Car Seats for Babies

Car Seats

After finding out that I was pregnant, I began to research baby items. I knew nothing about baby products and was at a loss as to where to start. What products do I need for a baby? How will I know which one is best? I decided to begin my research by checking out car seats since for me safety was my number one priority for my yet unborn baby. How would I best be able to protect her from the multitude of crazy drivers taking to the roads every day?

Car Seats for Babies

I typed car seats into the search engine on the Internet and found myself overwhelmed with the amount of options that came up. Did I want an Infant Car Seat, a Backwards Facing Car Seat, a Forwards Facing Car Seat, a Convertible Car Seat, a Booster Car Seat or a Travel System (an infant car seat and stroller combination)? I had no idea what the differences are. It took lots of research and the testing of car seats to understand these differences. Check out the following information to help sort through your car seat confusion.

Infant Car Seats

An infant car seat is a car seat designed for a baby's first year of life and is meant to be positioned rear facing in the car.  All babies should sit rear facing until at least age one, or until about 30 lbs and 32 in in length/height. However, the longer a baby sits rear facing, the better. Therefore, a car seat that can only be positioned backwards facing is an infant car seat. Infant car seats are designed in conjunction with a stay-in-place car seat base. The car seat can be easily snapped in and out of the base so that you can remove the infant car seat from the car with your baby still inside, avoiding the need to wake a sleeping baby upon arriving at a destination.

Forward Facing Car Seat

A forwards facing car seat is a car seat that faces forward and is designed for babies over the age of one who weight more than 25lbs.  These car seats are usually good for a baby until 40-80 lbs, depending on the seat.

Booster Car Seats

Booster car seats are designed for older children who weigh at least 40 lbs and who have outgrown their forward facing or convertible car seat but who are not yet tall enough to be secure in the car with just a seatbelt. Booster car seat are recommended for use until a child reaches 80 lbs and grows to 60 in tall.

Convertible Car Seats

So then, what is a convertible car seat?  A convertible car seat is a car seat that can be used from birth (at least 5 lbs) until 40-80 lbs, depending on the maximum car seat weight limit. This kind of car seat can first be used rear facing during the baby's first two years, and then is turned around and converted into a forward facing car seat until the baby outgrows the seat when reaching 40-80 lbs. At this time, parents can then switch to a booster car seat. For many parents this seems like the most practical and cost efficient option. Why spend money buying an infant car seat, then a forward facing car seat, and then a booster seat when you can just have a convertible car seat and then a booster car seat?  However, many parents decide not to take this route when choosing car seats due to the invention of the travel system. 

Travel System: A Stroller and Infant Car Seat Combination

A travel system is the combination of an infant car seat and stroller in one. Most brands of strollers and infant car seats offer at least one of these options. When you purchase your stroller you also purchase an infant car seat designed to fit into your stroller.  This way you can move a sleeping baby from the stroller to the car or from the car to the stroller (or to the home/restaurant/shopping center etc...) without waking the baby.  This car seat comes with a handle and is easy for using as a baby transport device, even without the stroller.

**Important: Car seats have expiration dates. Most car seats are only good for six years of use (although check with the company for the lifespan of your particular car seat). The clock begins ticking on cars seats from the date of their manufacturer, not the date of purchase, so be sure to check the box that your car seat came in for this date. Also, double check the age of a car seat if buying second-hand.
**Important: Car seats need to be replaced after auto accidents. Any damage to a car seat can compromise its future ability to perform as designed. If you are considering purchasing a car seat second hand be sure to inquire about any accidents the car seat might have already survived. If you are not sure about the history of the car seat then do not buy.