The Runway
Safety Squad attended the 2007 ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas (Sept 7-10). The Expo is a showplace for all child product manufacturers, but we were there for car seats... big surprise. This was the Car Seat industry's version of a runway show for new car seats, minus the runway... substitute stealthy cover. Some of the seats are so innovative, they are still not public. But we saw them, and they're cool.
We spoke with Britax, Clek, Chicco, Graco, Dorel, Orbit, Peg Perego and others about both issues we encounter on the street and what's new and hot for 2008 and beyond.
While many issues and advances are worth commenting about, the one that was most encouraging was the move to higher weight infant carrier/base systems. Currently, most infant-only systems top-out at 22lbs. This weight limit exceeds the minimum weight required for turn-around from rear-facing to forward-facing. So, many parents equate the outgrowing of infant seats, with the time to turn baby forward. If you follow this blog at all you know that the 20lb (and 1 year) minimum turn-around milestone is not nearly as safe as a 30lb. The safest choice is to stay rear-facing to the maximum allowable weight of a convertible seat... rear-facing.
The Argument Against Higher Weight Carrier Systems
Moms don't like higher weight infant seats, because they weigh more. That seems pretty straight forward. Who wants to carry a 30lb baby in a 10lb seat? ... No one. That's why manufactures have reduced carrier weight, while maintaining or increasing safety; The new seats don't weight much more than the 22lb seats...maybe a couple ounces.
Additionally, moms and dads don't need to use the seat as a carrier when baby gets heavier. If parents choose to stop carrying the seat at 25lbs, they just need to leave the carrier attached to the base. The only other option is a convertible seat that is fixed anyway. The new seats also accommodate increased length, some to 32 inches.
Bigger Baby, Bigger Safety
The great advantage to the higher weight seats is safety. Rear-facing is safer, a lot safer. Waiting until your baby is older and heavier, before moving to a convertible or combination seat will relieve parents of the decision to turn forward-facing too soon. To give you some perspective, the Swedes recommend rear-facing to 3 yrs, while we require just 1 yr. You don't need to wait that long, but the longer you wait the safer your child will be.
Here are some of the higher weight systems: Graco SafeSeat (30), KeyFit (30), PrimoViaggio (30), Recaro (25)
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