Safety is the first rule when traveling with young infants and children. That's always the rule that parents have with their babies especially while traveling in a vehicle. With so many road accidents around the world, road safety has become quite a cause for concern. More and more people now take precautionary measures over the safety of their families while on the road especially infants and children to ensure that they reach their destinations safe and sound.
Infant car seats are not just popular in some countries; they are a safety requirement. Infants and children cannot travel in a car if they are not sitting in their specially designed seats. Many countries do not let parents take their newborn out of the hospital unless they demonstrate that they have a car seat for the baby installed in the vehicle that will drive them away. Some people consider these seats a hassle and an added expense, but the fact of the matter is that infant car seats can be a life saver and should be used when traveling in a car.
Car Seat
There are several different types of infant car seats, and the United Nations has standardized these in four groups:
1. Group 0+ 2. Group 1 3. Group 2 4. Group 3
1. Group 0+: These car seats are designed for infants up to the age of three months. These are infant carriers that are secured to the back seat of a vehicle with a standard seat belt and keep the baby in a rear facing position. These seats are designed so that once the ride is over, you can simple unhook the seat belt and carry the seat out, baby and all.
2. Group 1: This designation consists of seats that are a permanent fixture in the back seat of a car and has the seat belt as a reinforcement to hold it in place. This is recommended for infants between 20lb and 40lb and the recommendation provided by the authorities is to make sure that the infant sits rear facing for as long as possible for security reasons.
3. Group 2: These are detachable seats which are held in place by seat belts and are used for children ranging between 33lb and 55lb.
4. Group 3: These are also known as booster seats and are held in place with seat belts. These are primarily for children between 48lb to 76lb and are front facing seats.
There are many manufacturers of seats designed for the safety of your child filling markets all over the world. It is very important to understand that the quality is a major consideration when buying a car seat as you will be buying something that may be a life saving product one day.
There are three kinds of forward facing car seats that you can take advantage of:
1. Infant-Child Seat: This can be used for both forward and rear facing positions depending on the age and size of your child.
2. Child-Booster Seat: This can be used as a forward facing seat and also as a high back booster seat. This is especially good if your child is tall or if you want to use it for a longer period of time.
3. Built-in Car Seats: This is an option that some car manufacturers offer. These are built into the car's back seat and come with their own harness.
Some of the popular companies that manufacture infant car seats include Graco, Kolcraft, Jeep, Mothercare, Chicco, Fisher Price, Mama Love, Britax, Giggle Baby, Kidco, Peg Perego, Quinny, Recaro and Colgate. Whichever car seat that you decide to buy, you must make sure that it comes with its own 5-point safety harness to keep the child in place and has enough space for your child to sit comfortably.
The best advice is to always check with your local law regulations as to the specific seat requirements for your area or state. They may differ quite a bit. There is a lot of information online regarding car seats for children and infants, and some readers may not be familiar with how to do research online when considering what type of product to buy.
Infant Car Seats That Provide Safety FirstSee Also : Car Seat Front
