Car seat buying guide

Children are our most precious family members.

We spend all our time ensuring we keep them safe. As babies, we stare at them as they sleep, as toddlers we obsess over what they eat (or don’t). As children we worry when they go out to play, keeping a watchful eye on them and flying out to the rescue at the slightest whimper.

This is why purchasing a car seat should take a good deal of time and consideration...and that's only the first step.

Before you buy, make it your mission to find the safest seat by:

Researching it - and leave no stone unturned. Check out the manufacturer’s website – Graco, Maxi-Cosi and Britax all have comprehensive sites to look around. Don't forget the product reviews, and also hunt out parenting forums where the 'people in the know' will have made a comment if it's particularly bad or good.

Take a look at parenting magazines and professional review sites like 'What Car'. Most will have lists of their top 5 best car seats. They’ve done the hard work for you, so you might as well use it.

Check the seat fits - you might be surprised to know that they're not all compatible – particularly ISOFIX designs, therefore you may have to consider using the seatbelt to secure the car seat. Take a look at our ISOFIX vs seatbelt comparison later.

Weight - consider what it'll be used for. If you'll be moving the seat from one car to another, you might want to buy a lighter model to avoid putting your back out.

Combos - Pushchair/pram/car seat combo are great as you can just lift the baby seat out of the car and straight onto the buggy/pram frame. But don't be wooed by the buggy first – make sure the car seat meets your requirements too.

Safety tests - take a look at NCAP's website for a safety review of the car seat you are considering. NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) rigorously tests all car seats in all different accident scenarios. They're independent and are purely interested in the safety of the car seat.

Safety labels - make sure that the car seat you opt for shows either the orange ECE R44/04 label or the i-size label. These ensure the seat complies with the current child safety standards.

New v. old

Car seats aren't cheap, especially as you’ll probably have a few to buy over time as your child grows, so you might be considering purchasing one secondhand.

The problem with this is, you don't know what's happened to the car seat. It may have already been involved in an accident, or it may be broken in some way - and you’d only find out if you had an accident.

If you've got more than one child it's highly likely that younger siblings might inherit the older seat. It's important to check that it's still in working order. Car seats age, and may become brittle or not work so well – it's just something to bear in mind rather than automatically assume it's fine. RoSPA have some good advice on what to look for.

Don't rush

As well as the potential safety hazards of not protecting your child correctly the Police can hand out on the spot fines of £30 and if you're taken to court you could even face a fine up to £500.

Yes it can be easy to get fed up carting the heavy baby seat here, there and everywhere, acquiring a bruised hip or leg from repeatedly bashing yourself as the weight gets heavier.  But rushing your baby into the next stage seat is not advised.

On the flip side, sometimes we keep our child in the baby seat after the age/size we should, purely for convenience.

Safety should never be put off until later, but very often in this crazy fast paced world we live in, it takes second place to something else...without us even realising it.

So what can you do to make sure you're child is always in the right type of seat. It's can be a bit confusing, however the child car seat website lists all the car seat sizes against the weight of your child which is a very useful reference – keep checking when you know your child is coming up to a 'seat change' period – and if you think you’ll forget and continue on your merry way, then put a reminder in your calendar or phone. Also, take a good look at the Government's website about the car seat laws to understand all the legal requirements, so you don't get caught out without realising it.

Car safety in general

You've got the car seat sorted, the child is now sitting correctly – so you're all safe, right?

Well, maybe. Something else we often take for granted is the working order of the car itself. It's just about being aware of simple things and checks – that the oil and water are topped up, lights are all working, tyres are the right pressure and your windscreen wipers and washers are working well.

You can also check the overall safety of your car too by searching for its safety review. NCAP put every car through its safety paces and thoroughly wreck it to see how safe the passengers would be in an accident.

If your family car only gets one star, it may be time for a trade in.

Safety facts for car passengers

If that's not enough car safety information for you to digest, here are some more facts to keep you and your family safe on the road...

The centre of the car is said to be the safest place to fit a car seat. It's the furthest away from the sides should there be a side on collision.

Make sure everyone wears a seatbelt – From 1991 it became compulsory for everyone to wear one.  An unbelted person who is thrown out of their seat has the potential to injure another passenger.

Don't just assume because your child has reached the minimum age to no longer need a booster that this is ok (10 years for a boy, 12 years for a girl) The law states they actually need to be over 135cm regardless of their age. 

Riding with a child on your lap is never safe or legal - your weight could injure them if the car stopped suddenly.

Never allow two children to share a seatbelt.

Be aware that in other European countries the minimum height for not requiring a booster seat is 150cm and not 135cm, so if you are travelling abroad, check the law of the country you are travelling to or through.