Car Seats
As a new mum you have a lot to think about. Safety always being a primary concern of every new mum - and car safety is always high on the list of new mums we talk to.
If you use a car to get around then you are going to need to invest in a car seat for your baby.
There are many options to choose from but we like to make it easy to explain.
- iSize car seats will cover your baby from birth up to about 4 years of age (18kg).These car seat conform with the new R129 regulation which aims to increase the safety of children. They are always rear facing and installed with ISOFIX which is proven to be the safest option for your baby.
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Infant car seats which are suitable for newborns up to around 15 months (or 13kg). These are the seats that normally come with travel systems so if you are going with a full system you are covered.
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Infant to Child Car seats are suitable for newborn up to about 4 years old. They are both rear facing and once baby is big enough can be switched to front facing. One of our most popular seats is the Cosatto All-in-All car seat.
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Toddler car seats are for children older than 9 months and are front facing. Some great features here are easy to fit base units like the Click and Go Tobifix or the easy to adjust Maxi Cosi tilting seat for when its nap time.
Why does my baby seat have to be rear facing?
A newborn baby doesn’t have enough strength to support their head due to the under-developed neck and spine. Sitting in a rear facing position offers much better protection and is required under law until the baby reaches 15 months of age.
How to fit a child seat?
This is a question we get all the time because for a lot of new mums - the first fitting of a child seat can be very stressful.
Depending on the seat you choose you may have installation points for ISOFIX on the base unit or the seat may be installed by using your 3 point seatbelt to secure it in place.
Some seats require a separate base unit that fits securely with ISOFIX points into your car and you simply click the seat into place when you are going anywhere. Some base units have an additional support leg that stretches from the base unit to the floor of the car adding an additional level of support for the seat.
Do I need a base for my car seat?
You can use your seatbelt to secure a car seat and a lot of baby car seats come with this as standard. This seat from Maxi Cosi for example can be installed securely with a seatbelt but you can also use a base unit if you want.
