Baby Car Seats

Picking a baby car seat depends on the appropriate restraint system, what vehicle you are driving and your budget. It’s always safety first for babies after all and good baby car seats have saved the lives of many infants and children. All car seats need to pass current safety requirements and standard crash tests and while the truly perfect seat for every child and vehicle does not exist, knowing what to look for will help you decide what’s best for your child.

Choosing your baby car seat

Baby car seat categories

Experts have developed the following categories to help identify the right car seat for babies.

Group 0 are from birth up to 10 kg in weight or around 9 months old. Group 0+ can accommodate up to 13 kg of weight or around 12 to 15 month old babies. Group 1 accommodates children up to 18 kg or 4 years old. Models of combination Group 0+/Group 1 can be used from rear-facing babyhood to front-facing toddlerhood.

Rear-facing, front-facing, carrier, convertible or booster

Baby car seats depend on age and weight. Since frontal crashes occur more often and are more severe, rear-facing models are considered safest until children weigh at least 9 kg and can sit up without help. Experts even recommend this beyond two years old as a child’s head, neck and spine are protected by the whole seat.

With front-facing models, impact is transferred to the child through the harness straps and the head can still be hurt from being thrown forward. Carriers are mostly for babies up to 16 kg while convertible car seats have a weight limit of 18 kg. If your child is beyond 18 kg, a front-facing harnessed seat or booster may be more appropriate as these can support up to 45 kg.

5-point safety harness with wide, twist-free and easy-adjustment tether straps, chest slips and front-harness adjustment

This type of harness is safest, fits babies and children best, and minimizes chances of ejection. Wide straps don’t twist easily and secures a greater area of the child’s body. It also reduces the chances of children manipulating the straps and accidentally injuring themselves. Choose models whose tether length can easily be adjusted or disconnected from the anchor whether through push button mechanisms or by secure hooks.

Two-piece chest slips provide increased security, reduces strap twisting and are difficult for a child to detach. It helps keep the proper tightness of the harness, wherein you can’t pinch the strap away from the shoulder. A good baby car seat has a mechanism for easily adjusting the fit of the harness to encourage a snug fit every time the child is put in the seat.

This is very important as a good, snug fit can help hold the baby’s head in place, increase ride-down time (the time it takes for a body to come to a total stop in a car crash) and reduce overall injuries.

Rear-facing tethers, anti-rebound bars and foot props

These features are designed to improve crash durability, minimize rebounding into vehicle seats during a crash and increase overall stability. However, there are some manufacturers who do not use foot props to reduce a car seat’s possible excessive downward rotation in a crash.

Built-in locking clips

A built-in locking mechanism allows the car seat to attach firmly to the vehicle’s seat belt. This will make sure that the seatbelt secures the seat properly in place and doesn’t get loose.

Head impact protection

For more security and protection, most car seats have additional layers of EPS foam or specialized plastic built into the shell of the seat around the head. This is designed to improve impact protection from frontal rebound and crashes from the side and rear.

Seat belt routing paths

Check for a variety of seat belt routing options to maximize use and ensure proper installation in a wide variety of vehicles. In general, seats may route belts underneath, over the seats themselves or from the side, depending on the car model, belt placement and car seat mode.

Baby car seat with bases

Most baby car seats, especially for newborns, come with a base that is firmly installed in the vehicle. The carrier can then be easily detached or locked in place without unharnessing the baby.

LATCH

LATCH stands for a car seat system that includes two lower anchor attachments and a top tether that installs without seat belts. These models fit many vehicles easier and better.

Height and weight allowances

Car seats like convertible ones that allow for taller and heavier children can mean you don’t have to keep switching seats as the child grows. You can switch from rear-facing to forward-facing when the child’s head nears the top of the car seat’s back rest. When using a front-facing model, shoulders should be at or below harness slots and the child’s ears should not be above the top of the seat. Crotch straps should also be adjustable for a better fit.

Size

Children are always safer in the back seats so make sure that the baby car seat fits in the rear seating areas, especially if using rear-facing models.

Carrying handles

Reinforced carrying handles on carriers usually have a standard position when the unit is locked-in with the vehicle. Make sure that the handle can be placed in an appropriate position in transit to prevent injury to the baby or other passengers.

Paddings

The paddings on top of the car seat shell should be firm and moulded in the right places to fit the child’s body. Some models have padded wings on each side of the head for sleeping and added protection against impact.

Recline

Built-in recline adjustments with indicators help secure the proper position whether it’s the required 45-degree slant for newborns or a more upright position for older babies.

Other considerations

Some baby car seats come as part of a travel system that can cover your child from infancy to toddlerhood, with a stroller it locks into and a base for the vehicle as well.

These various factors should help in picking out a good baby car seat. Remember to take your child’s age, height and weight into consideration along with your vehicle’s model to ensure a proper fit. Never force a fit and if your child seems to be too big or too small for the seat, you may be looking at the wrong model.