Which car seats suit to my baby?

Baby Car Seats Classifications

How can you choose the right kind of car seats to suit to your baby in this age?
Here are groups of car seats by age and weight of your baby.

Group 0

Group 0 baby seats, or infant carriers, keep the baby locked up in a rear-facing position and are secured in place by a standard adult seat belt and/or an ISOFIX fitting.
Group 0 carrycots hold the baby laying on its back.
Carrycots are secured by both seat belts in the rear seat of the car. Both types have handles to allow them to be easily moved into and out of the car.

• Position: Laying (in carrycots), rear facing (in infant carriers), no airbag (with the exception of curtain airbags).
• Recommended weight: Birth to 10 kg (22 lb)
• Approximate age: Birth to 12 month

Group 0+

Group O+ car seats commonly have a chassis permanently fixed into the car by an adult seat belt and can be placed into a pushchair using the integral handle if it is the specific model. Rear-facing child seats are inherently safer than forward-facing child seats because they provide more support for the child's head in the event of a sudden deceleration.  Although some parents are eager to switch to a forward-facing child seat because it seems more "grown up," various countries and car seat manufacturers recommend that children continue to use a rear-facing child seat for as long as physically possible.

• Position: Sitting, rear facing, no airbag(with the exception of curtain airbags).
• Recommended weight: Birth (2–3 kg) to 13 kg (29 lb).
• Approximate age: Birth to 15 months

Convertible seats

Convertible seats can be used throughout many stages. Many convertible seats will transition from a rear-facing seat, to a forward-facing seat, and some then can be used as a booster seat. Many convertible seats allow for 5-35 lb. rear-facing, allowing children to be in the safer rear-facing position up to a weight of 35 pounds.
Convertible safety seats can be installed as either rear-facing or forward-facing. There is a large selection available to choose from and weight limits, height limits, and extra features vary from seat to seat and by manufacturer. Seats with a 5-point harness are considered safer than those with an overhead shield
Convertibles aren't considered the best choice for a newborn because the bottom harness slots are often above the shoulders of most newborns. A seat with low bottom harness slots can be used if it is desired to use a convertible from birth.
Rear-facing weight limits range from 20 to 35 lb (9.1 to 16 kg) depending on the manufacturer and country of origin. Forward-facing limits range from 17.6 to 65 lb (8.0 to 29 kg) depending on the seat model and the manufacturer and country of origin.
Most convertible seats in the U.S. have at least a 30 lb rear-facing weight limit, most now to go to 35 lbs, some 40 lbs, and a few 45. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children remain rear-facing until they outgrow their convertible seat, regardless of how old they are. Children can remain in a rear-facing seat until they have either outgrown the weight limit for their seat, or the top of their head is within an inch of the top of the shell of the car seat.

Group 1

A permanent fixture in the car using an adult seat belt to hold it in place and a five-point baby harness to hold the infant.

• Position: Sitting, recommended rear facing but forward facing is legal, no airbag (with the exception of curtain airbags).
• Recommended weight: 9 to 18 kg (20 to 40 lb)
• Approximate age: 9 months to 4 years (Although older children can fit too sometimes)

It is recommended that children sit rear-facing for as long as possible. In Scandinavian countries, for example, children sit rear-facing until around 4-years-old. Rear-facing car seats are significantly safer in frontal collisions, which are the most likely to cause severe injury and death. Rear facing group 1 car seats are becoming more widespread but are still difficult to source in many countries.

 

Group 2

A larger seat than the Group 1 design. These seats use an adult seat belt to hold the child in place.

• Position: Sitting, forward-facing or rear-facing (make sure the seat is certified for up to 25 kg)
• Recommended weight: 15 kg to 25 kg (33 lb to 55 lb)
• Approximate age: 4 to 6 years (Although older children can sometimes fit)

 

 

 

Group 3

Also known as booster seats, these position the child so that the adult seat belt is held in the correct position for safety and comfort.

• Position: Sitting, forward-facing
• Recommended weight: 22 kg to 36 kg (48 lb to 76 lb)
• Approximate age: 4 to 10, and above if the child is not 36 kg yet

ref: wikipedia.org