What baby car seat should I buy? Convertible child car seat vs capsule

It seems to be quite simple if it goes about choosing the car seat for newborns but there are different types of baby car seats available on the market.

By the law, small children should be kept rear facing at least until they are 15 months old. It has changed over the years and the period for keeping the baby in rear facing position has been extended from 9 months until 15 months. This is one of the reasons, many of the front forward facing seats had been designed to be used from 9 months before the new regulations applied. You may find a lot of car seats marked as suitable from 9 months.

For the first months of life, your baby must face the back of the car!

There are 2 different options you can go for considering travels with your newborn. One is a standard baby carrier car seat also known as capsules seats and the other is a convertible car seat.

CAPSULES INFANT CAR SEATS

Does everyone need one?

Yes, you will need a baby carrier car seat to leave a hospital or a birth centre and travel home safely with your new arrival.

How long are baby car seats good for?

Child car seats experts agree that it is ideal for a baby to remain rear-facing as long as possible, ideally until they are 2 years old. Depending on the size of your baby, rear-facing capsules are usually designed to accommodate a baby up to 9 months or 13 kg. As mentioned above, infants must remain in rear-facing seats until they are 15 months old which can only be achieved with a convertible car seat.

You may ask if it’s worth to buy capsules car seats at all. Although they are suitable just for the first few months of life, there are many pros of buying it.

• They are smaller and lighter than convertible or all-in-one car seats and usually have a handle for easy carrying.
• the capsule allows you to carry your little one from place to place without disturbing while they are fastened asleep
• Most of the capsules are suitable to be attached into the pram so for the short distance walking, you do not have to transfer your child from the seat into the pram.

CONVERTIBLE CHILD CAR SEATS

Convertible car seats are the seats that convert from a rear-facing for babies and toddlers to a forward-facing position. They are suitable to be used from birth to somewhere between 4-6 years old, depending on the seat.
A convertible car seat has a much longer period of use compared to the capsule.

Most of the convertible car seats are also rotating which means they can spin completely around and be used BOTH forward AND rear–facing without a reinstall. You can also swing it to face the car’s door, making it easier to get your child in and out. Convertible car seats are better value for money. If you get a seat that has a large age range (e.g. 0-8yrs) you will not need to buy another car seat for your child, which could be more cost-effective.

There are also some cons of using convertible car seats.

• They are generally heavier and bulkier than capsules car seats and take more space.
  Some convertible car seats take up a lot of space back-to-front when installed at the correct angle, which may force the car’s driver or passengers to pull up their seats uncomfortably or unsafely.
  It is important to check especially rotating car seats if they can be used with the specific model of the cars. Some car seats are simply too big to be fitted in some models.
• Once installed, convertible car seats cannot be easily transferred from vehicle to vehicle, they also not travel system compatible.

If you decide to buy a convertible car seat and use it from birth, make sure it has padding or a newborn insert that helps your baby fit comfortably and safely.

No matter if you buy capsules or other child car seat, always remember to make sure they are quality and EU-approved weight-based seats. These have a label showing a capital ‘E’ in a circle and ‘ECE R44’

These photos show an infant car seat ( left) and a convertible, rotating style seat ( right)

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