Child Car Seats: Fitting, Standards and Replacement

Standards and stages

Regulations specify approval standards, and newer standards classify seats by child height rather than weight, with requirements for rearward-facing travel up to a defined age.

Rearward-facing travel is considerably safer for young children because it distributes crash forces across the back and head rather than loading the neck. Keeping a child rearward-facing as long as the seat allows is the recommendation in most guidance.

Booster seats raise the child so the adult belt sits correctly across the pelvis and shoulder rather than the abdomen and neck.

Fitting method

ISOFIX or equivalent rigid anchor systems connect the seat directly to the vehicle structure and substantially reduce fitting errors.

Belt-fitted seats are more prone to error, particularly with belt routing and tension.

Top tethers and support legs must be used where the seat requires them. A support leg must rest on a solid floor, and in vehicles with underfloor storage compartments this can be unsafe.

Vehicle compatibility

Not every seat fits every vehicle. Seat contour, belt length, anchor position and floor construction all affect whether a particular seat installs correctly.

Manufacturers publish vehicle compatibility lists, and checking yours before buying prevents an expensive mistake.

Trying the seat in your own vehicle before purchase is the reliable test, and good retailers will allow it.

Airbags

A rearward-facing seat must never be used in a seating position with an active frontal airbag. The airbag deploys with sufficient force to cause serious injury to a child in that position.

Where the airbag can be deactivated, follow the vehicle manufacturer's procedure and confirm the deactivation indicator.

Replacement

Replace after any significant collision, even if damage is not visible, because the structure may be compromised. Many insurers cover this.

Plastics degrade with age and ultraviolet exposure. Manufacturers typically specify a service life, commonly in the region of six to ten years from manufacture, and the date is moulded into the shell.

Second-hand seats carry unknown history and are best avoided unless from someone you know and the history is certain.

Checking the fit

The seat should not move more than a small amount at the belt path when pushed firmly.

Harness straps should be at or just above the shoulders for forward-facing, at or just below for rearward-facing.

The harness should be tight enough that you cannot pinch a horizontal fold of webbing at the collarbone. Bulky coats prevent this and should be removed before strapping in.