Car seats
are a serious business. Tests are carried out much the same as
your own seatbelt tests. Seats are designed for collisions depending
on the weight of your child rather than his/her size. Unless you
follow the instructions and guidelines applicable to your particular
seat, you may render its protection useless.
Remember weight
rather than size. Some babies are monsters when born and some
grow alarming rates, "Something in the water round those parts".
The fact that every child is different means most manufacturers
detail their seat by kilograms rather than age. You can expect
to purchase at least two car seats, maybe three, until such a
time as your child is old enough to travel using normal restraints.
The
AIRBAG
Does
it fit your car?
Some car manufacturers
do not fit the average length of seatbelt needed to stretch around
the width of your car seat. Ask the assistant about your particular
car make. These days most manufacturers have addressed this problem
and you would be hard pressed to find a model that does not comply.
Different
manufacturers will offer different extra's such as carrying handles
or straps, removable washable fabric, footmuffs, etc, and yes
some of these can be a useful addition to daily life in the months
to come, however safety and adaptability is your main concern.
Prioritise "Can it fit my car?" and "Does it suit my baby's size?"
before being swayed by style.
From
Birth (Group 0)
The first
seat you will need are designed for younger babies. These seats
are categorised in weight from birth up to 10-13 kg. At your babies
infant months he/she is still developing rapidly and will continue
to do so until around 86 years old.
|
Group 0
|
|
Baby.ie
seats
|
| Up
to 13kgs
birth
to 9-12 months
|
- Rock-a-tot
(Quinny)
- Elios
(Bebe Confort)
- Club
Class (Quinny)
|
During these
early months the back and neck are very delicate, your babies
muscles are not strong enough to support his/her head in the event
of an accident. However in the case of a rearward facing car seat,
the impact is absorbed into the seat itself, and the likelihood
of injury is greatly reduced.
Up
to 4 years old (Group 1)
Many manufacturers
have designed seats to address your child's safety requirements
right through to he/she is 36kg. These seats are a combination
of a child's seat and a booster seat.
|
Group 1
|
|
Baby.ie
Seats
|
|
9 -
18 kgs
9 months
to 4 years
|
- Iseos
(Bebe Confort)
- Hipsos
(Bebe Confort)
- Cruiser
Plus (Quinny)
- Renaissance
(Quinny)
- Eclipse
(Quinny)
- Freeway
(Quinny)
- Trio
(Quinny)
- Turbo
Up (Maxi-Cosi)
|
The child's
seat is secured using the cars own seat belt, while the child
itself is fastened in using an internal fitted strap system on
the car seat itself. We would recommend you only purchase seats
using a 3-point safety harness system, anything else is not worth
considering.
The
TWO-WAY seat.
Some manufacturers
have design all-in-one car seats designed to suit your babies
needs from birth right through to 18kg (3-4 years of age). These
seats are designed to be rearward facing for the early months
and then adaptable to face forward when required.
It is important
to remember these seats are far bulkier than your normal seat.
Therefore you must check the seat can be placed both forward and
rearward facing. Check both directions before daily use. No retailer
will allow you to return the seat after 6-7 months of use, if
you suddenly discover the seat does not fit in your car.
|
Group
2
|
 |
Baby.ie
Seats
|
|
15 -
25 KGs
4 -
6 years
|
- Cruiser
Plus (Quinny)
- Trio
(Quinny)
- Ranger
(Brtiax
|
The
BOOSTER seat.
Booster seats
are designed to give an optimum level of safety when your child
is around 30kg in weight. The seat raises the infant to ensure
the seatbelt crosses the child's chest in the proper position.
The lower strap is secured using brackets on the set itself.
|
Group 3
|
|
Baby.ie
Seats
|
22
- 36 KGs
6
- 11 years
|
- Ranger-booster
(Quinny)
- Hipsos-booster
(Bebe Confort)
|
2nd
hand Car Seats.
Baby.ie would
advise our users not to buy a 2nd hand car seat under any circumstances.
We do know we list "Car Seats" on our free ad section, because
we promote free choice.
Car seats
are manufactured to strict pressure testing and tension designs.
In the case of an accident the car seat may incur internal damage,
or hairline cracks. The seats are designed to assist in safety
for that one accident. They are NOT designed to absorb repeated
damage.
If you purchase
a used seat, which may look perfect, even brand-new, you cannot
be sure of its history. In a family household with young children,
the seat might have been thrown around causing cracks internally,
unbeknown to the parents.
Be vigilant.
Checklist
for Car Seats.
