How to choose the right child car seat and what criteria to look for

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine claims that in the event of an accident, a child safety seat reduces the likelihood of serious injury and death by 60%. Therefore, it is the sacred duty of all parents who take their children on trips to purchase such a device.

As for domestic legislation, it is unambiguous in this regard: "According to the latest version of the Traffic Code and the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution 'On Traffic Rules,' it is forbidden to transport children shorter than 145 cm in height in a passenger car without a special restraint with seat belts." The seat is placed in the middle or rear row of the cabin. When transporting children under 3 years of age in the front seat, the car seat must be against the direction of travel with the airbag turned off, and the child must be fastened.

Thus, it remains to find out how to choose the right car seat and what to look for when buying.

Choosing a car seat by weight and age

Today, the market offers 5 groups of car seats, focused on the ratio of weight and age of the child.

• 0 (car seat) - for children from birth to six months. Designed for weight up to 10 kg.
• 0+ - designed for babies weighing up to 13 kg (0-12 months). The car seat carrier is perfect for the little ones.

• 1 - "classic" car seat for children weighing 9-18 kg, age - from 9 months to 4 years. It is installed while driving and is fixed to the seat with the help of the Isofix system and/or a seat belt.
• 2 - This product is intended for children weighing 15-25 kg, from 3 to 7 years old. The seat is attached to the seat with the Isofix system and the child is secured with the usual seat belts.
• 3 (booster seat) - for children aged 3-12 years, weight - up to 36 kg. The device is attached with standard belts and looks like a pillow without a backrest.

Choose a car seat according to the child's height

At one time, car seat manufacturers offered customers to focus on the age and weight of the child. But in 2013, a new European safety standard was adopted - ECE R129 (i-Size), which suggested choosing such devices according to height. Accordingly, since then, these products have an orange tag indicating the permissible parameters.

• 40-85 cm;
• 40-105 cm;

• 40-146 cm;
• 80-105 cm;
• 80-145 cm;
• 100-145 cm.

Important! When buying a car seat, be sure to pay attention to this.

Should I buy a universal car seat?

A combination child car seat is a fixing device in a car suitable for children of different ages, from 9 months to 12 years.

When do you buy such devices?

For example, if your baby no longer fits in a group 1 seat, but group 2 and 3 are still too big. The second case is if you rarely take your child in the car. And finally, "station wagons" are more profitable in terms of saving money, because you don't have to buy a new car seat every time.