Baby transport: Encyclopedia - Baby transport

Baby transport

For transportation of a baby or toddler there are special vehicles, special car seats, and devices for carrying.

Baby transport - Carrying the child

Main article: Babywearing

Baby carriers and slings are devices that hold the infant against the parent's body in order to be easily held and carried while walking. These are very commonly seen in Africa as a piece of cloth wrapped and tied to support the baby while the mother walks or works.

Baby transport - Pushable vehicles

Baby transport - Carriages and prams

A baby carriage or baby buggy (in American English), or pram (in British English, short for perambulator). They are generally used for newborn babies and have the infant laying down facing the pusher.

Prams have been widely used in the UK since the Victorian era. As they developed through the years suspension was added, making the ride smoother for both the baby and the person pushing it. In the 1970s, however, the trend was more towards a more basic version, not fully sprung, and with a detachable body known as a "carrycot". Now prams are very rarely used, being large and expensive when compared with "buggies". One of the longer lived and better known brands in the UK is Silver Cross, first manufactured in Guiseley, near Leeds, in 1877, though this factory has now closed down.

Baby transport - Strollers and pushchairs

A stroller (American English) or pushchair (British English). They have the child in a sitting position, usually facing forwards.

"Pushchair" was the popularly used term in the UK between its invention and the early 1980s, when a more compact design known as a "buggy" became the trend, popularised by the conveniently collapsible aluminium framed Maclaren buggy designed and patented by the British aeronautical designer Owen Maclaren in 1965. "Buggy" is now the regular term used in the UK; in American English, "buggy" more likely refers to a pram. Newer versions can be configured to carry a baby lying down like a low pram and then be reconfigured to carry the child in the forward-facing position.

Baby transport - Travel systems

Travel systems typically consist of a chassis with a detachable baby seat and/or carrycot. Thus a travel system can be switched between a pushchair and a pram. Another benefit of a travel system is that the detached chassis when folded will usually be smaller than other types of pushable vehicles.

Baby transport - Car seats

Baby car seats are legally required in many countries to safely transport children up to the age of 2 or more years. Car seats have been found to cause severe and fatal injuries to the child when fitted in a seat with airbags.

In 1990, the International Organization for Standardization FIX (ISOFix) was launched in an attempt to provide a standard for fixing car seats into different makes of car. While some manufacturers have started selling ISOFIX-compliant baby car seats there has been a long delay in agreeing the technical specifications and the standard is still yet to become widely used.

There are several types of car seat depending on the position of the child and size of the seat. The United Nations standard ECE R44/03 categorised these into 4 groups: 0-3. Many car seats combine the larger groups 1, 2 and 3.

Baby transport - Group 0

Group 0 baby seats or infant carriers keep the baby 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 - they are not as safe as the seat as they offer less support to the baby's neck in the event of an accident or sudden braking. 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 in to and out of the car.

• Position: Laying (in carrycots), rear facing (in infant carriers)
• Recommended weight: Birth to 10 kg (22 lb)
• Approximate age: Birth to 9 months

Baby transport - Group 0+

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.

• Position: Sitting, rear facing
• Recommended weight: Birth to 13 kg (29 lb)
• Approximate age: Birth to 15 months

Baby transport - 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, forward facing
• Recommended weight: 9 kg (20 lb) to 18 kg (40 lb)
• Approximate age: 9 months to 4 years (Although older kids can fit too sometimes)

Baby transport - 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
• Recommended weight: 15 kg (33 lb) to 25 kg (55 lb)
• Approximate age: 4 to 6 years (Although older kids can sometimes fit)

Baby transport - 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 (48 lb) to 35 kg (76 lb)
• Approximate age: 6 to 11 years

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Baby transport", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki