In daily life, many parents install baby safety seats in their cars. Child safety seats are indispensable equipment for babies to travel in the car.
Many factors need to be considered when choosing a suitable child safety seat for your baby. So, how to choose a baby safety seat? What are the categories of baby safety seats? Let’s find out below.
1. Try to choose safety seats from Group 0+I
There are many safety seats on the market with a wide age range, such as seats for 0-12 years old. One seat can handle all ages, but there is a large degree of compromise in comfort and even safety risks.
For example, the seat angle adjustment angle is limited, which will cause the baby to stand upright for a long time; the height of the headrest does not match the baby’s head, and it cannot wrap the head well to cushion and relieve force, etc.
If you fully consider your baby’s comfort and safety, you should choose the most suitable seat for 0-4 years old, such as a carrier or a safety seat in group 0+I. You can also save a Veterans Discount Code.
2. Must have reverse installation function
During the driving process, due to the braking situation, the newborn’s development is not complete, and the skull and spine cannot stand upright to support the head and body.
When riding in a forward position, the inertial impact force generated at the moment of braking is enough to give the baby a neck causing fatal injuries.
To give your baby adequate safety protection, you must install it in reverse. The reverse installation absorbs a large amount of force through the baby’s back contact with the safety seat and protects the lumbar and cervical spine from impact.
3. There must be enough seat reclining angle
Babies aged 0-4 years old sleep for a long time, with an average of 12 hours of sleep per day. When traveling in a car with your baby, you will require a safety seat with a reclining angle that can meet your baby’s requirements for comfortable sleep.
Generally, the maximum adjustment angle of the seat reclining angle for ages 0-12 years or 9 months-12 years old can only reach 105°-110°, which is almost an upright sitting position.
The most advanced 0-4-year-old safety seats currently on the market can have a super large reclining angle of 160°, which is fully suitable for babies to lie down and sleep.
4. It must be environmentally friendly and skin-friendly fabrics
The safety seat will directly contact the baby’s delicate skin, so you should choose a seat made of environmentally friendly materials and environmentally friendly processes to avoid toxic and harmful substances from harming and irritating the baby.
It is particularly worth noting that although some seats use environmentally friendly fabrics, the production process is not environmentally friendly (such as glue bonding), which will cause the adhesive to contaminate the seat material and leave behind toxic odors and formaldehyde.
You can choose a safety seat with flame composite technology, which is more environmentally friendly and safe.
5. Try to choose seats with better wrapping properties
The body of a baby aged 0-4 years is very soft and lacks self-support and control. If there is not enough wrapping and cushioning support, the risk of a collision will increase for the baby.
In particular, the wraps and headrests on the side of the safety seat are very important for supporting the baby’s head. The side wings can not only wrap the baby well but also increase the side collision coefficient.
The head support can help the baby maintain a correct sleeping position and reduce the impact of the collision on the neck.
6. Installation and fixation must be more stable
There are generally two ways to install safety seats: car seat belt installation and ISOFIX system installation. ISOFIX installation is simple, stable, and convenient, but the price is higher, so I won’t go into details.
If you choose a safety seat with a seat belt, choose a lightweight safety seat. The lighter the weight of the seat, the smaller the inertia generated in a collision and the better the stability and safety.
7. Must pass safety certification
When purchasing a child safety seat, the first basic criterion to look at is whether the seat has passed strict regulatory certifications. Currently, the regulatory certifications currently on the market include the European Union’s ECE certification and China’s CCC certification.
In China, child safety seats must pass CCC certification before they can be put on the market; in European countries, passing ECE certification is a basic requirement for safety seats to be put on the market.
Safety certification signs must be posted on safety seats that have passed safety certification.
Why You Must Use a Child Car Seat?
According to statistics, traffic accidents have become the number one cause of death for babies under 14 years old in China. The traffic accident mortality rate for Chinese babies is 2.5 times that of Europe and 2.6 times that of the United States.
Using a child safety seat is recognized around the world as the most effective way to protect your baby when riding in a car. When the car body suffers a sudden impact.
The correct use of child safety seats can effectively reduce the potential accident casualty rate of babies under 1 year old by more than 70%; reduce the mortality rate of babies aged 1 to 4 by more than 54%; reduce the mortality rate of babies aged 4 to 7 years old by more than 54%.
Child mortality is reduced by more than 59%. Unfortunately, the usage rate of child car safety seats in China is less than 1%.
Tests have proven that when a car traveling at 50 kilometers per hour encounters a head-on collision, the baby will instantly generate a forward momentum 30 times its weight.
At this time, no adult can hold a 300-pound baby that flies out like a bullet. Some parents will use adult safety belts for their babies. In the event of an accident, the safety belt will get stuck in the baby’s neck, causing serious injury to the neck.
If an adult is sitting in the passenger seat and holding a baby while riding in a car, and a violent collision occurs, the baby will be between the adult’s head and the airbag.
The huge pressure generated by the airbag that pops up instantly will cause a fatal blow to the baby. Therefore, it is recommended that parents choose a high-quality child car safety seat for their babies.
Children’s Car Safety Seats Are Generally Divided Into Three Categories:
- Baby safety seat
Suitable baby: weighing less than 10 kg
The infant safety seat is installed facing the rear of the car. The design principle is that when an accident occurs, most of the huge impact from the front of the car will be absorbed by the seat back.
The remaining small part of the impact force will also act on the baby’s relatively strongest back, minimizing possible injuries. The base angle of the infant safety seat can be adjusted.
Adjusting the base angle to 45° is the most stable and safest angle. If the seat is installed at an angle that is too flat, the baby’s fragile head may tilt forward instantly when subjected to a huge sudden impact, which is very unsafe. Buyers also purchase NHSDiscountCode.
- Child safety seat
Suitable baby: weight around 10-18 kg
When the baby is about two years old, his weight will almost exceed the maximum limit of the infant safety seat. At this time, it is necessary to switch the baby to a toddler safety seat.
Install the child safety seat forward. If necessary, fold the bath towel into a thin pillow and place it on the baby’s waist in the car safety seat. Try to make the baby feel a wide field of view and a comfortable sitting posture, rather than nestling in the safety seat.
- Booster seats
Suitable babies: The head is higher than the back of the infant safety seat or the baby weighs 18 kg
Many parents think that babies after 4 years old do not need to use safety seats and can just use car seat belts. This is not the case.
Since babies are smaller than adults, the huge impact force in an emergency may cause the seat belt to strangle the baby’s waist or neck.
In severe cases, it may damage internal organs and even cause suffocation. There are two types of booster seats: backless booster seats and high-back booster seats.
Conclusion: You should choose the most suitable seat for 0-4-year-olds, such as a bassinet or a safety seat in group 0+I. To give your baby adequate safety protection, you must install it in reverse.
The reverse installation absorbs a large amount of force through the baby’s back contact with the safety seat and protects the lumbar and cervical spine from impact.
