The best seat fits your child’s size, is correctly installed and is used properly every time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride rear-facing to the highest weight or height allowed by the care seat manufacturer. Doesn’t include products that are bought separately and not crash tested with the seat unless product is approved by car seat manufacturer. California law does not address graduation time from a five point harness to a booster seat.
A small child is much less likely to die or be seriously injured when in a rear-facing seat. That’s because the back of the safety seat will cradle the baby’s head, neck, and torso in a crash. At this age, a child’s neck usually isn’t strong enough to support the head in a crash. You’ll need to decide on using either the seat belt or lower anchors to secure your car seat. Once your child is forward facing, it is important to use the tether with the seat belt or lower anchors. Safety is the reason we’re doing this in the first place – to protect the wellbeing of our children and yours.
Make sure the lap belt lies low across your child’s thighs and that the shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child’s chest and shoulder. If you’re placing only one car seat in the back seat, install it in the center of the seat — if a good fit is possible. Placing the car seat in the center minimizes the risk of injury during a crash. The safest place for your child’s car seat is in the back seat, away from active air bags. If the car seat is placed in the front seat and the air bag inflates, it could hit the back of a rear-facing car seat — right where the child’s head is — and cause a serious or fatal injury.
They function to secure the car seat safely in the back seat rather than using the car’s seat belt system. LATCH connectors have their own weight limits, so it is important to switch from the LATCH system to the car’s seat belts when the combined weight of the child and the car seat exceed the limit. These graco travel system are not appropriate for babies but for larger children. High-back boosters or belt-positioning boosters use the car’s seat belt once put into the appropriate position across the child’s chest. A backless booster sits the child up high enough to keep the seat belt in a safe and comfortable position.
Bulky outerwear and blankets can prevent harness straps from snugly securing your child. Buckle the harness, and then place a coat or blanket over the harness graco booster seat to keep your baby warm. Use the tether strap — a strap that hooks to the top of the seat and attaches to an anchor in the vehicle — for extra stability.
Never place a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat of a car that has a passenger-side air bag. Don’t use a seat that is missing parts or lacks a manufacture date and model number. If there’s no instruction manual available, don’t use the seat. Innovative safety features and rugged durability, designed to last through the transition from rear-facing to forward-facing as your child ages.
Finding the right infant car seat carrier can be an agonizing decision especially for new parents. Designed for easy transition from the car to the stroller without unstrapping or disturbing a potentially sleeping baby, an infant car seat is an essential whether it’s your first of fourth child. Unlike a convertible car seat, an infant car seat is portable and does not strap directly into the seat. They also can double as a carrier or rocker, and most can click into a stroller with a complementary system or an adapter.