Car Seat Guide

Now let’s learn about car seats. This can actually be quite the minefield – it’s just as much to take in as with a pushchair! With 2 car seat laws – R44/04 and R129 – it can get very confusing, very fast. Fortunately, you’ve got experts to help you out. In this guide we will cover the general basics of car seats.

Group 0+

Also known as an infant carrier, these can connect to most pushchairs and form a travel system. They are all rearward facing and can take a baby from birth to approx. 12 months.

Group 0+/1

These are 2 combined groups, so your baby can use them from birth to approx. 4 years. Offering fantastic value of money. If you don’t want to use your pram as a travel system these are ideal as they are designed to be permanently in your car.

Group 1

The next stage car seat, some can be rear and forward facing. They are suitable from approx. 9 months to approx. 4 years.

Group 1 – 3

Similar to the 0+/1, this is another combined group. With a very long shelf life, baby can stay in from approx. 9 months to approx. 12 years. This means you don’t need to buy lots of car seats.

Group 2 – 3

A modified version of the 1 – 3, requiring children to be slightly older before they can be used. Suitable from approx. 4 years to approx. 12 years.

Group 0+

Group 0+/1

Group 1

Group 2 – 3

A car seat is one of the most important purchases you can make. Without a car seat you will not be allowed to leave the hospital with your baby, as you have no safe way to get your baby home. Failing to provide adequate protection for a child shorter than 135 cm will net you a £100 fine. The only exceptions are: a child under 3 travelling in the back of a taxi, where a car seat is not available, in the event that there are 3 children in the back seat and there is no room in the middle seat for a car seat, a child over 3 years may sit without a car seat or there is an unforeseeable emergency.

We recommend that you keep your car seat in the middle, as it is the safest position. If this is not possible you can either place the car seat behind the passenger or drivers seat. If the car seat is behind the passenger then parking on the correct side of the road allows access to baby from the curb. Behind the driver allows for you to steer driver and baby away from a collision, or if you often park on the wrong side of the rode. Also, you can connect a mirror and be able to keep an eye on your child if they’re crying – rather than having to whip your neck around.

Before embarking on your journey, your child must be safe. We begin this be ensuring that the door air bags are deactivated. If your child is travelling in the front seat, the passenger air bag must be deactivated. Depending on which car seat law (more on this in car seat guide 2) your baby must be rearward facing up to 9/15 months. Ensure that the harness is tightened enough for a secure but comfortable fit. You can then install your car seat via seat belt or ISOFIX and slide the chair in front backwards until it is touching the infant carrier. Once all of these checks have been made will your child be safe whilst travelling in a car.

With the invention of the ISOFIX it has revolutionised the way car seats are installed to your car. An ISOFIX offers a solid, permanent connection to your car, some such as the BeSafe iZi Modular ISOFIX have a green/red light indicator and beeper – indicating to you if the ISOFIX has been correctly installed. With the ISOFIX installing your car seat is very easy, all you have to do is click it into place. Maxi-Cosi performed a test with their 2wayFamilyFix Base and found that parents who used the ISOFIX installed the car seat correctly 96% of the time, whereas with a seat belt was installed 2/10 times. Some ISOFIX can take multiple car seats, such as the Maxi-Cosi 2WayFamilyFix Base, which is compatible with the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus and Maxi-Cosi 2WayPearl. All ISOFIX are only compatible with their brand, you cannot use a Kiddy car seat with a BeSafe ISOFIX.