An infant car seat is first car seat that you will use to protect your child while riding in the car. An infant car seat protects a newborn until they are about a year old in rear facing position until they outgrow the weight or height capacity of the seat. Choosing a car seat should happen well before your child arrives since you will need this seat to be able to leave the hospital with your new baby and you will want to make sure the seat you choose fits in your car properly and most importantly is inspected to make sure it has been properly and safely installed.
When choosing a seat you do have some options you can buy an infant car seat carrier which typically accommodates a child 22 up to 30 pounds depending on the brand and model you buy, or you can buy a convertible car seat that accommodates infants from as small as 5 pounds rear facing and then is turned around to be rear facing at around age 2 and 25 pounds, but could differ depending on your states’ laws. We recommend using an a dedicated infant car seat carrier for your child since this seat will be easily transported from your car to the house or stroller without waking the infant, provides the most perfect fit and comfort for the infant, and provides the safest ride for smaller children. Infant car seats are very convenient too since the seat fits into a base that is installed in your car using the lap belt or LATCH connectors and if you’ll be using the seat in more than one car you are able to purchase extra bases for each car you will use the seat in so that you will only need one carrier. Another convenience factor of an infant car seat is that many fit into strollers using adapters or easily clip into the stroller, if using a seat and stroller from the same manufacturer, and creates a stroller travel system that allows you to run errands or travel with baby with ease. Some popular infant car seats today are Chicco, Peg Perego, Britax, Orbit, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Evenflo, and Teutonia just to name a few.