How to buy a safe car seat?

Safe car seat for a child it is the equipment necessary to equip every toddler who will travel by car. What do I need to know before buying my first child seat? What criteria should it meet the safest seat is 9-18, 9-36 or 15-36? Below we have prepared a practical guide that will help you ensure the safety and comfort of your child while traveling by car. 

The first seat is bought before the baby is born, and the next one, when the baby grows out of the product intended for the first age category. The law regulates the issue of transporting children depending on their height, and also requires manufacturers to obtain approval for products available on the market, but it does not suggest which seat to choose. The Institute's experts come to the rescue and advise on how to buy a safe and functional car seat. We know from parents who we meet during childbirth classes and when giving opinions on products that the purchase of a seat is often a challenge - the more so as the seat is one of the most expensive products that you need to buy with your baby.

Transporting children in child seats and the traffic code

The Polish Highway Code imposes the obligation to transport children in child seats until they reach 150 cm in height. This point is essential, therefore no child, under 150 cm tall, may be transported without the seat. The Code allows for one exception where it is possible to carry a child in a rear seat, without a seat, but in the car's seat belts. It is about a situation where there are already two children in the car seats in the back seat of the vehicle and we cannot install another one for the next toddler. However, a child sitting without a child safety seat must be at least 3 years old.

In the front seat, a child up to 150 cm tall may only be transported in a child seat. The safest place in the car is in the center of the rear seat, which allows ISOFIX fastening or fastening with a three-point seat belt.

Car seat categories

To keep it safe, fA child car seat must be adapted primarily to their body weight (weight), but also to age and height. We distinguish the following product groups:

• 0rd Groupwhen the child weighs less than 10 kg (up to approx. 9 months)
• Group 0+, when the child weighs less than 13 kg (up to approx. 18 months)
• Group I, when the child weighs 9-18 kg (from approx. 8 months to 3,5 years)
• Group IIwhen the child weighs 15-25 kg (approx. 3-7 years)
• Group IIIwhen the child weighs 22-36 kg (approx. 6-12 years)

Seats in the weight range of 15-36 kg are group referred to as II-III. You can also come across the most capacious category of 9-36 kg, covering groups I-III (approx. 1-12 years).

Such seats are more universal and will serve the child for longer, but you should take into account that the safest 9-36 kg seat may give way to the best products in the 9-18 kg group. The comparison between the 15-36 and 15-25 car seats is similar - the smaller weight range allows for a more precise adjustment of the seat, which translates into safety of use.

Choice safe car seat automotive step by step

If you are looking for a car seat for your child for the first time, here's how to go about it.

• Begin by reading the the offer of car seats in specialized stores, taking into account the relevant weight category;
• If you want to buy a car seat online, check the selected model personally in your own car (a good seller will make it possible);
• pay attention to approvals, safety certificates and approval;
• An asset will be upholstery removable for washing;
• A good car seat for an older child should also have adapter for sleeping position;
• See if you can adjust the seat belts and headrest according to the child's height.

Why should children be carried in child seats?

This is primarily due to anatomy. Children have a flexible skeleton structure, and the ossification process continues right up to adolescence. Gradually, the ligaments and muscles of the cervical spine also develop. There are also differences in the structure of the vertebral bodies. They are flat in small children, and saddle-shaped in adults. Adults, unlike children, have a shaped ligamentous apparatus of the spine, which is a specific strengthening of the cervical segment. In other words - in adults, the vertebrae hold together in the event of heavy braking, and children do not have this anatomical protection. The same is true of a child's pelvis, the bones of which are still not fused in children. The pelvis acquires its "adult" shape only in adolescence. It then has fully developed plates and iliac spines.

The first car seat: what to look for?

The first car seat for a child is a model from the 0+ group. It allows you to transport your child in a reclining position. In the neonatal and early-infant period, a wedge should be inserted inside the seat, leveling the depth of the seat, so that the child does not fall too deeply and rests in it more lying than sitting. Please note that it is included with the seat together with the infant insert. You will use both products until your little one grows out of them.

Newborn baby seats are up to 13 kg and are always installed rearward-facing. It's a good idea to use a rearward-facing car seat for as long as possible, because it ensures the greatest safety of the transported child. The safest place to carry a child is in the center of the rear seat, as long as it is equipped with a three-point seat belt or an ISOFIX anchorage. If you want to transport a child in a rearward facing seat in the front passenger seat, remember to deactivate the airbag.

What to consider when buying a car seat for an older child?

After the child grows out of the first group 0 or 0+ car seat, the toddler should be fitted with new equipment. The current trend, consistent with the laws of physics, is transporting children as long as possible in rear-facing child seats. Currently on the market there are products adapted to this, the so-called  RWF Rearward Facing). Not every traditional seat from groups I, II and III is adapted to such assembly.

From a practical point of view, when choosing this product should be taken into account the following criteria:

• age;
• weight;
• user height.

What if the child is too big for the car seat?

Children taller than 135 cm often do not fit into the largest car seats, which turn out to be too tight, especially in the shoulder area. What to do then? A popular and, at the same time, the cheapest solution is coasters under the buttocks (car seats, also known as podpupniki). Unfortunately, although allowed by law, the results of crash tests show that ordinary polystyrene cushions do not provide adequate protection, exposing both the abdominal organs and the head and neck of a small passenger to serious injuries.

For growing children, you can look for a car seat with a larger weight range (models up to 54 kg are already available on the market) or choose a model up to 36 kg, whose manufacturer has provided for the possibility of disassembling the back and using the seat only (this is stated in the instructions for use).

Safety of the seat and its assembly

Even considered the safest car seat, regardless of whether we are talking about categories 9-36, 9-18 or 15-36, it must be properly installed to fulfill its role. That is why the method of mounting and stabilizing the car seat in the car is so important.

Many models have the ISOFIX system. It is a solution thanks to which we can quickly and reliably install the car seat without the use of seat belts, the correct use of which to install the car seat in the car requires great precision and effort on the part of an adult. It must be done in accordance with the instructions attached to the product. Incorrectly fitted into car seat belts is a threat to all car occupants in the event of an accident, not only for the little user.

Based on statistics it is estimated that around 70% of car seats are installed incorrectly in cars. Regardless of whether a given model has ISOFIX or not, it should have appropriate approvals and certificates. The use of the ISOFIX system requires that the car has the connectors of this system (i.e. two handles that are located between the seat and the backrest), which should be checked before buying.

What to pay attention to when installing a car seat in a car?

Practical note: no items are allowed on the rear shelfbecause, according to the ADAC research, in a collision at 50 km / h, objects lying in the rear cause enormous damage to passengers. A can of soda is the firepower of a grenade, and an umbrella can pierce like a dagger.

The safest car seat: not only certificates

European safety certificates ECE R44-03 and ECE R44-04 mean that the seat meets the basic technical standards and is approved for road use. This is not a sufficient confirmation, nor is it a complete guarantee of security your child, because these standards mean meeting the minimum requirements and are not necessarily in line with the latest technical solutions of the latest products of this type. For this reason, they are equally important crash tests conducted by independent organizations (like German ADAC or other OEAMTC, AA and ANWB).

The safety assessment criteria in the tests are stricter than those required to obtain a certificate. Therefore, before choosing a car seat, be sure to review the results of independent crash tests, guided primarily by safety and less by price.

How to read car seat test results?

In the tests, the car seats receive scores from 1 to 5. Not all parameters used by the test organizers are public, but in principle Crash-tested seats with less than 3 points should not be purchased.

Safety is of course the most important thing, but the convenience of use is also important for parents. The easy cleaning of the seat is essential, because there is no chance that the child will not get dirty with food or drink. It should also be easy to assemble and disassemble, and at the same time, when mounted, it should be optimally stabilized on the passenger seat.

The new safety standard for child seats: i-Size

Due to the ever-increasing requirements for the safety of children in car seats and insufficient standards in this regard, in 2013, approved new i-Size approval system. The existing weight categories are replaced by information relating to the child's height, which facilitates the correct selection of the seat.

The i-Size approval also introduces the obligation to transport a child up to 15 months of age in a rear-facing car. The i-Size certificate can only be obtained by seats equipped with an ISOFIX-based fastening system (without the use of seat belts), after passing crash tests with the use of new generation dummies. This allows the car seat to provide greater protection for the head, neck and sides of your child.

Nthe safest car seat: new or used?

On advertising and auction portals, there is no shortage of advertisements for the sale of car seats. They have an affordable price and many parents decide to buy it. However, it is not the best decision. We are not sure if the seat was used properly, if it was not involved in any road incident, and if the seat belts and fasteners still ensure safety. Not everything is visible to the naked eye, and the risk is definitely not worth it. A used seat can be purchased from a loved one, if we are sure that it was used correctly.

Stroller and car seat in one

Some models of multifunctional strollers also have a car seat in the form of a carry handle. You can attach it to the stroller frame - directly or with the use of appropriate adapters. This is a useful feature if you are going for a very short shopping trip or a scheduled visit to the doctor: instead of the entire carrycot, you will only take the car seat and the frame. This solution should not be used during walks or during prolonged stay in places where the child is exposed to fluorescent light (shopping malls, supermarkets).

The first child car seat must have the European safety certificate ECE R44-03 and ECE R44-04.

Which solution to choose?

Regardless of whether you decide to buy all accessories separately or a multifunctional solution (2 in 1 or 3 in 1), focus on the safety of your child. The possibility of purchasing all the necessary products in one set may seem attractive, not only in terms of price - but remember to carefully check the properties, approvals and certificates of each of them. Only then will you be sure that your baby is safe.