Guest Post - Pass Smart Child Seat Guide

Choosing the correct car seat is crucial. Not only do you have to have the right seat for your child's age and size, but it also needs to be suitable for your car. The safety of your child is the most important thing, so you want to make sure you know everything you need to know before deciding on a car seat. In this guide we look at the types of child seats available, what you need to look out for, and how to install them.

Weight groups

All child seats are required to pass European standards, and must be safety approved in order to fit into a child seat 'group'. There are four weight groups, ranging from carriers for newborn babies to booster seats for older children.

• Group 0 and 0+ (infant carrier) for newborns weighing up to 10kg or up to 13kg 

• Group 1 (child seats) for babies weighing between 9 and 18kg 

• Group 2 and 3 (booster seats) for children weighing between 15 and 25kg 

• Group 3 (booster cushions) for older children of between 22 and 36kg

Weighing your child in kilograms is the first step in choosing a car seat for your child. After buying your first seat, you should continue to weigh your child on a regular basis, because, as we all know, children grow very fast, and you may need to change their seat sooner than you expect.

Reading your manual

We're all guilty of skimming over instruction manuals, but when it comes to car seats, reading through your manual is important. This is where you'll find out if your car seat is compatible with your car, and any information you may need to know about installing or using the seat. Keep the manual in the glove box in case you ever need it on your travels.

Your manual will soon become your best friend when it comes to the ins and outs of using your child seat, because, although mums can do most things, they don't teach you about your car's confusing fittings and fixtures in your driving lessons.

Isofix seats

Although many car seats are labelled universal, they don't necessarily fit in all cars. The manual will not only tell you whether or not your car and seat are compatible, but it will also let you know the correct category and size class if you're choosing an Isofix child seat.

Isofix was developed in the 90's and was designed to make plugging in child seats easier for parents. Because standard seat belts are designed to keep adult passengers safe, installing a car seat can prove difficult. Isofix seats fix this issue by providing small attachments for the seat to simply plug into. Not only are Isofix seats practical and easy to use, but they also enhance safety as the child is connected directly to the structure of the car.

Where should you put them?

Now that you've done all of the research and made the purchase, you need to know where in the car to put it. The safest place for your child is in the back, middle seat. In this position, there are no hard objects directly in front of them, and they are the furthest point away in case of a side impact.

If, however, you and your child are alone in the car, it may be better for them to sit in the front seat with you. This way, if they start to cry, you won't be distracted by turning around. If they are seated in the front seat, they must be in a front facing seat and as far away from the dashboard as possible. A child in a rear facing seat will be in an extremely vulnerable position should the passenger airbag activate.

Buying a child seat can be confusing, but as long as you know what to look out for, finding your child the perfect seat is easy.

Disclosure: This guest post was written for Love From Mummy by Isabelle Guarella of PassSmart.com.