoulders and legs, rather than soft parts, like stomachs.

Try the Clek Olli Backless Booster Seat , which comes in a range of fun colors, the Chicco GoFit Plus Booster , which is equipped with LATCH to help stabilize the seat while the child gets in and out, and the Peg Perego Viaggio Shuttle 120 , which comes with a carry handle and adjustable shoulder clip, making it easy to use on the go.

There’s Only One Way To Bring Baby Home From The Hospital And That’s In A Car Seat From Deciding Between An Infant Car Seat Or A Convertible To Features You Should Look Out For Here’s How To Buy The Right One

Choosing a car seat can be a stressful experience. Not only is it one of the most important purchases you’ll make, but it’s likely to be one of the most expensive.

Here are a few basic tips to make the search a little easier, and to ensure you go home with the right one.

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Where Is The Best Place To Buy Car Seats

You can buy car seats from pretty much any online markets like Amazon, baby-specific stores, or straight from the manufacturers website.

Be very mindful when considering used car seats. Never use a car seat that has dents, has visible wear and tear or is more than five years old.

Get your car seat inspected and when buying a second car seat base ensure that is compatible and still looks in good condition.

Car Seat Buying Guide: How To Choose The Right Car Seat

Children come with a lot of stuff. From cribs and highchairs to teethers and toys, theres always something that’s required. But there is one essential piece of equipment that most hospitals wont even let newborns leave without: a car seat. Buying the right car seat for your child is maybe one of the most important decisions you can make as a parent.

But with so many car seats available it can be daunting to decide which seat to get and when to get it. Front-facing or rear-facing? How do you install the thing? Which ones the safest? Does the most expensive seat mean its the best?

From car seats for newborns to booster seats for older children, follow the Pish Posh Baby car seat buying guide to help you decide which car seat will best suit your family.

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Does The Car Seat Fit Your Lifestyle

There are quite a few unique car seats out there! There are car seats that rotate for easier harnessing, a car seat that converts into a stroller and rear facing only infant car seats that do not need a base to be installed in a vehicle. Many rear facing only car seats also come as part of a travel system, where the car seat clips into a stroller for easy transitions. While these features are great when needed, they also come with a much higher price tag and may not be necessary for day-to-day use. Another lifestyle consideration is airplane use. The FAA encourages car seat use on airplanes for any child under 40 pounds, but the car seat must fit on the airplane seat and have a sticker verifying it is certified for use in aircraft It is not recommended to check your car seats with luggage, as they can become damaged or lost during transport, and your child is safer in their car seat on the plane! You will likely want to consider a much lighter weight car seat for traveling.

Indiana Car Seat Laws 2022

Indiana car seat laws require all children under the age of 8 years to be secured in a child restraint or booster seat.

Violating the law is a class D infraction the penalty for which can go up to $25. Children who are physically unable to use a child restraint or seat belt are exempt.

Disclaimer: This content does not constitute legal advice. It is solely for informational purposes. Always check the original source of the law for the latest version.

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Portability: How Portable Is It

The weight of a car seat shouldnt be a deciding factor in your selection but its something worth keeping in mind nevertheless. Some car seats are significantly heavier than others. And some car seats also have a terrible design with a handlebar that blocks the seat canopy.If you expect carry your seat by hand often, check the portability score in our reviews to see how your favorite model performs.

Best Overall: Britax B

Pros

• Simply collapses when not in use
• Cover may be washed in the machine.

Cons

• There is zero compatibility between the two
• Its not easy to get to the basket of things youre storing if youre laying back.
• There is no childs tray available.

The Britax B-Lively and B-Safe Gen Travel System earned our top spot because its safe to use immediately after birth and comes with a lightweight infant car seat, base, and stroller that can be used with the car seat. Once your child no longer needs the infant car seat attachment, the stroller easily transforms into a regular stroller that you can fold up with one hand. Plus, it features a UPF 50+ canopy to keep your precious cargo protected.

The Britax B-Lively and B-Safe Gen Travel System earned our top spot because its safe to use immediately after birth and comes with a lightweight infant car seat, base, and stroller that can be used with the car seat. Once your child no longer needs the infant car seat attachment, the stroller easily transforms into a regular stroller that you can fold up with one hand. Plus, it features a UPF 50+ canopy to keep your precious cargo protected.

Stroller

Car Seat

Weight limit is 4 to 35 pounds, and the height limit is up to 32 inches, and the car seats dimensions are 17.9 by 25.85 by 26.6 inches. No other vehicles are compatible with this car seat.

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Graco Extend2fit Convertible Car Seat

Why pick this one? The Graco Extend2Fit converts from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing one. To help make the rear-facing position more comfortable as your little one grows, the car seat features a four-position extension panel that adds five inches of additional legroom.

Adjustability is key with this convertible car seat. It features a 10-position headrest so you’re able to custom fit it to your childâs height as she grows. A six-position recline enables the safest positioning inside your vehicle and ensures your childâs comfort.

Other notable features include an easy push-button InRight Latch to attach the car seat to your vehicleâs back seat, harness storage to make it less difficult to get your child in and out, and cupholders.

Highlights: The No-Rethread Simply Safe Adjust Harness System allows for adjusting the height of the car seatâs headrest as well as the harness in one motion, making it simple to secure your little one.

Details:

Price*: about $190.79 on

Pampers Parents pros and cons:

How Long Can A Newborn Stay In A Baby Car Seat

It is generally recommended that a newborn should stay in a car seat for up to two hours. After that, they should be taken out and given a break. Car seats can be very uncomfortable for newborns, so its important to make sure theyre not in one for too long. If you need to travel more than two hours with your newborn, make sure to stop every few hours to give them a break. Car seats are essential for keeping your newborn safe while traveling, but they shouldnt be used for extended periods.

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Some Examples Of Car Seats Are Giving Below For Your Easy Understanding And Direct Purchasing:

If your kid is being tended toward the tall in height then you may need a convertible seat for your toddler. The convertible baby car seat is able to keep up with the growing child.

Few car seats have lots of padding, cup holders and other features that make a seat more comfortable and luxurious. These extra features surely will increase in the cost of car seat

however these features will also enhance the durability and usability of the car seat. You just have to consider use of seat and your budget,

if you have to use seat only a few times then you may purchase any lower budget seat but you have to use seat most of the time or on daily basis then you should spend money on fancy features of baby seat for luxury and comfort travel of your kid.

What Types Of Car Seats Are There

There are many car seats on the market. Some are designed to suit your child during one specific stage, while others are designed to last as your child grows.

These are some of the most common types of car seats:

Choosing which car seat is best isnât always easy. Check out the infographic below to see your options at a glance:

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Opt For One With Installation Diagrams As Well As Text

You’re not finished once you walk out of the store. Make use of all the instructions you can those in the instruction booklet , and the diagrams on the seat itself to have the best possible chance of installing the seat correctly.

Although all companies continue to simplify the installation process videos on YouTube supplement some instruction books it’s still recommended that, after you install the car seat, you have your work checked by a professional. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration makes it easy for you to find an inspector near you: Just enter your location here at NHTSA to search.

The easiest way to ensure correct installation though? Have a Child Passenger Safety technician in your area do it for you. CPS technicians can be found at police stations, fire stations, hospitals, your local AAA, and more.