An infant car seat is one of the very first things you will need for your baby, unless you plan to give birth at home or take the bus to get home from the hospital.
As with many other types of baby gear there are plenty of different options. However, a car seat is a bit special, since you are actually going to use it is a car. On the road. Safety is therefore extremely important.
Below you’ll find some tips that will help you choose the best car seat for your baby.
All newborn babies, up until they are at least one year old, and weigh over 20lbs or 9kg, must be in a rear-facing car seat. End of story. This is by far the safest way to travel for infants.
The 20 lbs/1 year recommendation is to be perceived as the bare minimum. The longer, the better. In Sweden, children are kept rear-facing until 3 or 4 years old, which has led to a very low injury and death rate for young children in this country.
For more information, go to car-safety.org
There are basically three types of rear-facing baby car seats available:
Fixed rear-facing
Convertible rear-facing
Removable rear-facing
The fixed rear-facing infant car seats are designed to be kept in the car, and your baby is taken in and out. These are ideal for your main car. Once installed, they are left in place. The only adjustments you need to make would be to the harness as your baby grows. These tend to be at the lower end of the price range.
Some fixed infant car seat can easily be put in either a sitting or leaning back position. This is very convenient as babies as well as young children (and adults...) tend to fall asleep easily while riding a car.
Convertible rear-facing infant car seats are able to grow with your child. They can be changed into forward facing child car seats once your baby has exceeded the rear-facing size and weight limits. These are more expensive, but do mean that you are unlikely to need to buy another car seat as long as your child needs to be secured in one.
If you do plan to turn your baby to face forward early, then a convertible car seat can be a real money saver. On the other hand, if you plan to go with the newest recommendations and keep your baby rear facing for a longer time, then you might not need to buy a convertible car seat. When it is time to turn your baby around, he might be tall enough for a regular front facing booster seat.
Or make sure you buy a convertible car seat that has a weight limit of some 40 lbs (18 kg).
Removable infant car seats are my personal favorites. They come either as a single unit, with a carry handle, or as part of a full stroller system. If they are part of a stroller, they will be able to be taken out of the car, and connected to the stroller frame.
The fact that the car seat is removable means that you do not need to keep waking up your baby to take them in and out of the seat. This is so convenient for small babies that tend to sleep a lot!
You do have to remember that you need to be able to remove, and refit the car seat correctly each time.
Some have a curved base which acts as a baby rocker. These are fantastic for settling your newborn back to sleep!
The disadvantage with a removable car seat is that your baby will outgrow it quite rapidly. Depending on the size and temper of your baby, this type of car seat might work for between 5 and 10 months. Some babies (like my youngest) are quite content with a small car seat for a long time. My daughter on the other hand, was furious. She wanted more space (despite being a smaller baby), and we had to move her to a regular fixed car seat when she was 6 months old.
But is you plan for siblings within five years (the recommended life span of a removable seat) or if you are not on a tight budget, I certainly recommend a removable infant car seat.
You need to be certain that your newborn’s car seat is fitted correctly.
Ensure that all straps and harnesses are tightly fitting.
Never place a rear-facing car seat in a passenger seat that has an air bag. If the air bag is released, it could have devastating consequences for your baby.
The best advice is to contact certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician who can help you to fit your seat correctly.
This is the fun part! While considering safety and comfort for your baby, it won't hurt to buy a car seat that matches your car...
You can have infant car seats in a variety of colors and fabrics. You should consider how easy it is to clean before you buy one, and look for removable covers. If they are machine washable, then even better!
Many infant car seats have head rests that can be used while your newborn is very small. These should be able to be adjusted, and eventually removed as your baby grows.
Of course, car seats are not cheap. However, you need to be very careful when you are buying second hand car seats.
Check for wear and tear, and also ask if the car seat was ever in a car that was involved in a road traffic accident. Remove the cover, if possible, to check the seat fully.
If you are in any doubt at all, do not buy it.
Car seats may not show any damage after being involved in an accident, but their internal structure could have been weakened.
Also, manufacturers don't recommend using infant car seats that are too old. Removable car seats should be no more that five years old, and fixed and convertible seats usually less than 8 years old.
Make sure that the used car seat you are about to buy is not too old.
