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What is an Infant-Only Car Seat?

By , About.com Guide

The Britax Companion infant-only car seat with stay-in-car base.

The Britax Companion infant-only car seat with stay-in-car base.

Britax USA.
Question: What is an Infant-Only Car Seat?
Answer: An infant-only car seat is designed to fit babies from birth to about 20 pounds, and is made to face only the rear of the vehicle. Most infant-only car seats have a carrier handle so that the car seat can be easily removed from the car. Many modern infant-only car seats have a stay-in-car base, and the car seat itself clicks in and out of the base for convenience, instead of buckling the actual car seat into the vehicle.

The key thing to remember with infant-only car seats is that they cannot be installed in a vehicle forward-facing. Infants should ride rear-facing until they are at least one year old and weigh at least 20 pounds, and these car seats are designed to reflect that recommendation. Some newer infant-only car seats have a higher weight limit, up to 30 pounds, to allow heavier infants to stay safely rear-facing until at least one year of age.

Infant-only car seats are also known as infant carrier car seats or, less commonly, baby bucket car seats.
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