I'm at a complete loss as to what car seat to get. RF, FF, convertible, booster, infant – what does all this stuff mean? I just want the safest car seat there is. Please help!
Choosing a car seat is tough because it feels like a high stakes decision, and it’s hard to know who to trust. Here is an overview...
of the basics and a recommendation:
1. An infant car seat is sized to fit an infant’s body (and weight), it faces the rear of the car (“rear facing, “RF”), and it can be taken out of the car while your infant is strapped in. You can carry it around with you and you can pop it into a simple, inexpensive stroller “frame” (such as the “Snap & Go”). An advantage of this design is that if your baby falls asleep in the car, s/he can sleep while you run errands or stroll around (although some babies don’t sleep in the car and others wake up if they’re moved so be prepared for that possibility).
When you shop for an infant car seat, check the height and weight limit. Depending on the size of your baby, you may be able to keep him/her in the infant seat for 6 or 12 months. After your child is one year old, you’re legally allowed to face him/her towards the front (facing the windshield) . It’s much safer, however, to keep children facing your car’s rear window for as long as possible. In many European countries, children are kept rear facing until they are four years old or older.
2. When your child is near the height limit of your infant car seat (or the weight limit, but kids usually outgrow the height limit first), we recommend switching to a “convertible” car seat. A convertible car seat is designed to be installed so that it faces the rear or the front of the car. We recommend parents buy the safest rated convertible car seat they can afford, with the highest height and weight limit, in order to keep your child rear facing for as long as possible.
One point of confusion is that a car seat can have different height and weight limits depending on whether it’s installed rear or front facing. Car seats have a lower height/weight limit for rear facing than for forward facing. So, as with an infant seat, we recommend keeping your child rear facing until they come close to the height/weight limit, and then turning them forward to take advantage of the higher height/weight limit.
3. After your child outgrows their forward facing car seat, they can sit on a booster seat, which will raise him/her so that the seat belt does not go over their neck.
We recommend checking out this (slightly convoluted but fantastic) car-safety.org for researching safety issues regarding car seats, for advice about which seats fit well in specific cars, etc. The forums section is especially useful. Also, Consumer Reports, an independent research organization, reviews and rates car seats in terms of safety.
Mama's Recommendation
We recommend buying an infant seat for the first six months or so -- any well rated one (you can check Consumer Reports -- there tends to be one or two standard winners) OR use a friend or relative’s infant car seat as long as it’s not past its expiration AND has never been in any sort of a crash (including a fender-bender). Parents use infant seats for such a short time; you really don’t need to buy a new one. We then recommend you buy the convertible car seat with the highest height recommendations and the best safety ratings that you can afford, and that you keep your child rear-facing for as many years as you can. You can car seat shop for the big one, the seat you will keep for years, after you have your baby, since you won’t be using the convertible car seat until s/he is probably at least six months old. You can post on car-safety.org any questions about what car seat fits best into your type of car and any special concerns you have (three seat across, etc.).
Alternative Recommendation:
We hear good things about the Orbit system, which is an infant car seat, a toddler car seat, and a stroller. Although we have not researched this system, we’ve seen happy parents around town enjoying its distinctive feature: the ability to turn the infant car seat to the side to take it out and put it in, and the ability to turn a child in the stroller to face any direction. The Orbit is expensive, and we don’t like its very low RF weight limit (35 pounds); that’s too early to turn a child forward. If we used an Orbit for an infant, we would sell it at 35 pounds and get a new convertible seat.
Choosing a car seat is tough because it feels like a high stakes decision, and it’s hard to know who to trust. Here is an overview...
of the basics and a recommendation:
1. An infant car seat is sized to fit an infant’s body (and weight), it faces the rear of the car (“rear facing, “RF”), and it can be taken out of the car while your infant is strapped in. You can carry it around with you and you can pop it into a simple, inexpensive stroller “frame” (such as the “Snap & Go”). An advantage of this design is that if your baby falls asleep in the car, s/he can sleep while you run errands or stroll around (although some babies don’t sleep in the car and others wake up if they’re moved so be prepared for that possibility).
When you shop for an infant car seat, check the height and weight limit. Depending on the size of your baby, you may be able to keep him/her in the infant seat for 6 or 12 months. After your child is one year old, you’re legally allowed to face him/her towards the front (facing the windshield) . It’s much safer, however, to keep children facing your car’s rear window for as long as possible. In many European countries, children are kept rear facing until they are four years old or older.
2. When your child is near the height limit of your infant car seat (or the weight limit, but kids usually outgrow the height limit first), we recommend switching to a “convertible” car seat. A convertible car seat is designed to be installed so that it faces the rear or the front of the car. We recommend parents buy the safest rated convertible car seat they can afford, with the highest height and weight limit, in order to keep your child rear facing for as long as possible.
One point of confusion is that a car seat can have different height and weight limits depending on whether it’s installed rear or front facing. Car seats have a lower height/weight limit for rear facing than for forward facing. So, as with an infant seat, we recommend keeping your child rear facing until they come close to the height/weight limit, and then turning them forward to take advantage of the higher height/weight limit.
3. After your child outgrows their forward facing car seat, they can sit on a booster seat, which will raise him/her so that the seat belt does not go over their neck.
We recommend checking out this (slightly convoluted but fantastic) car-safety.org for researching safety issues regarding car seats, for advice about which seats fit well in specific cars, etc. The forums section is especially useful. Also, Consumer Reports, an independent research organization, reviews and rates car seats in terms of safety.
Mama's Recommendation
We recommend buying an infant seat for the first six months or so -- any well rated one (you can check Consumer Reports -- there tends to be one or two standard winners) OR use a friend or relative’s infant car seat as long as it’s not past its expiration AND has never been in any sort of a crash (including a fender-bender). Parents use infant seats for such a short time; you really don’t need to buy a new one. We then recommend you buy the convertible car seat with the highest height recommendations and the best safety ratings that you can afford, and that you keep your child rear-facing for as many years as you can. You can car seat shop for the big one, the seat you will keep for years, after you have your baby, since you won’t be using the convertible car seat until s/he is probably at least six months old. You can post on car-safety.org any questions about what car seat fits best into your type of car and any special concerns you have (three seat across, etc.).
Alternative Recommendation:
We hear good things about the Orbit system, which is an infant car seat, a toddler car seat, and a stroller. Although we have not researched this system, we’ve seen happy parents around town enjoying its distinctive feature: the ability to turn the infant car seat to the side to take it out and put it in, and the ability to turn a child in the stroller to face any direction. The Orbit is expensive, and we don’t like its very low RF weight limit (35 pounds); that’s too early to turn a child forward. If we used an Orbit for an infant, we would sell it at 35 pounds and get a new convertible seat.
There is no car seat that will be perfect for everyone. The best baby car seat for you is one that fits your vehicle, your child, and your budget, and will be used correctly every time.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the infant model, this type has a five point harness system and is rear-facing but also has the option of being forward-facing, hence the name convertible.
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