The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital for child safety. They should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds.

There are 2 types of rear-facing car safety seats: infant-only seats and convertible seats.

infant-only seat
Infant-only car safety seat

Infant-only seats

* Are small and have carrying handles (and sometimes come as part of a stroller system).
* Are used only for travel (not for positioning outside the vehicle).
* Are used for infants up to 22 to 32 pounds, depending on the model.
* Many come with a base that can be left in the car. The seat clicks into and out of the base so you don’t have to install the base each time you use it. Parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles.

Convertible seats (used rear-facing)

* Can be used rear-facing, then “converted” to forward-facing for older children. This means the seat can be used longer by your child. They are bulkier than infant seats, however, and do not come with carrying handles or a separate base.
* Have higher rear-facing weight and height limits than infant-only seats, which makes them ideal for bigger babies.
* Have 2 types of harnesses

Source: aap.org

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