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 Ask Dr. Jana
Car Seats for Larger Infants | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Jana,
I need to buy my six-month-old son a new car seat. There are so many out there and so many under recall. How do I know which one is right for him? He is 21 pounds.— Sbhelf in Appleton, WI | | | ANSWER |
September 11, 2001 | | | Dear Sbhelf,
I recently got certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician and am therefore particularly glad you asked me this question. There are several factors you will want to take into account.
First of all, while your son has reached twenty pounds, it is extremely important that you keep him rear-facing until he also reaches at least one year of age. Even then, children are still safest rear-facing, and the best practice is to keep children in the rear-facing position as long as they still fall within the car seat's upper rear-facing size limits. And in most instances, installing the car seat in the middle of the back seat is considered to be the safest location.
Given that your son sounds like he is a pretty big boy, he is likely to exceed the upper weight and size limits of most (but not all) infant-only seats before he reaches his first birthday. For large infants, the best bet is to buy what is called a convertible car seat--one that can be used both in the rear-facing and front-facing positions. That way you'll get more mileage out of it before he needs a new one.
When it comes to picking which brand, make, and model, I will tell you that any seat you buy should have a label clearly stating that it meets or exceeds federal motor vehicle safety standards (or "FMVSS 213"). In your case, you should decide if you want to get a convertible seat that has a higher weight limit in the rear-facing position (since they can range from 22-35 pounds). While recalled seats are not supposed to be sold in stores, you can always double check for car seat recalls by going to the website for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
And finally, be sure that you check to see how the seat you choose actually fits in your car. Vehicle design features such as bucket seats, limited space in the back, and even position of the seat belt buckles can all affect your ability to safely install the seat. You may find what you think to be the most perfect, safest, and even the most fashionable car seat only to realize that it can't be correctly installed in your car.
While this is the basic information you'll want to have on hand when you head out to buy a new seat, be sure to check back on our site for more information coming soon on these and many more child-passenger safety topics.— by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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