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Confused About Car Seats?
There are three main types of seats used to secure young children in cars.
They are:
- Infant seats.
- Convertible seats.
- Booster seats.
Infant seats
These seats are designed for infants under a year old. Their neck
muscles are not strong enough to resist much force. These are rear-facing
seats, secured by the car's seat belts as well as a metal latch
that is secured to the car. The seat is designed to protect an infant
from birth to about 9 kilograms/21 pounds or about 1 year old.
Convertible seats
Convertible seats can face either backward or forward. They often
have five-point harnesses. They need to be turned backward until
the child can hold his or her head up and the neck and spine are
strong (usually at around 12 months). This style of seat can be
used until the child is about 18 kilograms/40 pounds or around 4½
years old.
Booster seats
Until recently, most parents would move their kids straight into a seatbelt
after they outgrew their car seat. That can be a big mistake.
A child car seat is designed to protect someone who weighs up to
18 kilograms/40 pounds. Seat belts are designed for with a 75-kilogram/165
pound man in mind.
With kids, the lap belt tends to ride up on the abdomen and the shoulder belt
often cuts across the face or neck. Children can be injured by seat belts that
do not fit them correctly as well as by belts that are not worn correctly.
Booster seats were designed to correct this problem for most children between
the ages of four and eight (or weighing up to 36 kilograms/80 pounds).
They raise children to a height at which lap and shoulder belts
can be worn correctly.
The booster seat is held in place by the seatbelt. It is not tethered to the
car like a child car seat.
Children using seat belts instead of booster seats are 3.5 times more likely
to suffer significant injury, and four times more likely to suffer head injury.
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