Carrycot vs. Infant Car Seat: Which one is a better choice for my baby?
Well, in this post, we will be discussing the nuts and bolts of Carrycot vs. Infant Car Seat in order to help you make an informed buying decision.
So, without any further ado, let’s begin…
What is a carrycot?
Carrycot aka Bassinet is a small, compact, lightweight, and portable bed mainly used for babies up to 6 months old.
In most of the cases, you’ll find a carrycot attached to the stroller.
Moreover, your baby can sleep in a carrycot for the first few months, and in case of going out, the cot can be attached to the frame.
If I’ve, to sum up, all I want to say is that your kid is safest in a car seat’s five-point harness until they meet all the criteria including age, height, weight, and maturity recommendations for riding a booster.Is my baby more comfortable in a carrycot?
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on becoming a mom, and if this is your first time, then you know how precious the feeling is.
You might be wondering how I guessed it, RIGHT?
Well, to-be moms are the ones who are very interested in knowing about carrycot and infant car seat, isn’t it?
Most of you wouldn’t be aware of the fact that the newborn isn’t able to hold the weight of their head until 4 months.
Let’s dive a little more into the topic to understand what it actually means.
In simple words, if your infant resides in a bucket seat then the probability is very high that s/he will be leaning forward very frequently which might lead to respiratory issues and spinal development problems.
According to Peter Fleming from the University of Bristol, placing an infant at a more upright 40-degree position along with vibration experienced in the car can lead to significantly increased heart and respiratory rates, and decreased oxygen saturation.
You can find the details at http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/october/child-car-seats.html
In other words, newborns when traveling for long hours in a position that is not correct can adversely impact your baby and in the worst case, can lead to severe implications.
Well, with all this information given, we don’t want to put you off traveling with your newborn in a car seat as that would be highly impractical for all parents.
So, what is the solution?
Yes, you guessed it, RIGHT.
A carrycot could be a possible solution in case you’re planning to travel with your baby who isn’t even 6 months old.
First thing first, if possible try to avoid traveling with your infant who isn’t 6 months old.
But, due to some urgency if you’ve to travel with your newly born baby then carrycot could be a great way to do so.
The newborn baby needs to lie flat rather than being propped up on an inclined seat or into a bucket-shaped seat.
When your baby is lying flat, she breathes optimally and gets all the oxygen that she needs.
On top of it, the lying-down position helps the baby in the proper development of the spine and hips.
The lie-flat position helps your baby’s breathing
When your baby is lying flat in a pram, her lungs are not constricted, and therefore her oxygen saturation doesn’t get compromised.
Oxygen saturation can be defined as the percentage of hemoglobin-binding sites in her bloodstream occupied by oxygen.
Many of you wouldn’t be aware of the fact that your baby’s lungs are the last to be developed in the womb so it becomes really important that your baby’s lungs get full support for its proper development.
Studies have shown that the baby’s oxygen saturation can be adversely impacted if she is not lying in a flat position.
The lie-flat position helps your baby’s spinal development
Yes, you heard it, RIGHT.
Lying flat can be a boon to your baby’s spinal development.
A lie-flat position helps the spine develop in the correct way, says Hannah Spink, Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist at Bumble Bee Physio in London.
She says for a baby’s spine to develop in the natural way that it is supposed to be, we should aim for a lie-flat position.
The good thing about the lie-flat position is that the hips will naturally turn into external rotation and abduction which is the point where the hips are contained within the socket.
Moreover, if you force your baby to sit up in a pram or a car seat then you could probably compromise that position.
Will pram with a carrycot be of great help?
To be honest, it depends to a large extent on the pram that you’re planning to buy.
In fact, if the pram that you’ve bought doesn’t come with a lie-flat seating option, then definitely, you need a carrycot.
As per my knowledge and experience, more often than NOT, carrycots are bought as a separate unit from the pram itself.
You can attach both of them via adaptors, allowing you to take them on and off the pram frame, and replace them with a seat until and unless your baby is old enough to sit up in the pram.
What is an infant car seat?
An infant car seat aka a child safety seat is specifically designed with energy-absorbing foam to protect your child from any car collision impact injury.
As per NCBI, proper car seat use reduces the risk of injury, hospitalization, or death by greater than 70 percent when compared with seat belts or no restraints.
What is the difference between a carrycot and an infant car seat?
To be honest, at first glance both the carrycot and the infant car seat might look similar but the fact is that they are constructed differently to serve different purposes.
A carrycot has a soft interior and hard exterior so that your baby can get all the necessary comfort and coziness without compromising on your child’s protection.
On the other hand, an infant car seat in most cases isn’t capable of fully reclining.
Well, the main purpose of a carrycot is to provide a cozy and safe add-on to the stroller for your newlyborn baby.
On the contrary, an infant car seat is designed with energy-absorbing foams in order to protect your baby from impacts during a car accident.
For your information, it isn’t recommended to leave your newborn baby in a car seat for long hours as it might impact their spine growth.
Wrapping Up | Carrycot Vs. Infant Car Seat
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for being with us till the end.
Secondly, I would like to bring to your notice that I along with my core team have put loads and loads of effort into coming up with this idiosyncratic superlative piece of information.
And, in case, you liked our efforts, then please do share this information with like-minded people and the ones who are in search of it.
After all, sharing is caring, isn’t it?
To make a long story short, both carrycot and infant car seats are good in their own sense.
For your newborn baby who is less than 6 months old, a carrycot will do the trick as it will help in proper breathing and spine development.
On the other hand, an infant car seat reduces the risk of injury, hospitalization, or death by greater than 70 percent when compared with seat belts or no restraints.
That’s all, as of now:):):)
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