In general, the fitting in a car depends on the type of seat. If you have a rear facing seat (which you should keep for as long as possible) it should be located in the centre of the rear seat while the next stage seats or boosters will be placed either side behind the driver and passenger seats.
If you wish to take a car seat on a plane, please note this is often required if a child is under 2. You will be restricted by the width of the seat which usually must be less than 16 inches. Call the airline to find out if your seat will fit the plane and once onboard, the cabin crew will help you fit your seat and settle your child comfortably.
The golden rule of thumb really is that you should make sure you follow any guidelines and that the baby car seat matches your child’s height and weight at all times. A car seat is unfortunately for your pocket, not something you can use forever, you will have to change it at some point to keep your children safe.
One of the other things you should be looking out for are ease of installation. This is where ISOFIX fittings are useful. Such fittings (the system is frequently named differently in other countries to the UK) are simply a push and click fitting for your car. Since 2006, cars are fitted with a standard ISOFIX fitting but if your car is pre-2006, you may need to check with the car manufacturer before you buy your seat.
You should also watch out for the weight of the car seat if you are likely to be taking it in and out of your car frequently. If you have more than one car, or intend to use a travel system for baby, this should be a consideration for your personally. It won’t affect baby, but it will affect your back carrying it!
If you are having to buy the cheapest seat you can find (preferable to secondhand), remember that these must also be of a certain standard and follow safety recommendations. Where cheaper seats may scimp is in comfort. Don’t just think that it looks comfy, push you hands onto the sides and into the corners to check it out for good padding and any lumps, bumps or holes in the padding.
But, if you have a child who outgrows their seat but whose weight exceeds the maximum for that seat, you may have trouble finding a replacement. Group one Child safety seats typically will only accommodate a child up to 18kg and this is also the case with the Britax Duo Plus Isofix. However, some children can be heavier than normal for their age or taller than normal, so what do you do?
When your 2-year-old child is secured in their child seat, is their head above the structure of the seat? Are they close to 36kg? At 2 years, they are not really big enough to sit safely in a booster seat without the 5 point harness.
Britax Evolva
Thankfully, there are a few seats available that are suitable for children from 9 months to 11 years and with a weight restriction of between 9 and 36kg. Such seats usually have an insert with a 5 point harness and when the child is big enough, the insert is simply removed. To accommodate the taller child, there is an adjustable head restraint which does the job well.
It seems that not all manufacturers produce these group 1, 2 and 3 seats and the Britax Duo Plus Isofix is unsuitable for larger children. However, try the Britax Evolva range or the cheaper Baby Weavers Beline SP Ice.
