In this article, we will discuss the convertible car seat. Why they called convertible car seats is because they start off rear-facing and then they convert to be forward-facing. It is important to remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all kids should rear-face until they are two years old.
The convertible car seat can be used from birth through about 60 or 70 pounds.
One thing to notice that while the convertible car seat has some padding but it does not quite have as much padding to protect the small newborn baby.
So what you can do is find some different positioners. You always still want to check with your car seat manufacturer to see what they recommend because you always want to be very careful with a newborn baby.
The convertible car seat has two to three different positions. For a newborn, you are going to use the flattest lying position.
One thing that it does do is it causes the person in front of the babies have to move their seat forward and they have less space. However, as the child grows you are going to be able to push them forward.
The convertible car seat is a bit bulkier but you get four to five years of use out of the car seat. These generally range between 150 and 350 dollars and you do have to buy one for each car that a child is being driven around in.
So at the end of the day which car seat are you going to choose? If you have a busy active lifestyle I recommend an infant car seat because it makes things so easy in the first year of life which you are already so being tired. However, if it’s not in your budget the convertible car seat works really well too.
Another thing that is really important to remember is that car seats actually expire. Many of them are made from plastic and over time they start to get brittle. So, you have to check with your car seat manufacturer to see how long the car seat should be used.
Safety Features:
All car seats have some basic safety features. They are all going to meet the minimum guidelines.
When you start to get into premium convertible car seats. You are really going to see some revolutionary and some very innovative features. Some of them might feature steel bars or a complete steel frame.
For convertible car seats, I do recommend stretching as much as you possibly can because those extra additional safety features they really can make a difference in an accident.
Another thing to look for is a five-point harness. This is pretty basic and almost all car seats feature the five-point harness. But what they do is they make sure that your child does not move in an accident.
A lot of convertible car seats also feature additional safety features. For example some head support and other things. Again you just want to make sure your child is not moving in an accident.
Another great safety feature on the convertible car seat is the tether. The tether is a strap on the back of a car seat and what it does is it distributes any force from an accident from the car seat to the car. Now not all car seats have a tether that can be used when you are rear-facing.
All Britax models have this feature and for that reason, I really do recommend that you use them.
Comfort:
The next topic is comfort when you first start using the convertible car seat for a newborn you are going to be using the flattest line position. And as the child grows you are going to move them into a more upright position.
Now it is just a matter of our busy lifestyles but we really do spend a lot of time in our cars so you want the car seat to be nice and comfortable for your child.
Always look for nice plush padding, a comfortable material but you also want to make sure that just in case an accident happens it is easy for you to clean.
Convenience:
Now let’s discuss convenience, as your child grows you have to reposition the harness to make sure it is positioned correctly on your child’s body. Some of the premium car seats allow you to just pull up on the harness to easily repositioning it which is so much easier than having to redress a harness.
I highly recommend that feature in a convertible car seat.
Another premium feature is the Click and Save technology which makes an audible click every time you readjust the harness.
Size:
Convertible car seats can really range the gamut from slimmer to pretty wide.
In some cases, you might not be able to fit more than two of the car seats in the backseat of your car.
So if you are planning on having a large family and need to get three across you might want to consider a slimmer profile. For instance, the Diono radian is a great car seat.
Travel:
If you are planning on traveling you might think that you are never going to take that convertible car seat with you.
Well, convertible car seats are fabulous to have on an airplane. You must check with a car seat manufacturer to see if their FAA-approved.
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