A child seat for the car is essential if you want to transport your offspring safely. The choice of child car seats is huge. Of course, this raises a number of questions. That’s why we’ve summarized everything you need to know about child seats in our article.
A child seat can save lives
It is generally safest for your children to always sit in the back of the car. Unlike the passenger seat, they don’t get the full force of a frontal impact here. So that your child can get out on the footpath, it is advisable to mount the children’s seat at the back on the right. The place at the back in the middle is also one of the safest places. However, there are often problems with the attachment. If your child sits behind the driver, it is of course also safe. The only criticism here is that your child has to get off towards the street.
As already mentioned, the passenger seat harbors some dangers. Even if it seems easier for you to put your offspring here when you are traveling alone, you should only do this in an emergency. If you want to keep an eye on your child, you can also use an additional rear-view mirror that you can attach to the headrest of the rear seat. If there is no other way, you absolutely have to switch off the passenger airbag. If it opens in a frontal crash, the violent impact on your child’s body can cause serious injury. This is particularly important for infant carriers, as your baby’s bones are still too soft to cushion these forces. The front passenger airbag is also not always easy to switch off. In some cars you can only have it deactivated by the manufacturer and then adults who ride in the space are no longer protected. If you really can’t calm your child in the back seat from the front, pull over and solve the situation instead of putting your baby in the front passenger seat.
Things to look out for
A baby seat is part of the basic baby equipment and is needed when you transport your baby home from the hospital. It is recommended to transport your children in the baby seat until they are 15 months old. This is placed rear-facing on the rear seats in the car. Young children’s heads are very heavy in relation to their bodies. Your baby’s neck muscles are still too weak to carry him permanently. In addition, with a forward-facing baby seat, all the forces of an impact would act on the neck muscles which can prove fatal. You should also always position the carrying handle upright while driving. It thus serves as a roll bar and additionally cushions the impact of an accident.
Before you buy a baby seat, you should generally decide whether you want to secure it with the belt or with Isofix. You should also do yourself a favor with the baby seat. The design should suit you and both parents should be able to wear them easily. We speak of light baby carriers with a weight of up to 4 kg. If your child is often transported in different cars, for example when grandma and grandpa pick him up, you should make sure that your baby seat and the child seat that follows can be easily adjusted in both cars.
The ergonomics of infant carriers – both a blessing and a curse
From an ergonomic point of view, the hunched position of babies in the baby seat is harmful to their backs. For babies, a straight lying surface is more optimal. Therefore, long car journeys, especially in the first month of life, are not recommended. If you have planned a longer trip, it is advisable to take a break every half an hour to three quarters of an hour and take your baby out of the shell. A newborn insert for the baby seat compensates for the unfavorable lying surface.
In addition, baby seats with an adjustable lying surface are recommended. The disadvantage here, however, is that the lying surface can only be adjusted outside of the car, since the roll bar would have to be folded forward in the car and your baby’s safety is therefore no longer fully guaranteed. Stroller frames on which the baby seat can be mounted are therefore also disadvantageous in terms of ergonomics.
What else should you generally consider when buying child car seats?
Buying a child seat is an important decision for you and your child. That’s why you should make sure that your child seat fits your vehicle AND your child. Not every child is the same and so it may be that your favorite is super safe and fits perfectly in your car, but does not offer any comfort for your child. To ensure this, it is best to take your child and car with you when you buy it, and if that is not possible then you can find a good one like Eddie Bauer XRS 65 on Amazon. As with the baby seat, you should also pay attention to the easy transportability of the child seat. It should be quick and easy to install so that your child is also optimally protected in other cars.
