9 Lessons Your Parents Taught You About Forward Facing Infant Car Seat

Why You Should Consider a Forward Facing Infant Car Seat

Children younger than one year old are NOT supposed to ride forward-facing. In a crash their neck muscles may weaken and be stretched and cause serious injuries.

Switch to FF instead of FF when your child reaches their current seat's maximum weight or height (or the minimum required for a new car seat). Please review your instructions for the car seat.

Safety

infant car seats cheap car seats are designed to safeguard the head and neck of your child in the event of an accident. The forward facing position will also prevent your child from slamming their head against the back of the seat, which can cause serious injuries.

All infant seats that face forward have five-point harnesses, which can secure the child by pulling the straps. The shell of the car seat is lined in energy-absorbing foam EPS for better impact protection. Some models also come with an umbrella to protect from the sun.

The most effective infant car seats have an adjustable angle adjuster and an angle indicator. This allows you to choose the ideal angle for your child's neck to prevent it from flopping over in a collision. The car seat also comes with a top tether strap that connects to the top of the car seat and hooks onto the tether anchor inside your vehicle. It's important to keep in mind that your child may not need to switch to a forward-facing car seat until they reach the top weight and height limit that is stated in the instruction manual for the seat you are using.

It's time to switch when your child is 20 pounds and one year old. Children and toddlers younger than one year have soft, loose muscles in their necks that can cause whiplash if involved in an accident. In frontal collisions (the most severe and common kind), they are more likely to suffer serious neck injuries. When children younger than 1 year ride rear-facing their head is protected by the car seat and protected from sudden movements that could stress their necks.

When children move to a forward-facing car seat, they require a convertible or an all-in-one seat that has a high rearward weight and a height limit. The child should not be placed in the booster seat until they have reached the height and age requirements for a high-back or backless booster, which is usually around age 4 or 5 years old. It is evident the difference in these carseats when you look at these crash videos, but remember that the video is slow-motion. If a kid moves too fast, they could be injured.

Comfort

A forward-facing infant carrier seat car seat keeps your child safe and secure during an accident. The seat features a soft headrest and a body support cushion as well as an EPS energy-absorbing shell to ensure your child is safe from any impacts. The seat comes with a five-point safety harness that can be adjusted with only one pull, and a front-center adjuster. This will ensure that your child is positioned correctly. A retractable sun canopy will protect your child from the sun. The seat can be locked to the belts of the vehicle to ensure safety. It also has an locking clip that keeps the latch buckle fastened even when the seat isn't in use.

If your infant complains of discomfort during a journey or seems to slump forward when they sleep the angle of the seat might be too low for the child. You can correct this by placing tightly rolled towels on the front of the car seat to raise it up more. If this doesn't work, you can bring your child to Rockridge Kids and we will examine the angle of the car seat.

Keep in mind that children shouldn't face forward until they weigh at 20 pounds and are one year old. Their necks are not strong enough to take the force of a collision in the event that they fall to their front on their own. Some experts suggest waiting longer, because the muscles and bones of children are more malleable than those of adults.

Many parents decide to buy a convertible car seat that allows their children to travel rear-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of the seat. This lets them enjoy the benefits of a rear-facing car seat longer, and makes it more convenient for parents because they can simply shift their child from the rear-facing position to the forward-facing position when their child has outgrown it.

The Graco 4Ever Convertible Car seat is a 4-in-1 convertible car seat that allows your child to use the seat for up to 10 years. It can be converted from rear-facing infant (up to 40 pounds) to a forward-facing harness as well as a high-back seat (30-100 lb) and then to a backless belt-positioning seat (40-120 lb). It's simple and easy to install with the Smart Fit system that allows you to move the headrest and harness in tandem, without having to re-thread.

Convenience

When traveling with a young infant, a forward-facing infant car seat can be a great choice. It allows you to see your child's face while driving and allows everyone else in the family to enter the car without disturbing your baby or toddler. This type of car seat can be used with a stroller which makes it easier to get your little one in and out of your car to go to the store for groceries or other chores.

But, even the time your child is old enough to transition to a forward-facing car seat it's better to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible. From the standpoint of crash tests, a child’s head is better protected in a crash when they face backwards. This is because the entire body -- including the head as well as neck and torso is supported by the seat's back when they're facing in this direction.

Read the instruction manual of the manufacturer to see the time you can rotate your child's seat. You'll see that they have a maximum height and weight limit, as well as specific rules about things like the crotch strap position. These limits are meant to protect your child's safety as they grow.

Another thing to consider is if you have a vehicle that has tether anchors for your car seat. If you do, make sure the strap is properly fitted and secured to the anchor points of your vehicle as per the instructions in the seat's manual. Also, ensure that the shoulder straps of your child's harness are on or just below their shoulders, and are not too low or high. This will affect how they are restrained during an accident.

A convertible car seat is a smart choice for parents with more than one child or who intend to have more children. This is a complete car seat that starts by being an infant car seat that faces rearwards and then transition your child to a forward-facing seat when they are old enough and have reached the height or weight limit of the rear-facing car seat.

Style

The infant car seat newborn car seat was a must for your little one and you spent many hours deciding the best car seat newborn one. As your child grows older and outgrows their car seat for infants, you may wonder if it is time to turn the seat around.

While the idea of letting your baby face forward may be exciting, there are some important safety considerations you should keep in mind. Children should be rear-facing until they reach their car seat's maximum weight and height limits.

It is important to remember that children differ in terms of size and age, therefore, you shouldn't decide the decision to change to a forward-facing car seat on some specific date on the calendar or if they've reached their maximum legroom. It may seem that a child is taller in a rear-facing car seat, but this does not mean that it's safe to turn them around. Their spine and bones haven't yet fully developed.

Some infant car seats have an alarm built-in to remind you to keep your child rear-facing until they're at least one year old. This is because children under one don't have strong enough neck muscles to withstand the force of a frontal collision, which can cause serious spinal injuries.

In addition to being safe, many infant car seats are equipped with convenient features that make them simple to use. They include bases that are connected to the car and snap out and in to let you carry your baby from stroller to car and back and are often paired with a frame stroller to form part of an overall travel system.

If you're about to transition your baby into forward-facing convertible car seats ensure that you do it correctly by following all of the manufacturer's instructions and then examining the car seat for tightness. When properly installed the car seat shouldn't move more than one inch from side to side or front to back and the harness straps should be positioned at or over the shoulders of your child. If you have any questions or concerns about the fitting of your car seat, you can contact an approved safety technician in your area or the manufacturer of the car seat.