Main article: Baby transport
An infant safety seat , also known as a child safety seat , a child restraint system , a restraint car seat , or ambiguously just as a car seat , is a restraint which is secured to the seat of an automobile equipped with safety harnesses to hold an infant or small stature people in the event of a crash.
Baby car seats are legally required in many countries to safely transport children up to the age of 2 or more years in cars and other vehicles.
Generally, countries with passenger safety rules includes laws regarding child safety in a manner that the child must be restrained depending on their age and weight. These regulations and standards are often minimums and that for each graduation to the next kind of safety seat, there is a step down in the amount of protection a child has in a collision. There are many ways parents and caregivers can help to reduce the risk of injury and death to children who ride in vehicles.
Car seats should always be placed in a rear seat if possible, or in front as long as sturdy. Car seats have been found to cause severe and fatal injuries to the child when fitted in a the front seat with airbags. However in most cases the curtain airbags found in the front and rear seats of many cars have been designed with children and child restraints in mind, In most NCAP testing child seats are fitted to the rear of the vehicle.
In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that infants “should spend minimal time in car seats (when not a passenger in a vehicle) or other seating that maintains supine positioning” to avoid developing positional plagiocephaly ("flat head syndrome") .
In 1990, the ISO standard ISOFix was launched in an attempt to provide a standard for fixing car seats into different makes of car, that now includes the top tether. The U.S. version of this system is called LATCH. While some manufacturers have started selling ISOFIX-compliant baby car seats there has been a long delay in agreeing the technical specifications and the standard is still yet to become widely used. Generally, ISOFIX system can be used with Groups 0, 0+ and 1.
There are several types of car seat depending on the position of the child and size of the seat. The United Nations standard ECE R44/04 categorises these into 4 groups: 0-3. Many car seats combine the larger groups 1, 2 and 3. Some new car models includes stock restraint seats by default.
Group 0
Group 0 baby seats or infant carriers keep the baby in a rear-facing position and are secured in place by a standard adult seat belt and/or an ISOFix fitting.
Group 0 carrycots hold the baby laying on its back.
Carrycots are secured by both seat belts in the rear seat of the car. Both types have handles to allow them to be easily moved in to and out of the car.
- Position: Laying (in carrycots), rear facing (in infant carriers), no airbags (with the exception of curtain airbags).
- Recommended weight: Birth to 10 kg (22 lb)
- Approximate age: Birth to 12 month
Fastened carrycots
'Carry cot' means a restraint system intended to accommodate and restrain the child in a supine or prone position with the child's spine perpendicular to the median longitudinal plane of the vehicle. It is so designed as to distribute the restraining forces over the child's head and body excluding its limbs in the event of a collision. It must be put on the rear seat of the car.
Fastened carrycots, prams or car beds, are not as safe as the seat as they offer less support to the baby's neck in the event of an accident or sudden braking. However, a premature or very young baby may not have the neck strength to maintain an airway in a normal rear-facing infant carrier. Consequently, using a normal infant carrier for some babies carries an additional risk of suffocation. Physicians and hospital maternity departments are able to advise parents of the proper choice for their infant. Whichever is deemed the most appropriate initially, it is always true that newborns should never be left in baby seats any longer than necessary until they are old enough to lift their heads (4 months old), and they should never be without adult supervision.
Carrycots generally includes a stomach belt and a connecting to the (three points) safety belt.
Infant carriers
'Infant carrier' means a restraint system intended to accommodate the child in a rearward-facing semi-recumbent position. It is so designed as to distribute the restraining forces over the child's head and body excluding its limbs in the event of the frontal collision.
For young infants, the seat used is an infant carrier with typical weight recommendations of 5-20 lb. All infant seats made in the US can now be used to 22 lb and 29 inches and the graco safe seat 1 can be used to 30 lb and 32 inches. In the past most infant seats in the US went to 20 lb and 26 inches. Infant carriers are often also called "Bucket Seats" as they resemble a bucket with a handle. Some (but not all) seats can be used with the base secured, or with the carrier strapped in alone. Some seats do not have bases. Infant carriers are mounted rear-facing, and are designed to "cocoon" against the back of the vehicle seat in the event of a collision, with the impact being absorbed in the outer shell of the restraint. Rear-facing seats are deemed the safest, and in the US, children must remain in this position until at they are least 1 year of age AND at least 20 lb.
Infant carriers should be placed at no more a 45 degree angle, allowing appropriate neck and head support for the child. The harness straps should be threaded through the slots that are at or below the shoulder (North America), coming up and over as they push down to restrain the child.
As previously mentioned, most bucket seats accommodate children up to 20 or 22 lb. (depending on the seat). However, many children outgrow this weight before reaching one year of age. Therefore, they must remain rear facing in another seat.
Placing rear-facing child safety seats in the front seat of cars with passenger side airbags can cause injury to the child if the airbag were to go off.
Group 0+
Commonly have a chassis permanently fixed into the car by an adult seat belt and can be placed into a pushchair using the integral handle. Rear-facing child seats are inherently safer than forward-facing child seats, because they provide more support for the child's head in the event of a sudden deceleration. Although some parents are eager to switch to a forward-facing child seat because it seems more "grown up," all countries and car seat manufacturers recommend that children continue to use a rear-facing child seat for as long as physically possible.
- Position: Sitting, rear facing , no airbag (with the exception of curtain airbags).
- Recommended weight: Birth (2–3 kg) to 13 kg (29 lb).
- Approximate age: Birth to 15 months
Convertible seats
Convertible seats can be used throughout many stages. Many convertible seats will transition from a rear facing seat, to a forward facing seat, and some then can be used as a booster seat. Many convertible seats allow for 5-35 lb. rear-facing, allowing you to keep your child in the safer rear-facing position up to 35 pounds.
Convertible safety seats can be installed either rear facing or forward facing. There is a large selection available to choose from and weight limits, height limits and extra features vary from seat to seat and by manufacturer. Seats with a 5-point harness are considered safer than those with an overhead shield
Convertibles aren't considered the best choice for a newborn because the bottom harness slots are often above the shoulders on most newborns. If you want to use a convertible from birth choose a seat with low bottom harness slots.
Rear facing weight limits range from 20 lb (9 kg) to 35 lb depending on the manufacturer and country of origin. Forward facing limits range from 17.6 lb (8 kg) to 65 lb depending on the seat model and the manufacturer and country of origin.
All convertible seats in the USA have at least a 30 lb rear facing weight limit, and some allow as much as 35 lb. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP,) recommends that children remain rear-facing until they outgrow their convertible seat, regardless of how old they are. You should continue to leave your children rear-facing until they have either outgrown the weight limit for their seat, or the top of their head is within an inch of the top of the shell of the carseat.
Group 1
A permanent fixture in the car using an adult seat belt to hold it in place and a five-point baby harness to hold the infant.
- Position: Sitting, forward facing
- Recommended weight: 9 kg to 18 kg (20 lb to 40 lb)
- Approximate age: 9 months to 3 years (Although older children can fit too sometimes)
In fact, it is recommended that children sit rear facing for as long as possible. In Scandinavian countries, for example, children sit rear facing until around 4 years old. Rear faci
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