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.

AAP - Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families - 2005

American Academy of Pediatrics - 2005 Family Shopping Guide to Car Seats ... child in a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that ... with your car on how to correctly ...

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Car Seats: Buying an infant-toddler safety seat

... Tethers: Most front-facing car seats manufactured since September 1999 come equipped with a tether strap attached to the top of the seat. This tether essentially hooks into a bolt in ...

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Car Seats - Which are the Best?

...babies (1 year old and 20 lbs) in the front facing position only). As with all quality.....Costumes ..   Baby Strollers, High Chairs, Car Seats, Swings, Monitors .. Convertible.....Baby ...

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Welcome to Gracobaby.com

... are facing towards the front of the automobile. Back to top. Front Adjust. Describes car seats where an ... On rear-facing car seats, indicates whether the car ...

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Britax Convertibles Tethered Rear-Facing

DO NOT tether other convertible car seats while in the rear-facing position. Other seats have ... it states: "A proper anchorage point in front of...

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Child Safety Seat Yes Test Rear Facing

I never place my child.s safety seat in front of an airbag. My child.s safety seat is Canadian-approved and has a CMVSS label.

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Driving: Child-Safety Car Seats

SafeTips Driving: Child-Safety Car Seats ... Never put a rear-facing seat in a front seat that is equipped with a passenger air bag.

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Driving with Babies in Rear-Facing Car Seats from Inventive Parent.co

...to a Friend .. Babies in Rear-Facing Car Seats..      The most common questions we.....baby’s armpits. Never place a car seat in front of an active air bag. For more.....we will focus on ...

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Recommended Car Seats

Recommended Car Seats. ALL car seats save lives when installed and used correctly each time! My providing this list does not constitute an endorsement of these seats; this list is based ...

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Rear-Facing Carseats and Safety

... Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for ... injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash. Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash ...

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