How to choose a car seat for a newborn baby
It is forbidden to transport small children in motor transport without the use of specialized seats in accordance with the current legislation of most developed countries of the world. Standard belts are designed for the size and body weight of an adult. Therefore, to ensure the protection of the newborn requires additional fixation.
Newborns do not yet have a reliable musculoskeletal system. Their bones are still too fragile, and their muscular corset is weak. Even the smallest traffic accidents can harm the baby’s health. With a sharp braking or collision, some parts of the body are displaced by inertia, which often leads to serious injuries.
Carrying a child in your arms is almost as dangerous as without a car seat. The physical strength and speed of a person’s reaction is insufficient to reliably protect a vulnerable children's body. The results of the crash tests showed a high probability of an unfavorable outcome at speeds above thirty kilometers per hour.
Types of car seats for babies
To date, the sale can be found many varieties of children's car seats. By design, they are divided into the following three categories:
- Avtolyulki. Used to transport the smallest children and do not provide the maximum level of security.
- Car Seats Suitable for all ages and are distinguished by the maximum possible security.
- Boosters Not used to transport babies, as they are intended for children weighing from 19 to 36 kg.
Chairs for babies are usually placed face up against the movement of the car. This provides a high level of security in frontal collisions and sudden braking. According to statistics, such devices reduce the likelihood of irreparable damage by more than 70%, even in the most serious accidents. You can use this seat until the baby’s weight reaches 10-13 kg.
Instructions for choosing car seats for babies
Mount
All modern car seats for babies can be divided into two groups according to the type of attachment used. Fixing the device on a standard car seat can be performed in the following ways:
- Isofix mounts;
- seat belts.
Standard Isofix fasteners are guides with metal brackets mounted in the back seat of the car. This type of attachment is considered the safest and easiest to use, so most modern European car models are equipped with it. The design of the brackets completely eliminates improper installation, even in the absence of experience. In the United States and Canada, their own counterparts of the Isofix system, called LATCH and Canfix, are common.
Most often, manufacturers use fixation with standard three-point belts. This type of attachment is less convenient, but it can even be used in cars that lack special fixtures. Models of the Isofix system can also be fixed with belts, if no other fasteners are provided in the car.
Upholstery practicality
Upholstery materials should provide a small passenger with a high level of comfort. Strict sanitary and hygienic and operational requirements are imposed on upholstery fabrics. Most often on sale you can find models with covers from the following material:
- natural or synthetic fabric;
- finely dressed leather;
- suede;
- velours.
The use of synthetic or natural fibers that may cause an allergic reaction or irritation is unacceptable. Upholstery should be easy to clean and pleasant to the touch. Covers made of cotton, flax and hypoallergenic man-made fibers have proven their best. Upholstery made of velor, suede and genuine leather is well suited for the cold season, but in the summer, due to the high temperature of the air, these materials can cause discomfort for the baby.
The frame of the product is made of metal or durable plastic. The main structural elements are designed to effectively absorb the impact energy, reducing overload to a minimum.
Car Seat Manufacturer
One of the most important parameters of car seats for babies is a manufacturer. Load testing of products is performed at the proper level only by the most conscientious manufacturers. The product of a little-known Asian manufacturer, most likely, will not correspond to the declared protection parameters.
Leading global brands achieve a high level of protection even from extremely dangerous side collisions. You need to focus on the marks of standards ECE-R 44-03 and 44-04. Pay attention to the following manufacturers:
- Cybex;
- Maxi-Cosi;
- Romer
The quality of the child seat depends on what materials were used for its manufacture. Excessively available models may contain hazardous chemicals, allergens and dyes.
Car seat type
For transportation of babies, devices of group 0 and 0+ are intended, which are rarely made stationary. On sale you can find the following mobile versions of car seats for babies:
- Portable. Such models have a special carrying handle that allows you to easily move them with your child. The third most important characteristic of such products (after safety and comfort) is the mass of the structure.
- At the base of the stroller. Models of this design can not only be transported separately, but also mounted on the wheelbase of the stroller.
- With adjustable backrest. Changing the angle of the back allows you to easily switch between sleep and wakefulness. Since babies cannot hold their heads yet, they need to be in the position closest to the horizontal.
All this allows you to provide a comfortable environment not only for the baby, but also for his parents. The ease of handling a child car seat is considered one of the most important criteria for assessing its safety.
Additional features and accessories
To increase the level of comfort and expand functionality, car seats can be equipped with a wide range of optional accessories:
- set of interchangeable covers;
- screen to protect from direct sunlight;
- rain cover;
- a set of toys;
- Warm bag for the cold season.
With any dangerous maneuvers of the car, the life and health of the newborn depends on the correct positioning of his body. For children under one year old, we recommend a backward position relative to the direction of movement of the car.
The tilt angle of a back of a car seat is of great importance. The optimal values range from 30 to 45 angular degrees. This ensures maximum protection of the neck, abdominal organs and the spine of the baby during collisions. In the cradles, the children lie down, which corresponds to the anatomically correct position of the body. However, most cradles do not have sufficient strength to ensure an adequate level of protection.
The use of pillows and rollers made of soft fabric will reliably protect the head of the newborn from collisions during transportation. But experts recommend using for this purpose only those products that came with the car seat.
Car seat - the pledge of safety of the baby on the road
Some parents believe that the use of the car seat adversely affects the health of the back of the child. However, studies have shown that such a seat well supports the head of the baby, provides a more correct body position, and also contributes to the proper development of its spine.
A quality car seat is the only effective way to protect your baby when traveling by car. Even if you have to move to the closest distance, you should not risk your baby’s health and life. In just half an hour, anything can happen on the road.
It is best to use a full-fledged car seat known manufacturer. If there is no money for a new one, you should not take a cheap Chinese equivalent. It would be better to get a second-hand model of good quality.
In the following articles, our experts tell you how to choose car booster for a child.
Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.
