An infant car seat is designed for infants. This is usually from birth until your baby weighs in at about 20 pounds. These car seats are designed to ride in your car in the rear facing position. They are not designed to be turned around to a forward facing position.
An infant car seat can last you six to twelve months depending on the growth rate of your baby. Some babies out grow the infant car seat faster than others. Once your baby has outgrown this car seat you will need to switch to another type of car seat designed for older babies and toddlers.
The infant car seat can also double as a carrier. You can carry your baby out of the car to the house, grocery or anywhere. Many models of this infant car seat can either be strapped into the car directly or into a base that stays strapped into the car seat. Multiple bases can be purchased for multiple cars.
(Premature infants under a certain weight may need to use a car bed prior to riding in an infant car seat.)
Photo © Robin Elise Weiss
