Why You Should Consider a Forward Facing Infant Car Seat

Children under one year are not allowed to ride in a forward-facing. In a crash their neck muscles that are weak could stretch and cause serious injuries.

Instead switch to FF when your child is at the height or weight maximums of the seat they are currently in (or the minimums for the new seat). Please review your instructions for your car seat.

Safety

In the event of a crash infant car seats are designed to protect your child's neck and head. The forward facing position also helps prevent your child from hitting their head against the hard back of the seat, which can cause serious injuries.

All infant car seats that face forward have five-point harnesses to ensure the child's safety with just one pull tightening. Additionally, the carrier shell is lined with EPS energy-absorbing foam that provides better protection against impact. Some have an umbrella to protect from the sun.

The most suitable infant car seat in front seat car seats include an adjustable angle adjuster and an angle indicator. This allows you to choose the ideal angle for your child's neck to stop it from slipping over in the event of collisions. The top tether strap is attached to the tether anchor on the vehicle and extends from the top. It is important to remember that you might not have to move your child from a forward facing car seat until he / she reaches the maximum weight and height specified in the manual of the seat.

It's time to switch when your child is 20 pounds and one year old. Toddlers and babies under one year old have soft, loose neck muscles that can cause whiplash when they are in an accident. They are more likely to sustain serious neck injuries if they travel in a frontal crash (the most frequent and severe type). When children younger than 1 year are backwards, their head is cushioned by the car seat and protected from sudden movements that can cause neck strain.

When children move to a forward facing car seat, they require a convertible or an all-in-one that has a heavy rearward weight limit and a high. The child shouldn't be moved into the booster seat until they have reached the height and age requirements for a high-back booster, which is typically between 4 and 5 years old. You can see the difference in these car seats when you look at these crash videos, but keep in mind that the video is slowed down. If a child is moving too quickly, they can be injured.

Comfort

A forward facing infant car seat allows your baby to ride comfortably and remain safe during an accident. The seat features a soft headrest, a cushion for body support, and an EPS energy-absorbing foam to ensure your child's safety from any impact. The seat also has a five-point harness with easy one-pull tightening and a movable center front adjuster to ensure your child is correctly positioned. A retractable canopy helps protect your baby from the sunlight. To ensure safety the seat is designed to lock with the vehicle's seat belt and includes a locking clip that keeps the buckle securely fastened when not in use.

If your baby complains of discomfort or appears to be slouching forward while sleeping it could be because the angle of the car seat is too low. You can fix this by putting tightly rolled towels underneath the front of the car seat to raise it up more. If this doesn't help, you can bring your baby to Rockridge Kids to have us examine the angle of their car seat.

It is important to remember that children aren't yet ready to stand up and face forward until they are at least 20 pounds AND one year old (their necks aren't strong enough yet to withstand a force that would be applied to them by a collision should they fall forward on their own). Some experts recommend staying a bit longer, since the bones and muscles of children are more flexible.

Many parents choose to buy a convertible car seat which allows their infants to travel rear-facing until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of the seat. This lets them benefit from the advantages of a rear-facing car seat longer, and also makes it more convenient for parents since they can simply move their child from the rear-facing position to the forward-facing one when their child outgrows it.

The Graco 4Ever Convertible car seat is a 4-in-1 convertible car seat that allows your child to use the seat for a period of 10 years. It converts from rear-facing infant (up to 40lbs) to a forward-facing harness and high-back seat (30-100 lbs) as well as an unbelt-positioning seat that is backless (40-120 lb). It is simple and easy to install with the Smart Fit system that allows you to move the harness and headrest together, without re-threading.

Convenience

If you're traveling with a young baby, a forward-facing infant car seat is the best infant carrier car seat option. It allows you to see your child's face while driving and allows all of your family members to enter the car without disturbing your infant or toddler. This type of car seat can be used with strollers, making it easier to carry your toddler in and out of the car for trips to the grocery store or other chores.

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

Review the directions of the manufacturer to see how you can rotate the seat of your child. There will be the weight and height limit that you shouldn't exceed and also specific rules regarding things like crotch buckle position. These guidelines are designed to safeguard your child as they grow.

It is also important to consider whether your vehicle is equipped with anchors for tethers. If you do, ensure that the tether strap is properly installed and connected to the anchor points of your vehicle according to the instruction in the manual of the seat. Also, you should ensure that the shoulder straps of your harness are at or just above your child's shoulders and not too low or high because this can impact how well they're secured in an accident.

A great option for parents with several children or are planning to have more is convertible car seats. It's a convertible car seat that can be used as a rear-facing infant car seat and then moved to a forward facing seat once your child reaches the weight or height limits of the rear-facing position.

Style

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

While the idea of facing your child forward is exciting, there are some important safety aspects to be aware of. Children should remain rear-facing until they reach their car seat's maximum weight and height limitations.

You should also be aware that children are very different in size and age, therefore you shouldn't base when to switch to forward-facing on a specific date on the calendar or if they've reached their legroom limit. It may appear that a child is taller in a rear-facing car seat, but this doesn't mean that it's safe to turn them around. Their spine and bones haven't yet fully developed.

It is recommended that you keep your child rear facing until they are at least one year old, and some infant car seat travel car seats have an inbuilt reminder to keep them there. This is because children under one don't have enough neck muscles to take a direct hit that could cause serious spinal injuries.

Many infant car seats are not only safe, but also easy to use. Some of them have bases that snap into and out of the car and allow you to transport your baby from the car to a stroller and back. They are often part an overall travel system.

If you are ready to move your baby from a rear-facing convertible seat to a forward facing one, make sure you follow all the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Also, make sure you check the fit of the newborn car seat insert seat. If it's installed correctly the car seat shouldn't move more than 1 inch from side to side or front to back, and the harness straps should be placed at or above your child's shoulders. If you have any concerns or questions, talk to a certified car seat safety technician in your region or contact the car seat manufacturer.