Tool Reviews

The car seat is not intended for small children. It is not safe in a collision, since the regular belts in the car are not designed for a small passenger. In this regard, amendments were made to the traffic rules on the transportation of children from birth to 12 years old strictly in a special car seat.

Specialists have recently developed numerous types of car seats. They are classified by age and price category.

According to the weight of children, chairs are divided into the following categories:

0+ – up to 13 kg;

1 – up to 18 kg;

2 – from 15 to 25 kg;

3 – from 22 to 36 kg.

Often the categories of car seats are combined: 0/1, 1/2/3, 2/3 – which allows you to extend their service life.

Child car seats “Group 0+”

The following categories of car seats are suitable for moving your baby in a car from birth.

Category 0 (up to 10 kg) has the second name “car seat”, as it is made in the form of a stroller cradle. In practice, it is used until the age of 6 months. The main plus is the horizontal position. Mandatory for the transportation of premature and weak children due to their physiological characteristics. There is no pressure on the fragile spine.

The cradle is installed in the car along the rear passenger seat. A small passenger is fastened simultaneously with standard and internal seat belts.

Cons of car seats “0”:

• bulkiness – takes up two passenger seats at once;
• test results showed that the cradle is not able to protect against a frontal impact of a car.

When choosing such a car seat, pay attention to the material of the body (impact resistance and strength) and the quality of the upholstery fabrics.

Car seats 0+ more reliable and safe, because they are installed opposite to the direction of travel. Designed for infants weighing up to 13 kg and are stationary or in the form of carriers. The latter option is more popular, since such a chair combines a rocking chair, carrying, a place for games and a high chair.

Other advantages:

• compactness in the car;
• ease of construction;
• installation on the front seat (with disabled airbags);
• three- or five-point internal seat belts.

Disadvantages:

• Due to the lack of a horizontal position, it is not recommended to transport a baby under 5 months over long distances due to the load on the spine. It has been proven that only a short semi-sitting position does not cause any harm.
• Car seats-carriers are already fixed chairs.

Car seats-transformers of the combined group 0+/1 are able to extend the service life until the baby reaches the age of three (they are designed for up to 18 kg). But in this design there are some nuances:

• The chair has an L-shaped bowl of an indefinite size, in which it is inconvenient for a baby up to 5-6 months.
• No carry.
• The weight of the chair is 6-10 kg.

When choosing a “0+/1” child seat, pay attention to:

• the size of the bowl – it should be well suited for a newborn and a three-year-old passenger (or adjustable);
• the method of fastening on the car seat – it should not stagger and move;
• evaluation and test results;
• liner form;
• compliance with European quality standards.

Baby Car Seats

This type includes the category of child seats 0+. They are designed for babies from birth to 1 year (up to 13 kg). Install carriers in the car must be strictly against the movement. They have a small weight (up to 4 kg), which makes them mobile.

Benefits of child car seats:

• Convenience of design. Babies often sleep on the road, and thanks to the car seat with a secure handle, it is easy to move it without disturbing sleep. For carrying, special walking chassis are provided, where the chair can be easily installed.
• compactness — takes one place in the car.
• Model safety. Demonstrate positive results during crash tests.
• Ease – It is convenient to carry the baby for short distances.
• Many models are equipped with internal 3- or 5-point seat belts and soft liners that prevent chafing of children’s skin and a sun visor.

Disadvantages of child car seats:

• The carrier does not have a horizontal position of the back, the small passenger is half-sitting. This can negatively affect the spine at the time of the accident.
• Bad capacity. Car seats are narrow and babies outgrow them quickly. In practice, such a chair is used until the age of 9 months.
• The high cost of models with a reliable Isofix mounting system.

When choosing a carrier, pay attention to the compliance of the product with European quality standards. Its presence indicates safety, which has been repeatedly tested during crash tests.

Child car seat up to 36 kg

Car seats for children weighing up to 36 kg are installed in the direction of the car and can be of the following categories: 1/2/3, from 18 to 36 kg (2/3); 22 – 36 kg (3).

Group 1/2/3 universal restraints designed for children from 9-12 months to 12 years old and can withstand weight up to 36 kg. At an early age, the baby is fastened with internal, and an adult (from about 6 years old) with regular car seat belts.

Disadvantages of child car seats up to 36 kg:

1. The anatomy of the spine of an adult child and an infant is significantly different, which makes the chair uncomfortable for too young or older children.
2. Low reliability as a result of crash tests.
3. The use of five-point internal seat belts becomes impossible when the passenger reaches a weight of 18 kg.
4. Not intended for long journeys in the car, as the adjustable backrest always remains in an upright position.

A significant plus of this model is efficiency and practicality.

Design features:

• long backrest, which is lengthened by a retractable headrest;
• transition from internal to regular seat belts;
• armrests, in some models of sliding structures and footrests;
• detaching the backrest, as a result of which the chair turns into a booster;
• backrest adjustment for comfortable sleep on the road.

When using a car seat with a group 3, 2/3 or 1/2/3 back, the standard seat belt fits snugly around the hips, correctly passing over the shoulder and chest. The belt belt is fixed under the armrests, and its upper part is fixed with a special guide loop.

A full-fledged chair of the “up to 36 kg” category is safer than boosters, so it is worth disconnecting the backrest solely for objective reasons.

Child car seat category “affordable price”

Designed for any weight and age:

1. “FEST”;
2. Frameless car seat.

The holding device “FEST” is designed for children whose weight ranges from 9 to 36 kg. This is a kind of adapter with a three-point safety system due to the belt, which tightly fixes the regular car belt on the baby’s body. For children up to 18 kg (3 years old), the use of the FEST strap is mandatory.

Pros:

• Compact and space-saving in the car.
• Universality – suitable for any car, has no requirements other than the presence of a regular belt.
• Made from natural eco-friendly materials.
• Ease of use – fast fixing.
• Reliability. Crash tests have shown that when using the FEST restraint adapter, the risk of death is reduced by 50%, and serious injury by 90%.
• Can be used in the back and front seats of the car, provided there are no/disabled airbags.
• Low cost child restraint.
• The device can be easily removed and cleaned.

Minuses:

• the adapter is not able to protect against side impacts;
• there is no stable fixation on the car seat, as there is no additional seat;
• since the legs of a small passenger are not fixed, in the event of an accident, he can slip through the bottom and be injured;
• all the impact force at the time of the accident will be on the abdominal cavity, and not on the hips and chest, as it should be.

Thus, with a low cost and convenience, the FEST adapter is not safe for children’s health at the time of the accident.

A frameless car seat is a padded back and seat insert with internal seat belts.

Positive sides:

• tight fixation of belts at any weight;
• compactness – takes one place in the car;
• versatility – for children weighing up to 36 kg;
• light weight, which makes the car seat mobile and convenient in the absence of a personal car;
• affordable price;
• securely by fixing the baby at the same time with internal and standard seat belts.

Disadvantages:

• It can cause spinal deformity in children under 3 years of age, as there is no back support.
• If the quality of the product is poor, the car seat may break at the time of the accident, and the small passenger can fly out through the windshield.
• The head is not protected from impact.
• Not intended for long trips.

Despite the many advantages, affordable child restraints are not safe at the moment of a collision.

booster seat

Booster is a car seat for children, consisting of a seat without a back, which raises the child in the car to a higher level for the correct fit of the seat belt to the body. Designed for installation only in the rear seat for babies weighing 15 kg.

3 types of boosters:

1. Made from foam. The cheapest option is not able to ensure safety when traveling in a car. Failed crash tests, bursting into pieces on impact.
2. On a plastic basis. A practical option, provided it is made of durable materials.
3. Combined – consist of a metal base, polyurethane and a soft coating on top. This is the safest and highest quality booster seat option.

When choosing, pay attention to the following points:

• The higher the armrest, the lower the load on the lower limbs at the time of the accident.
• Wide booster seats are more comfortable, especially when the baby is in winter clothes.
• The upholstery of the booster must be removed for cleaning.

Booster seats are designed for adults or large children who do not fit in a restraint with a backrest of the “up to 36 kg” group. They are also used:

• when traveling by taxi;
• when operating several cars in the family at the same time;
• when the child does not like to sit in a car seat with a back;
• if it is financially impossible to buy a child seat with a backrest;
• to save space in the car.

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