Types

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) lists the three types of car seats suitable for infants---rear-facing, infant-only or convertible car seats and car beds. With an infant-only car seat, you have the option of installing it with or without a base. A base gives you flexibility since you can keep a base in each vehicle you use. You can remove the seat itself from the base. You can also attach an infant-only car seat to your vehicle without a base. Convertible car seats switch from rear- to forward-facing when your child reaches the maximum weight the car seat manufacturer allows for the rear-facing position. You can adjust the harness on a convertible seat as your child grows. You can use car beds, which allow your baby to lie flat, with premature infants who are too small to safely fit in an infant-only or convertible car seat.
  
  

Installation

• You use either your vehicle's seat belt or LATCH system to secure your baby's car seat to your vehicle. Safe Kids USA advises you not to use both methods at the same time. The seat belt fits through an opening in the rear of the car seat or base. The LATCH system relies on a series of hooks, located in the back seat of your vehicle---both above the back seat and underneath the seat's cushions---and straps on your LATCH-compatible car seat to make a secure connection.
  
  

Time Frame

• Whether in an infant-only or convertible car seat, your baby should ride facing the rear until a minimum of 1 year of age and 20 lbs. The AAP urges you to keep your child in a rear-facing position for as long as the car seat's manufacturer allows. Some infant-only seats accommodate children up to 35 lbs. Convertible car seats have various rear-facing weight limits before you must convert them to forward facing. Check with your baby's doctor to determine when you should switch your premature baby from a car bed to an infant-only or convertible application.
  
  

Proper Fit

• Infant-only and convertible car seats use a harness to secure your child. Since convertible models work with children as they get older, the harnesses can grow with the child. For infants, position the harness in the slots at or below your baby's shoulders. CHOP explains that when used rear-facing car seats, you need to situate harness straps the same way you do in an infant-only seat, but you might not to move them as your child develops to keep them at or below her shoulders.
  
  

Considerations

• Periodically, check your baby's car seat to make sure it attaches securely to the vehicle. Safe Kids USA warns that the car seat or its base should not move more than 1 inch in any direction. Test the seat or base by grabbing it where the safety belt or LATCH system secures it. If you have any doubts about the safety of your system, contact a certified child passenger safety technician or your local police station for assistance.