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Infant Carrier or Car Seat? Which One Should I Choose and Why?
Child safety seat soon to be mandatory in Malaysia by 2020. With a multitude of travel options at your disposal, parents find themselves easily confused by the type of travel solution they need to purchase to ensure the absolute safety and comfort of their children. Though at some point the choices may depend on the parents’ personal preferences, certain regulations to be followed, type of car to take into consideration and the decision has to be made with the child’s age and physique in mind. Commonly we recommend an infant carrier for the first travel solution they’ll use. Then when the baby is old enough, it is exchanged for a car seat. But let’s elaborate a bit more on this subject.
Infant Carrier / Car Seat
An infant carrier is deal for newborns and designed for use up to 12 months of age, or older, subject to their shoulder height and weight. It is, without exception, installed in a rear-facing position.
Using adapters, the infant carrier can be snapped onto an approved stroller frame to be used as a pram. You’ll hear many parents saying how practical infant carrier are, as they allow you to move your kids in and of out the car without interrupting their nap. Namely, it won’t take long for first-time parents to realise just how difficult it can be to get a baby to sleep at such an early age, and when they finally do – you don’t want anything disturbing the baby’s nap schedule.
Car seat
Car seats are also proposed for newborns. A car seat stays permanently in the car, unlike the infant carrier. Car seat is suitable from birth until the child is 4 or some up to 12 years old; Convertible car seats are designed to be both forward-facing and rear-facing. They can be used for children who outgrew their infant carrier, up until the maximum weight / height allowed by the car seat. Parents may prefer convertible car seats for their adaptability and cost-effectiveness since they can be readjusted as the child grows.
Some parents choose a convertible car seat for their newborns instead of an infant carrier, installing it to be rear-facing. Once the child reaches a certain height, the car seat is readjusted to put a child in a forward-facing position. Maxi-Cosi recommends rearward facing for your baby’s first 12 months or longer. Depending on the brand and design, car seats convert from rearward facing to forward facing at approximately 12 months or 24 months. Important: children 12 months or younger must be in a rear-facing position. This position is more advisable for their fragile necks and is safer in case of an accident. Only after they are 12 months or older, a parent can consider transitioning them into a forward-facing position.
Forward facing car seats can be used after an infant carrier or after a convertible car seat; it is the secondary step for your child as they are not suitable for newborns.
Do I need a baby carrier?
Even though convertible car seats can serve the same purpose and can be utilised longer, an infant carrier comes with certain benefits that cannot be so easily disregarded. First, as we already mentioned, they are quite practical because they are easy to remove from the car. As a child can never be left alone in the car, a parent can take the infant carrier with them, either as a carrier or transform it into a pram to run errands, catch up with friends at a coffee shop or simply get out of the house, without waking their baby. Convertible car seats stay in the car and cannot be used in the same manner.
For families with two cars, a practical solution is to place the infant carrier in the car used most often for the baby, and install the convertible car seat in the secondary car. That way both parents are ready to transport their newborn. Second, purchasing both an infant carrier and a car seat will prove especially useful for parents who plan on having more children. As soon as your older one outgrows the infant carrier, you can transition them into a convertible car seat and have a free infant carrier for the newborn on the way.
Bottom line
Parents should always bear in mind when it comes to choosing the right infant carrier or car seat, the price is probably too good to be true if a car seat seems extremely cheap. We often fail to realize that developing an infant carrier / car seat takes years and the R & D cost could reach millions, thus always check the brand’s background before making a purchase decision. Only the genuine brand can give you the genuine and safe infant carrier / car seat.
It’s important to weigh up the pros and cons of both types of travel systems, check out www.mamours.com.my/catalog or drop by Mamours stores and talk to our customer service team to discover the most appropriate model to meet yours and your children’s needs.