Car seats are of vital importance to a baby or child’s safety when travelling. It is essential that you ensure that your child always has the correct car seat for their, height, weight and age.

There is a huge selection of car seats to choose from and they are often split into stages. New-born babies will often need a different car seat to a 5-year-old for example although you can get some seats that have been designed to be used from birth to age 5 or above. The latest law requires a child to be in a car seat from birth up until they are 135 cm or 12 years of age although many experts suggest that you should actually use a child seat until your child is 150cm tall.

When using a car seat that has a harness system, the harness should be level with their shoulders, with the harness fitting snugly around them. You should only be able to get two fingers under the harness. Always be sure to remove any padded jackets and do not strap them in with a blanket under the straps as if you do have to stop the vehicle suddenly the belts may not be tight enough when the clothing / blanket compacts.  

Some cars have built in booster seats which can be used from a certain age or height.