Choosing a child seat
The right seat for your child's weight
You will need to know how much your child weighs before you can buy a child seat because this is the main factor that defines the different groups of child seat available and the children they are suitable for.
There are lots of things to take into account when you are choosing a child seat:
- Safety – is the seat suitable for your child and compatible with your car?
- Price – aim to buy the best seat you can afford taking account of independent test* results and reviews.
- Usability – are the instructions clear, can you fit and adjust the seat easily, is your child comfortable in the seat and can the covers be removed/refitted easily after cleaning?
Weight groups
Before a child restraint can be offered for sale it is put through a number of safety and performance tests by the authorities. These are defined in UNECE Regulation 44 - you'll see this mentioned on the seat and the packaging - and include crash tests using a number of child-size dummies.
All seats will come with an indication of the age range covered but they are actually approved for sale in specific weight groups.
A child restraint will belong to one or more of the following size/weight groups (defined by UNECE Regulation 44):
Infant carrier (Group 0 and 0+) – up to 10kg (birth to 6-9 months) or up to 13kg (birth to 12-15 months)
Child seats (Group 1) – 9 to 18kg (approx. 9 months to 4 years)
Booster seats (Group 2 and 3) – 15-25kg (approx. 4-6 years)
Booster cushions (Group 3) – 22-36kg (approx. 6-11 years)
Points to remember
Check your child's weight in kilograms
Find out your child's weight before you shop for a restraint.
Read the instructions carefully
It's important to make sure that the seat is suitable for your child and compatible with your car.
Weigh your child regularly
So you can tell when you should start thinking about buying the next seat. The child will probably grow too big for the seat before exceeding its weight limit.
Don't be too eager to move children to the next, larger seat
A big child in a small restraint will be safer than a small child in a large restraint.
Don't rely on the upper age limit printed on the packaging
Some children may outgrow a seat faster than you think.
If you're looking at ISOFIX seats check the vehicle handbook carefully first
ISOFIX comes in different size class's and they're not all compatible with all vehicles
Other products & services
11 August 2011
* TRL Ltd, the Independent Transport Research Laboratory has launched an impartial child seat rating scheme which assesses child safety over and above the minimum legal requirements (Regulation 44) including a side impact test which is not covered by the Regulation. The new scheme also assesses usability - ease of fitting the seat in the vehicle and the child in the seat - and will award a rating of one to five stars depending on overall performance.
With such a scheme in place – and widely supported by child seat manufacturers and retailers – it should be possible for parents and carers to identify the best performing seat that matches their budget. We hope to see some products with TRL ratings on them later in the year.