Infant carrier

A child restraint comprising

• an infant carrier including a carry handle and a seat bucket sized to receive an infant, the seat bucket including a carrier shell formed to include an interior region, an infant-support nest placed in the interior region of the carrier shell to support an infant transported in the carrier shell and provide interior padding for the carrier shell, and a cummerbund mounted on an exterior surface of the carrier shell to provide exterior padding for the carrier shell, and the carry handle being fixed directly to the carrier shell,
• wherein portions of the carrier shell, infant-support nest, and cummerbund cooperate to form a multi-layer side barrier around an infant supported in the infant-support nest in the interior region of the carrier shell and wherein the multi-layer side barrier includes an inner layer provided by the infant-support nest and made of a first soft shock-absorbing cushioning material, an outer layer provided by the cummerbund and made of a second soft shock-absorbing cushioning material, and a middle layer made of a harder yet deformable material having a relatively higher durometer as compared to the inner and outer layers,
• wherein the carry handle is coupled to the middle layer and arranged to extend laterally over an infant-receiving space formed in the infant-support nest,
• wherein the carry handle includes a first mount coupled to a first side portion of the carrier shell and arranged to extend upwardly away from a top edge of the first side portion, a second mount coupled to an opposite second side portion of the carrier shell and arranged to extend upwardly away from a top edge of the second side portion and lie in laterally spaced-apart relation to the first mount to locate a portion of the infant-receiving space therebetween, and a seat-bucket lifter coupled to the first mount and adapted to be coupled to the second mount when the carry handle occupies a closed infant-carrying position, and the infant-support nest includes a first side pad that is mated with the first side portion of the carrier shell and is formed to include an upwardly opening first mount receiver configured to receive portions of the first mount therein and includes a second side pad that is mated with the second side portion of the carrier shell and is formed to include an upwardly opening second mount receiver configured to receive portions of the second mount therein,
• wherein the infant-support nest further includes a front pad arranged to mate with a foot end of the carrier shell and mate with forward ends of the first and second side pads and a body-support pad arranged to mate with a head end of the carrier shell and extend between and mate with the first and second side pads,
• wherein the body-support pad includes a seat bottom and a seat back arranged to extend upwardly from the seat bottom toward the head end of the carrier shell, and
• wherein the carrier shell includes an infant seat comprising a seat bottom and a seat back and a wall surrounding the infant seat and defining the middle layer of the multi-layer side barrier of the seat bucket and the seat bottoms of the body-support pad and the carrier shell are aligned and mated to one another and the seat backs of the body-support pad and the carrier shell are aligned and mated to one another.

A child restraint comprising

• an infant carrier including a carry handle and a seat bucket sized to receive an infant, the seat bucket including a carrier shell formed to include an interior region, an infant-support nest placed in the interior region of the carrier shell to support an infant transported in the carrier shell and provide interior padding for the carrier shell, and a cummerbund mounted on an exterior surface of the carrier shell to provide exterior padding for the carrier shell, and the carry handle being fixed directly to the carrier shell,
• wherein portions of the carrier shell, infant-support nest, and cummerbund cooperate to form a multi-layer side barrier around an infant supported in the infant-support nest in the interior region of the carrier shell and wherein the multi-layer side barrier includes an inner layer provided by the infant-support nest and made of a first soft shock-absorbing cushioning material, an outer layer provided by the cummerbund and made of a second soft shock-absorbing cushioning material, and a middle layer made of a harder yet deformable material having a relatively higher durometer as compared to the inner and outer layers,
• wherein the carrier shell includes an infant seat and a side wall surrounding the infant seat and defining the middle layer of the multi-layer side barrier of the seat bucket, and
• wherein the side wall of the carrier shell includes a forward portion, a rearward portion, and first and second side portions arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to locate the infant seat therebetween, and each side portion includes a U-shaped solid panel and a perforated panel coupled to an upwardly facing U-shaped edge of the U-shaped solid panel.

A child restraint comprising

• an infant carrier including a carry handle and a seat bucket sized to receive an infant and the carry handle being fixed directly to the seat bucket, wherein
• the seat bucket includes a floor and a multi-layer side barrier arranged to mate with and surround the floor to form an infant-receiving space above the floor, the multi-layer side barrier including an inner layer made of a relatively soft shock-absorbing cushioning material, an outer layer made of a relatively soft shock-absorbing cushioning material, and a middle layer made of a relatively harder yet deformable material having a relatively higher durometer as compared to the inner and outer layers, and
• the carry handle is coupled to the middle layer and arranged to extend over the infant-receiving space,
• wherein the floor of the seat bucket is formed to include an infant seat having a seat bottom and a seat back extending upwardly from the seat bottom and the multi-layer side barrier is arranged to surround the infant seat.