infant child car seats car safety seats

Child Car Seats
A Guide for Families

Every state requires that infants and children ride buckled up in a car seat.. However, state laws do not always require the safest way to transport a child. More children are still killed as passengers in car crashes than from any other type of injury. Using a car safety seat correctly can help prevent injuries to young children, but it is not as easy as you think. Just a little mistake in how the seat is used could cause serious injury to your child.

Which is the "best" car safety seat?

No one car safety seat is "safest" or "best." The "best" car safety seat is one that fits your child's size and weight, and can be installed correctly in your car, and that you will use every time you drive.

Price does not always make a difference. Higher prices can mean added features that may or may not make the car safety seat easier to use.
When you find a car safety seat you like, try it out! Put your child in the car safety seat and adjust the harnesses and buckles. Make sure it fits in your car.
Keep in mind that displays or illustrations of car safety seats in stores do not always show them being used correctly.

Detachable base. Several infant-only seat models come with detachable bases. The base attaches to the car and the car safety seat easily snaps into the base. This way, you can carry your baby in and out of the car without needing to install the car safety seat each time. After buckling your baby into the car safety seat, you simply click Car seats and shopping carts

Do not place a child of any age in a shopping cart. Many infant-only car seats lock into shopping carts. Although infant seats may help prevent falls from shopping carts, injuries can still occur if the cart tips over. The weight of an infant in an infant seat placed high in a shopping cart may make the cart more top-heavy and more likely to tip over. This is true even for shopping carts with built-in infant seats.

Thousands of children are hurt every year from falling from shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead, consider use of a stroller while shopping with young infants or a backpack or frontpack for older children or snap the seat into the installed base. Some bases come with an angle adjustor that makes it easier to correctly recline newborns.

These car safety seats also can be used without the base by installing the safety seat into the vehicle with the seat belt, or you can buy additional bases for other cars. However, this feature is only helpful if the base fits tightly into your car. In some cases, the car safety seat may fit better without the base.

Higher weight and height limits. Several infant-only seats are available for use up to 22 pounds. Most convertible seats also now have higher weight and height limits in the rear-facing position for heavier or taller babies. Keep in mind that some babies may reach the top height limits of the car safety seat before they reach the top weight limits. If your infant's weight or height exceeds the limits of the car safety seat before 1 year of age, use an infant-only seat or a rear-facing convertible seat that has a higher limit.

Harness slots. Infant-only seats that come with more than one harness slot give more room for growing babies. In the rear-facing position, the harness slots usually should be at or below your baby's shoulders. Check the car safety seat manufacturer's instructions to be sure.

Handles. Carrying handles on car safety seats vary greatly in style and ease of use. Most infant-only seats require the handle to be down during travel. Check the manufacturer's instructions to be sure.

Other features. Angle indicators, built-in angle adjusters, harness adjusters, and head support systems are other features that may make correct installation easier to achieve.

Are bigger and heavier than infant-only seats, and since they can be used rear-facing and forward-facing, they can be used longer and for larger children.
May not fit newborns as well as some infant-only seats. Make sure that your baby can recline comfortably in the seat.

Check the car safety seat manufacturer's instructions to be sure that harnesses can be adjusted properly.

Are used rear-facing for infants until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds (or more depending on model). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies be kept in rear-facing seats until they reach the maximum weight and height allowed by the maker of the car safety seat.

Can be used forward-facing for toddlers who are at least 1 year of age and weigh more than 20 pounds. When your child is older than 1 year of age and has reached the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer for use rear-facing, you may turn the car safety seat forward-facing and make the following 3 adjustments:

Move the shoulder straps to the slots or as they are described in the manufacturer's instructions. The shoulder straps must be at or above your child's shoulders. Check your instructions for any additional information on the placement of the shoulder straps that may be specific for your car safety seat.
Move the car safety seat into the upright position. (Check the manufacturer's instructions for the recline angle allowed when forward-facing.)

Route the seat belt through the belt path for forward-facing.
Have the following 3 types of harnesses:

5-point harness - Five straps: 2 at the shoulders, 2 at the hips, 1 at the crotch
T-shield - A padded T-shaped or triangular shield attached to shoulder straps
Overhead shield - A padded tray-like shield that swings down around the child