There are many confusing options available to you when looking for baby car seats UK wide. Firstly, there are different types of seat, and you need to know what is best for the newborn, what type of fittings there are and when you need to change the seat.
For new born babies, rear-facing baby car seats, UK or worldwide, are the suggested option. You may think that a rear-facing seat is a waste of cash, but just seeing one of the crash test dummy videos will show you why they are so important for newborns. They will give much greater protection for the baby’s head, neck and spine than a forward-facing seat and you should try and keep your child in this type of seat for as long as possible. There are typically two Group 0 sizes; one suited to weights up to 10 kgs which will take a newborn to 6 or 9 months, or the Group 0+ for babies up to 13kg from birth to 12 or 15 months. If there is an airbag on the passenger side, never put a rear-facing seat in the front.
You do not always need to buy a new seat as you can now get seats that simply flip from rear to forward-facing and can accommodate a child up to 18 kgs. The child should be kept rear-facing until their head is one inch off the top of the seat structure, the weight for that particular seat is reached, or until the child is at least two years of age.
Group 1 seats such as the Britax Duo Plus ISOFIX, are forward-facing and will suit a small child from 9kgs to 18kgs in weight. The child will be sitting more upright, but will be protected from slipping down by a 5-point harness that fixes between the legs. A Group 1 seat is frequently fitted with 5-point harness as these give the most protection and will prevent excessive movement. This is because this arrangement secures the child more tightly and, in the event of a collision, prevents excessive movement that could harm the child.
The seat will either fix onto a fitted base in the car, be secured via the adult seat belt or using an ISOFIX fitting. The latter is possibly the safest way to secure a seat as it eliminates human error as it simply requires pushing and clicking the seat into a rigid fitting that are now standardised in new cars. If your car was built prior to 2006, check first before you buy.
Watch a crash-test dummy video in support of rear-facing car seats and discover more information about child car seats at www.britaxduoplusisofix.com.
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