One of the major steps in preparing for fatherhood is selecting a car seat for your baby. With so many to choose from, how do you know which carseat is appropriate? In this episode of The Lab, Daddy Clay and Daddy Brad clear up any confusion you may have and educate you on which infant car seat you need during the various stages of child development. Using baby seats from Chicco, Britax, and Graco, they demonstrate when your child will transition from rear-facing or convertible car seats to forward facing carseats and eventually booster seats. DadLabs ep. 422. Distributed by Tubemogul.
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KatMomof3 says
the other reason you want the infant seat first is torso height.
the bottom position for the straps to come out are 10″ high on most convertibles, where as they are 5-7″ high on infant seats.
rearfacing, the straps need to come from at or below the shoulders, so infant seats tend to fit newborns better.
lovinwaves says
Awesome video! Great seat choices, and I love how you said, “You can do BETTER!” Kudos for mentioning that children should remain rear-facing till the limits of their convertible. My 3 and 4 year old are still rear-facing.
Signed,
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician
&
Child Safety Advocate.
CarSeatSite says
Informed dads–yay! Great job, guys!
Heather, CPST-I
CarSeatPoncho says
Excellent video — hits all the important points. I wish I had seen this when my child was due!
Dragonflyby73 says
Love it! “You can do better” is my favourite line. I also like how you really stressed keeping your child in the seat until the maximum weight allowed.
Jacqui – CRST in Canada
PapoosesCPST says
“You can BETTER” — love it! I will be sure to share this video with the dads in my safety workshops :)
Signed, a Child Passenger Safety Technician in upstate NY
zachsblondie69 says
its sayed not to keep a child rear faceing till 2yrs now because its so much safter for a child
HEVYNNLY says
They must be married to techs ; )
But seriously, TOTALLY AWESOME!
Eclipsepearl says
Good pushing the rear-facing but I wish they wouldn’t promote the infant bucket-style seats so much. I hate to see parents carrying those around. Too much time in that position is not good for them. I could EASILY slide my sleeping babies in and out of the car seat with my sling and kept the seat in the car. Please note to NEVER place infant seats on top of shopping carts (dangerous as they can easily fall).
DadLabs says
Good point. The downside of these systems that allow the baby to go from carseat to stroller — too much time in one position. Have there been any studies of this?
kastnmagic says
Google “Flat Head Syndrome” and you’ll find some interesting information regarding this. SLINGS are what I used with my babies and toddlers 15 and 18 yrs ago… I HIGHLY recommend keeping that baby nice and close….
anjomi1986 says
Pretty good job guys! I wish you would have mentioned one thing: most convertibles are to big for newborns cause the lowest slots will still sit above their shoulders. And when rearfacing the straps should always be at or below their shoulders.
but really I think you did a great job!
DadLabs says
Well, at least it’s in the comments now! Good point. We have a brand new video on car seats out today. You should sub us!
Eclipsepearl says
I totally agree. I used my sling till 3 years of age. Saved my back and arms!
Tons of surveys have been done on this. Also, there is concern about oxygen levels in newborns too long in this position. Preemies are tested for this.
Teddi081 says
Why don’t you mention ages? The most important thing is not to put a child under the age of 4 front facing in a car! Here were I live its strongly recommended to keep children rear facing until they are 4-5 years old. There are rear facing car seats which allows a maximum weight of 55 Ibs. My 5-year old is rear facing.
DadLabs says
Most of the info we’ve seen about car seats is based on weight rather than age. Car seats are rated on weight generally. Although development (muscle tone and bone density) play a part here, weight is what drives the physics.
Teddi081 says
Of course there are a weight limit on the car seats. But if the limit is 55 Ibs like here in Sweden most 4-5 year old children can use them RF and therefore the age is the most important.
DadLabs says
Thanks for the clarification.
luv2bfishin says
Fun video guys, but I wouldn’t stress the “graduation” from seat to seat as a big plus. The safest seat is when they’re in the rear facing infant seat. As they progess to eventual front facing boosters or beyond, they increase the odds of injury. Even adults would be safer riding rearfacing. Keep in mind a young childs head is approx 25% of their body weight, versus an adults head at 6%. The forward thrust of a frontfacing childs head could cause severe neck injuries.
DadLabs says
@luv2bfishin Very true. Parents need to resist the temptation to change from rear facing, or to think of this as “progress.” It’s not like learning to walk or talk, not a good idea to try to accelerate this.
Thanks for the comment.