Infant Car Seats Buyer’s Guide
Infant car seats are designed to be used with infants in a rear-facing position. These car seats are never intended to be used in a forward facing position. Most infant car seats can be used from the time your baby is born up until they reach about 20 pounds, but some now go up to 30 pounds. Like any other types of car seats, the infant car seat is designed to keep your baby safe while traveling in the car.
When it comes to infant car seats, there is only one type of car seat available, although there are plenty of different brands. Most infant car seats will last for at least six months, but some will last you up to twelve months. How long the car seat is going to last will depend on the brand of car seat you buy and what the specific requirements are. Once your infant has outgrown the car seat you will need to purchase a new car seat that is specifically designed for older babies.
One of the best things about the infant car seats is that unlike any other car seat they can be used as a carrier as well. Being able to use the car seat as a carrier means that you don’t have to worry about taking baby in and out of the car seat every time you want to go in and out of the car. Infant car seats come equipped with a base that stays inside the car so all parents have to do is release the car seat from the base and take the baby into the house, store, etc.
Must Have Features:
• Price – The first thing that parents need to consider when purchasing a car seat is the price that they are willing to pay. Many people assume that the more they spend on the car seat the better, but that is not always the case. Deciding on how much to spend ahead of time can help narrow down the choices that are currently available. Not to mention that some of the best car seats on the market are some of the least expensive ones.
• Comfort features – How comfortable the car seat is for baby is a huge factor to consider, since baby will be spending a lot of time in it. When looking at the comfort features parents need to focus on how much padding there is and whether any car seat parts poke baby in the back due to lack of padding. The type of fabric being used is also something to look into because it needs to be comfortable enough for baby to sit in for hours at a time. Reclining features are nice, but are not necessary.
• Safety features – The whole point of the car seat is to keep baby safe, so parents need to choose a car seat that has the best safety features. Some of the most important safety features to look into are energy absorption foam and how stable the car seat is. Parents should also look into any crash test ratings done on the car seat to ensure it can withstand any crash. Other safety features to look into are a reinforced frame and a five-point harness, although three-point harnesses will also work. The one thing you want to avoid in any infant safety seat is a shield because it can end up hurting baby more than anything.
• Easy to use – Infant car seats need to be easy to use, which includes installing them. If the car seat is too hard to install or use correctly parents won’t use it properly, which simply puts baby at risk. Alternatively, the car seat ends up just being a huge waste of money because parents have to go a new one that they can use. Testing the car seat out in the store ahead of time is the best way to see how easy it is to use, as well as reading through numerous reviews.
• LATCH System – Infant car seats need to come with the LATCH system, as well as the ability to be secured using a car’s seat belt. The LATCH system is being offered in more cars because of the safety they provide when used in conjunction with car seats. The LATCH system prevents the car seat from moving more than an inch in each direction, which the same things should be true when using the car’s seat belt.
While parents need to know about the specific features to look for when buying an infant car seat that is not all they need to know about. It is also useful to know about the most popular brands on the market. The most popular selling brands are often your better car seats because they have everything that the parents are looking for, including safety features and ease of use. The less popular brands are often the ones that are lacking something, whether it is a three-point harness compared to the more popular five-point harness.
• Britax – This is one of the most popular infant car seats on the market, but it is also one of the pricier ones. All Britax car seats exceed the safety standards set forth by the United States Safety tests. One of the unique features that a Britax car seat has over other car seats is the Anti-Rebound bar that helps keep the car seat stable in the event of a front or rear collision. These car seats are also very easy to use; adjustments can often be done with one hand and with baby in the seat.
• Evenflo – This is one of the most popular brand names in baby equipment and the car seats live up to that name. Evenflo car seats are some of the safest car seats around, and they are some of the most affordable ones. Evenflo car seats not only meet or exceed all U.S. Safety Standards they also have their own side impact testing that the car seats must live up too in order to be considered safe. Evenflo car seats have a unique “Z” shaped handle that makes carrying them, around easier than other car seats, plus they are easy to use and install.
