TYPES OF CHILD SEAT

New child restraint laws

New national child restraint laws were introduced on 1 March 2010. A transitional period was in place until 30 June 2010 to give parents and carers time to fully understand and comply with the new laws. However, all children up to seven years of age must now be safely fastened into the right restraint for their age and size.

A child that is properly secured in an approved child restraint is less likely to be injured or killed in a car crash than one who is not.

Summary of changes

The new national child restraint laws state:

• Children younger than six months must be secured in a rearward facing restraint.

• Children aged six months to under four years must be secured in either a rear or forward facing restraint.

• Children aged four years to under seven years must be secured in forward facing child restraint or booster seat.

• Children younger than four years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows.

• Children aged four years to under seven years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in a child restraint or booster sea

1. Rearwardfacing Baby Seats

• Group 0 for babies up to 10 kgs (22 lbs) roughly from birth to 0-6 months, or
• Group 0+ for babies up to 13kg (29lbs) roughly from birth to 12-15 months
• They can be used in the front or rear of the car. It is safer to put them in the rear. DO NOT put them in the front passenger seat if there is a passenger airbag.
•  Rearwardfacing seats provide greater protection for the baby's head, neck and spine than forwardfacing seats. 
• So, it is best to keep your baby in a rearwardfacing seat for as long as possible. 
• Only move them to a forwardfacing seat once they have exceeded the maximum weight for the baby seat, or the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.

2. Forwardfacing child seat

• Group 1 for children weighing 9-18kgs (20-40lbs) roughly from 7 months to 4 years.
• They can be used in the front or rear of the car, but it is safer to put them in the rear, especially if there is a passenger airbag in the front.
• Only move your child to a booster seat once they have exceeded the maximum weight for the child seat, or the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.

3. Booster seat

• Group 2 for children weighing 15-25kgs (33-55lbs) roughly 4 to 7 years.
• They can be used in the front or rear of the car, but it is safer to put them in the rear, especially if there is a passenger airbag in the front.
• Some Booster seats are designed to be converted into a booster cushion by detaching the back rest.

4.Booster Cushion

• Group 3 for children weighing 22-36kgs (48-79lbs) roughly from 6-11years.
• They can be used in the front or rear of the car, but it is safer to put them in the rear, especially if there is a passenger airbag in the front.
• Booster seats and booster cushions do not have an integral harness to hold the child in place. The adult seat belt goes around the child and the seat.
• So it is important that the seat belt is correctly adjusted. The basic points to note are:
•  the belt should be worn as tight as possible
• the lap belt should go over the pelvic region, not the stomach
• the diagonal strap should rest over the shoulder, not the neck.