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The Low Down on the New Infant Car Seat Controversy Rear-facing infant seat with base. Photo courtesy of NHTSA.

The auto and child safety community is in a bit of an uproar about the new Consumer Reports article, which blasts most infant carseat carriers as being unacceptably dangerous.  They tested the kind of infant carrier that comes with a base. The base stays in the car, while the carrier portion is used to transport the baby. They tested the seats at the maximum weight limit for each one. The big difference in the new test is that CR increased the speed of the crash tests from 30 to 35 and 38 mph, in accordance with the faster speed at which cars themselves are tested.  While at 30mph most of the car seats tested safe, at 35 and 38 mph, they did not. In the end,  the only two infant carrier seats that CR could recommend were the Graco SnugRide with EPS , $90, and the Baby Trend Flex-Loc Adjustable Back, $90.

There is another solution: Use a convertible car seat, which functions as a rear-facing, 5-point infant seat and then "converts" to become a forward-facing toddler (and beyond) seat.  The only disadvantage of these seats is that, if your baby is sleeping, you may wake it when you need to transfer the baby out of the car.  They will actually save a lot of money over the long haul, though, and are very safe if installed correctly.

The safety community is concerned that people will stop using these child safety seats as a result of the article. Whatever you do, always remember than any car seat -- even if it's not perfectly installed -- is better than no car seat.  In fact, infant seats are highly effective, reducing fatal injuries to infants by 71 percent in passenger cars and by 59 percent in pickup trucks, minivans and SUVs, according to NHTSA. There are plenty of resources to help you install your seat or make sure you've installed it correctly. Personally, I strongly recommend seeing a "professional." Go to www.nhtsa.gov to find a car seat checking station near you, or you can ask your local fire department.  Also, see our article, How to Install A Car Seat.   It even has a "how to' video you can watch.