Why You Should Consider a Forward Facing Infant Car Seat

Children under the age of one year should not ride facing forward. In a crash, their neck muscles that are weak can stretch and cause serious injuries.

Instead change to FF at the time your child reaches the height or weight maximums of the seat they are currently in (or the minimums required for the new seat). Check the instructions for your car seat carefully.

Safety

In the case of a collision, infant car seats are designed to protect your child's neck and head. The forward-facing position could assist in preventing your child from hitting their head on the back of the car seat, which could result in serious injuries.

All infant car seats that face forward have five point harnesses that hold the child in place with just one pull tightening, and the carrier shell is lined with EPS energy-absorbing foam for improved protection against impact. Some models also come with an umbrella to protect from the sun.

The most suitable infant car seats have an adjustable angle adjuster and an angle indicator. This lets you set the correct angle for your child's neck to stop it from slipping over in the event of an accident. The top tether strap connects to the tether anchor on the vehicle and extends from the top. It is important to remember that you may not need to move your child from a forward-facing best car seat for newborn seat until she reaches the maximum weight and height specified in the instruction manual for the seat.

It's the time to switch to a different model when your child is 20 pounds and one year. Toddlers and babies under one year old have loose, soft neck muscles that can cause whiplash in the event of a crash. In frontal collisions (the most serious and frequent kind), they are more likely to suffer serious neck injuries. Rear-facing car seats safeguard the necks of infants under one year old by cushioning their heads.

If children are moving to a forward facing car seat, they still require a convertible or an all in-one that has a large rearward weight limit and a high. The child should not be able to move into a booster until they reach the height and age requirements for a high-back or backless booster, which is usually around age 4 or 5 years old. These crash videos will demonstrate the differences between carseats. But keep in mind that the footage is slowed down. If a kid moves too fast, they could be injured.

Comfort

A forward-facing infant car seats keeps your child safe and secure in the event of an accident. The seat has a soft headrest, a body support cushion and an EPS energy-absorbing foam to ensure your child's safety from a collision. The seat comes with a five-point safety harness which can be tightened by a single pull and a front-center adjuster. This will ensure that your child is properly positioned. A retractable sun canopy helps shield your baby from the sun. The seat can be locked to the belts of the vehicle to ensure security. It also has a locking clip which keeps the buckle secure when the seat is not being used.

If your child complains of discomfort while traveling or appears to slouch forward when sleeping the angle of the seat may be too low for your child. This can be fixed by placing tightly rolled towel on the front of your car seat. If this doesn't help you can take your baby to Rockridge Kids to have us assess the angle of their carseat.

It is vital to keep in mind that children are not ready to stand up and face forward until they weigh at minimum 20 pounds AND one year old (their necks aren't sturdy enough yet to withstand a force applied to them by a collision if they were to fall forward on their own). Some experts suggest staying a bit longer, as the muscles and bones of children are more flexible.

Many parents opt to purchase a convertible car seat which allows their infants to travel backwards until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of the seat. This allows them to benefit from the advantages of a rear-facing car seat for much longer, and also makes it easier for parents as they can easily move their child from the rear-facing position to the forward-facing position once their child has outgrown it.

The Graco 4Ever Convertible Car Seat provides your child 10 years of car seat usage with just one seat, from rear-facing infant (4-40 lb) to forward-facing 5-point harness and high-back booster (30-100 lb) to a backless belt-positioning booster (40-120 lb). It's easy and simple to install using the Smart Fit system that allows you to move the harness and headrest together, with no re-threading.

Convenience

A forward-facing infant car seat is an excellent option for traveling with a young child. This allows you to see your child as you drive and the other members of your family can enter the car without disrupting your lightweight baby Car seat or toddler. This type of car seat can also be used with strollers making it much easier to take your child into and out of the car to go to the supermarket or other tasks.

However that even when your child is old enough to switch to a forward-facing car seat it's safer to keep them rear-facing as long as possible. From the point of view of crash tests, children's head is more secure in a crash if they are facing backwards. This is due to the fact that the entire body -- including the head as well as neck and torso is supported by the car seat's back when they're facing in this direction.

You should check the manufacturer's instructions for how to change the car seat of your child around. You'll find that they have an upper and lower limit, as well as specific rules about things like the crotch strap position. These rules are designed to protect your child as they grow.

Another thing to take into consideration is if you have a vehicle that has an anchor for tethering your car seat. If yes, you must ensure that the tether strap is properly installed and tied to the vehicle's anchor points as instructed in the manual of the seat. The last thing to do is make sure that the shoulder straps of the harness of your child are at or just below their shoulders, but not too high or low. This can affect how they're secured during the event of a crash.

A good infant car seats choice for parents with more than one child or plan to have more is convertible car seats. This is a complete car seat that can start with an infant car seat that faces rearwards and then transition your child to a forward-facing seat when they're old enough and have reached the height or weight limit for the rear-facing position of the car seat.

Style

You spent a lot time and effort choosing the right car seat for your child. However, as they age and start outgrowing their car seat for infants, you may be wondering if it's time to change them.

Although the idea of having your baby face forward may be exciting, there are important safety considerations you should be aware of. Kids should remain rear facing until they reach the maximum height and weight limit for their particular car seat.

You should also be aware that children are different in size and age, therefore you shouldn't base the decision to change to a forward-facing car seat on an exact date on the calendar or if they've reached their limit of legroom. Children may appear larger in a rear-facing car seat but that doesn't mean that it's safe to turn them around, since their bones and spine haven't fully developed yet.

It is recommended that you keep your child rear-facing until they are at least one year old, and some infant car seats have an integrated reminder to ensure they remain there. This is because children under one year old do not have enough neck muscles to withstand a frontal impact which could result in serious spinal injuries.

In addition to being secure, many infant car seat newborn car seats come with useful features that make them simple to use. Some include bases that snap into and out of the car which allows you to take your baby from the car to a stroller and then back. They are typically part of a travel system.

If you're about to transition your child from a rear-facing convertible seat to a forward-facing one, be sure to adhere to all the instructions given by the manufacturer. Also, make sure you check the tightness of the car seat. The car seat should not move more than one inch from side to side, or from front to back, when installed correctly. The harness straps should be placed at or above the shoulders of your child. If you have any concerns or questions ask a certified car seat safety technician in your region or contact the manufacturer of the car seat.