Infant Car Seat Safety

by Tanya Davis

If you're a new parent, you may find that all the rules about car safety seats are confusing. It may also seem like car seats are an added financial burden at a time when you're already covered up with costs. You may even consider not using a safety seat. After all, they've only been in use for a few years – our parents just stuck us in the vehicle without a safety seat, right?

The fact is, a car safety seat contributes to the health and well-being of your child. Each year, 182,000 children are killed or injured due to a car crash. You can reduce your child's chances of becoming one of those injured by 71 percent by simply fitting him or her properly into a rear-facing infant seat. Besides, fitting your child into a seat properly is required by law. Let's take a look at the kinds of safety seats that are on the market and how you can choose the very best one for your child.

Two Kinds of Seats

If you have a newborn or you’re expecting one, your child will be safest riding in a rear-facing child safety seat. Often when there’s a crash, everybody else in the vehicle is injured and the child in the safety seat emerges unscathed. So please don’t let confusion about safety seats cause you to consider abandoning your child’s safety—read on for all the information you need to select the right seat for your child.

Infant Only Seats

There are two main types of seats that can be used for infants. The first is for infants only. It is a rear-facing seat that your child will ride in until he or she is one year of age and weighs at least 20 pounds. Some people believe that your child can move to a forward-facing seat at, say, 5 months of age if he already weighs 20 pounds. However this is not true. He must meet both the age and the minimum weight for a forward-facing seat. Otherwise, you will move him into a seat that his body is not strong enough to handle. In a crash he could be severely injured.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) takes it a step further. They suggest that your infant begin riding in the rear-facing seat on his or her very first ride—the ride home from the hospital – and continue to ride this way until they reach the highest weight or height that is allowed by the car safety seat manufacturer. Check your label or owner's manual to find that number.

Infant only seats are small and feature carrying handles. Sometimes they are offered as a removal part of a stroller system. They can usually be used for children up to 22 or even 30 pounds, depending on which model you select. Often they come with a base, which you can install in the car. The seat itself can be removed from the base. This makes it much easier to keep the seat fastened in as tightly as you need to; it also makes it very easy to transport a sleeping infant!

Convertible Seats

The second type of car seat commonly used for transporting infants is called the convertible seat. It “converts” because it can be used as rear-facing while your child is young, then can be turned around for a forward-facing seat when the time is right. However, the convertible seat will be bigger (bulkier) and also heavier than most infant seats. It also does not usually feature handles or a separate base.

Which Seat is Best?

Choosing an infant car seat is largely a matter of personal preference. Will you be moving the seat from one vehicle to another? If so, you might choose an infant-only seat and buy an extra base, so that you only have to carry the smaller seat portion each time. Do you prefer a seat that will last? More importantly, which type of seat fits well in the seat of your car where it will “live”? Many vehicles have curved seats or special shapes that cause one seat to fit better than another.

Special Circumstances

There are a few cases that will cause you to choose one seat over another. For example, if your infant is a premature baby, ask the hospital to make sure it is okay to ride them in a reclined position. These children will usually fit best in an infant-only seat; if you have to use a convertible, choose one that does not have a tray-shield.

If your infant is extremely large, it is entirely possible that he or she can weigh over 20 pounds before the age of one year old. As long as his seat is approved to be used by children of his weight, it is best to use the rear-facing seat as long as you can. Consider a convertible seat, which normally has a slightly higher weight limit.

For the protection of your infant: