The Basics: Infant Car Seats

An infant car seat is the most important purchase a new parent can make. A properly installed infant car seat with a correctly fitted five-point harness is essential when transporting a newborn, beginning with baby's first ride home from the hospital. And, it's the law: All 50 states require the use of a child car seat. Until a child reaches his or her first birthday and at least 20 pounds, it is required that the child be seated and strapped into a rear-facing car seat when riding in any automobile.

All car seats manufactured and sold in the United States must meet Federal government safety standards. As of September 2002, all new child car seats and vehicles are equipped with a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system. These LATCH systems are designed to make installation of a car seat easier and safer by attaching it directly to the vehicle instead of using the vehicle's safety belt to secure it. Rear-facing infant car seats are required to be equipped with lower anchors only.

The majority of infant car seats are designed for infants weighing 5 pounds to 22 pounds, and a maximum of 27 inches to 29 inches tall. A handful of infant car seats unveiled in 2007 accommodate infants up to 30 pounds and 33 inches.

A note of caution: Steer clear of used car seats found at resale shops and yard sales. Unless you know the history of a car seat, and can confirm that it has not been in a moderate or severe crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that you  not use it. Plus, new car seats come with a manufacturer's warranty.

How To Shop

Manufacturers are launching new infant car seat models with a variety of improvements. Energy-absorbing EPS foam lining is becoming more common on many models. Once the gold standard of high-priced infant car seats, now some mid-range seats are offering EPS foam lining. Be aware, however, that some lower priced car seats only offer EPS foam in the head area, while others line the entire car seat in EPS foam.

Watch for an increase in safety-friendly features, including bubble levels to ensure correct installation angles, car seat base leveling feet, and simplified Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) adjustment. Most infant car seats also come with a detachable base that can be separately installed on the rear seat of a vehicle, allowing the infant seat to be transported with ease.

Plus, it's now a straightforward task to custom-fit the average car seat's five-point harness, thanks to helpful one-hand adjustment and multiple harness slots that don't require re-threading harness straps. This is important because if a harness is easy to adjust, busy parents are more likely to continue to properly fit the harness to a growing child.

It's important to note whether an infant car seat can be used as a car seat without its base. Don't assume that just because a car seat detaches from its base that it can be used as a separate car seat. Most infant car seats can double as carriers, but few are comfortable to carry for more than just a short distance. A number of infant car seats can be combined with strollers to create travel systems; several stroller brands are now made to universally accept infant car seats. An infant car seat also can double as a rocker or feeding station.

Toy bars, canopies and designer fabrics on car seats are nice touches, but are not necessary to a baby's safety and can raise the price. Breathable fabrics are important because they are thought to offer a more comfortable cushion for the baby.