Infant Car Seat - Baby Car Seat Covers
When buying your infant car seat, there are basic buying tips for you to keep in mind to ensure the greatest amount of safety for your child possible.
Top Five Most Popular Baby Car Seats
The two most important tips to remember are:
1. Newborns up to the age of one year are to be in the back of your vehicle until their first birthday
2. Make sure you properly install the infant car seat. Failing to do so could result in serious injury to your child in the event of an accident. Fortunately however, if an accident does occur, the infant car seat will protect your little one's back, head, and neck from any serious injury if installed correctly.
An infant car seat, holding a child less than 20 pounds, must always be in the rear facing position in the back seat of your vehicle up until the age of one year. There are many features that are similar on varying manufacturer's car seats.
- A detachable base to allow easy access and mobility for your baby allows for you to remove your child from the car and carry your infant without disturbing their sleep.
- The safest position for your infant to be in is always at a 45-degree angle so that their whole body can be cushioned and protected.
- Additional head and neck support accessories provided by car seats companies.
At no time should your infant ever be in the front seat of a moving vehicle. If an infant is in the front seat, and the air bag should deploy, serious, and possible fatal injury could occur. When shopping for your infant car seat and deciding which one is best suited for your family, keep in mind:
- Infant car seat harness position should be at or below the infant's shoulder level
- Chest clip should be at child's arm pit level
- The head of your infant should be no more than 2 inches below the top of the car seat
You must also always remember that after adjusting the harness to securely fit your child, you should no be able to put more than one finger between the harness and your baby.
Infant- toddler car seats are also available for those looking to save a little bit of money by not having to buy multiple car seats. These types of infant car seat can hold a child up to 40 pounds. If an infant is under one year old though, they must still ALWAYS be in the back seat and rear facing. Experts say that a parent should try and keep their child rear facing as long as possible.
What to look for in Infant Car Seats:
1. Easy Installation
· If an instruction manual is too difficult to figure out, look into a different manufacturer's product. Always remember to keep it simple and safe.
· If your infants car seat is not installed correctly your child is not properly restrained. You must make sure that you follow the instructions ... your child's life is in your hands.
2. Adequate Restraints
· A five-point harness system is best to ensure your little one's safety. A five-point harness has a harness strap for each shoulder and thigh, and also between his or her legs.
· Anything less than a five-point harness system is risky, including plastic shields and T-bar restraints.
3. Belt Adjustment
· Avoid designs where adjustment of straps in from the back
· The most sought after design is the infant car seats with front adjustments and raised belt slots
· Some models of car seats even adjust automatically
4. Tethers
· LATCH system in most models on the market (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). Secure and reliable design.
· Hooks into bolt in your car providing the utmost stability of your car seat base.
5. Washability
· Always look for a design where the cover of the car seat in detachable and machine washable. Some manufacturers do not provide this feature, but it makes your life so much easier when clean-up time arrives.
6. Comfort
· Make sure the design that you end up choosing is well padded
· Plenty of head and neck support is also a feature that is extremely important to the overall design of whichever infant car seat you choose.
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