Carrot Car Seat for Children with Special Needs
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The prevalence of children with special needs in society has been an increasing trend for many years. Children with special needs such as Cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis or spinal cord problems require an adaptive car seat or child restraint rather than a standard commercial car seat. These seats are designed, engineered and built to provide optimal positioning and safety for children with special needs.
The Carrot Car Seat for children with special needs is a popular example of such a seat. This article provides a detailed review of the Carrot car seat and will assist parents in understanding the benefits that this seat can provide compared to a regular seat.
Who makes Carrot Car Seats?
The Carrot car seat is made by Convaid, an established manufacturer of wheel chairs and restraint systems for children with special needs. Having been in this business since 1976 they have developed an expertise in producing products that provide the best combination of corrective positioning, comfort, durability and safety for the child, whilst being both attractive and convenient to use by parents or caregivers. They are a well renowned brand and a globally recognised industry leader in this niche category of child care products.
Carrot Car Seat Reviews
Convaid have two types of restraint system available in their product range:
- Carrot 3 Special Needs Car Seat
- Carrot 3 Booster Seat
Let's look at the key features and benefits of these two Carrot car seats in turn.
CARROT 3 SPECIAL NEEDS CAR SEAT
The Convaid Carrot 3 Special Needs Car Seat is designed for children and teens from approximately age 3 to 15. The seat has the advantage of being able to adapt to recline flat (180 degrees) from a fully upright position (90 degrees).
Adaptive Options a key feature of this seat
There are a host of options that you can choose for this seat via Convaid's website to make it fully customised to your child's individual needs. Here you will also find links to user guides and instructional videos for the seat.
Various seating and positioning options are available with this seat in order to maintain upright seating and positioning. Optional extensions can also be purchased to allow for the seat to grow with your child and last for years.
Furthermore, the contoured headrest, body conforming foam and optional shoulder wings provide enhanced side impact protection.
In addition, other options that can be purchased include a depth adjustable Pommel for correct pelvic positioning and support, rodded foot rests and and firm lateral supports, which encourage midline alignment of the trunk. Inserts for the seat, hips and trunk come as standard and provide custom positioning.
The Convaid Carrot Car Seat 3 is approved for aircraft usage by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The seat also exceeds U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213) as required under U.S Car Seat Law.
The Carrot 3 Special Needs Car Seat is available in a choice of three colours: Panther Black, Cherry Red or Royal Blue.
Features
- Recline Adjustment (90° – 180°)
- Head Support Pillow
- LATCH Equipped
- 5-Point Positioning Harness
- Seat Positioning Inserts
- Hip Positioning Inserts
- Trunk Positioning Inserts (Body Balance Pads)
Pros
- Lightweight
- Compact Folding
- Adaptive positioning
- Grows with your child
- “Free Angle” Recline 180°
- 5 Year Warranty - one of the best in the industry
Cons
- Much more expensive than a standard car seat
- You must use the seat belt in addition to the 5 point harness to properly secure your child.
- The seat is quite heavy at 19.1lbs
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Convaid Carrot 3 Special Needs Child Restraint System must ALWAYS be used with the vehicle lap/shoulder belt. The integrated 5 point harness is for positioning only. The Carrot 3 was crash tested at a 30 degree recline from vertical. It should not be transported in a moving vehicle past 30 degrees of recline.
The Convaid brochure for this Carrot Car Seat provides the full seat specification and dimensions and can be found here.
CARROT 3 BOOSTER SEAT
The Carrot 3 Car Booster Seat is an extended version of the Carrot 3 and designed for children and adults with Special Needs.
One of the benefits of owning the Carrot 3 Seat is that it converts to the Carrot Booster Seat via the Booster Seat Growth kit. This needs to be bought separately but will save you some money compared to buying a new seat if you already own the Carrot Car Seat but your child has grown out of it.
The Carrot 3 Booster Seat is able to grow with your child and is suitable for a weight range of 79-165 lbs and 55"-69" in height. It is also suitable for adults with Special Needs that are within this large weight and height range.
In terms of features, it shares many of the safety, comfort and support features of the Carrot Car Seat but with a larger configuration for larger children through to adults. Additional accessories are available too, such as a booster seat support tray, seat angle adjustment wedge and 3D body balance pads to fully customize the seat to your child's needs.
The Carrot Booster Car Seat is available in a choice of three colours: Panther Black, Cherry Red or Royal Blue.
If you are looking to purchase this Special Needs booster seat, local dealers can be found on the Convaid Website via this link.
Features
- Carrot 3 Backrest
- Booster Seat Base
- Recline Adjustment (90° - 180°)
- LATCH Connector System
- Head Support: 8.5" x 10.5" (H x L)
- 2" Backrest Extension
- 4-Point Positioning Harness
- Shoulder Protector Wings
- H-Harness Attaching Bracket
Pros
- Lightweight
- Compact Folding
- Adaptive positioning
- Grows with your child
- “Free Angle” Recline 180°
Cons
- Much more expensive than a standard car seat
- You must use the seat belt in addition to the 5 point harness to properly secure your child.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Convaid Carrot 3 Special Needs Child Restraint System must ALWAYS be used with the vehicle lap/shoulder belt. The integrated 5 point harness is for positioning only. The Carrot 3 was crash tested at a 30 degree recline from vertical. It should not be transported in a moving vehicle past 30 degrees of recline.
The Convaid brochure for this Carrot 3 Car Booster Seat, which provides the full seat specification and dimensions can be found here.
Conclusion
The main drawback with these Carrot 3 seats is their price - they are very expensive. However, this is to be expected for such a customizable and adaptable car seat.
The Carrot Car Seat has an extensive range of features and options that you will not find in a standard child restraint seat. In addition, Convaid are a brand you can trust and their seats exceed the statutory safety standards. There are cheaper special needs car seats out there but these are one of the best and most adaptive seats you will find.
These Carrot Car Seats are the first Special Needs Car Seats that we have reviewed here at Kid Sitting Safe! We hope you've found the review informative. We've created a new Special Needs Seat Category on the site so look out for our reviews of alternatives to the Carrot Car Seat in the near future!
