The Britax Roundabout, a popular convertible car seat.

All About Car Seats

There are three main types of car seats on the market today. First, the infant car seat is designed for the youngest of children, up to 20 or 22 pounds. Most of these seats have two parts, the base which stays strapped in to the vehicle's safety belt system and the carrier which snaps out and allows the baby to be carried without unfastening the infant from the harness (very important if Baby has finally fallen asleep!) The infant car seats are designed to be rear-facing, where the infant faces the rear of the vehicle. It is important for infants to be seated rear facing for the first year of life, until the muscles of the neck are strong enough to withstand the force an accident could impose on them.

A second type of car seat is called the convertible seat, and is designed for newborns through toddlers, or up until 40 pounds. This seat is designed to be used rear-facing for the first year of life, or up until the weight restrictions (usually 30 pounds). After this, the seat can face forward until the child reaches the upper weight limit, usually 40 pounds, although some car seats can be used longer. The most popular type of harness system for infants and toddlers is the five-point system, where the child is clipped by a series of three clips designed to evenly disperse the force of impact. The five-point system is highly recommended, although other systems (such as the three-point or overhead bar) may still be available.

After the child graduates from the convertible seat, it's time for a booster seat. These seats no longer use a separate harness system, the child and seat are both strapped directly into the vehicle's seat belt. The booster is designed to raise the child up in the seat so the vehicle's harness can function correctly. Booster seats should be used until the child is 80 pounds, at which time the child will be ready for the use of the regular seat belt. While some boosters are rated for children as light as 30 pounds, it is important to keep children in the 5-point restraint systems for as long as possible.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration'S Child Seat Safety

This page is outdated. Please change your bookmark to: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/ childseat.cfm

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Welcome to Gracobaby.com

... Accepts 2 top rated SnugRide® infant car seats 4 position flat recline rear seat Parent and child trays with cup holders The DuoGlider LX is the perfect solution for getting two little ...

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BabyNeeds - Car Seat Recalls

Child Car Seat Recalls and Safety Notifications. March 10, 1998. The following list identifies recalls and safety notifications for child safety seats known by the UNC Highway Safety ...

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CarSeatZone.com / Child Car Seat Recalls

... com / Child Car Seat Recalls Home > Child Car Seat Recalls Whats Hot! Whats New! Top Rated Bookmark Add Link Categories Airline Child Car Seats Baby Stroller Car Seats Britax Car ...

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ODI - Office of Defects Investigation

...Instant Restraint, Kolcraft Infant Car Seat, and Playskool Infant Car Seat.....and Booster Seat Manufacturers..   Part B:  Recalls of Motor Vehicles with Integral Child.....4535, 4560, ...

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HSRC - Car Seat Recalls and Safety Notifications

... notification of updates to the HSRC child safety seat recall list. more Learn about Child Passenger ... > child passenger safety information Car Restraint Recalls and Safety ...

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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Popular and technical information on auto safety, air bags, child safety seats, and highway regulation.

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Fisher-Price recalls thousands of children's car seats

[CNN.com]

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Recalls - Is you child safety seat safe?

... How to check your child safety seat for recalls Take your safety seat out of the car and bring it with you to the computer. To use the recall list, you will need to find this ...

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Recall Round-Up

It's time for spring cleaning, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging Americans to join its "recall round-up" of 12 hazardous products still found in millions of homes

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