Which car seat to choose for a child from 1 year?

There is nothing more expensive than the safety of your own child. When an infant is born in a family, the question of not only feeding and upbringing but also the movement of the baby in the car for examination by specialists, the delivery of tests, for trips to other important and interesting events arises before happy parents. The presence of a special seat for a baby in the car - this is a real improvement in the safety level of a small passenger. Therefore, it is so important to know which car seat to choose for a child from 1 year, because it is from this age, mostly children and begin to travel with their parents. Today we will tell you how to choose a child seat, so that it is as comfortable, convenient, and safe as possible.

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Classification of child seats

From January 1, 2007, an amendment to the traffic regulations began, which obliges car owners to transport children under 12 years only in a special chair. It should be noted that there are no safest car seats, as there is no best device for all children and cars. The best choice for the child and the motorist will be a car seat that corresponds to the age, size of the child, properly installed, fixed, and which will be used strictly for the purpose each time when traveling in the car.

When choosing a car seat, you should pay attention to the following parameters:

• Reliability, safety. This is the main criterion of choice. The seat must be equipped with seat belts, additional head protection.
• Convenience of placement in the cabin, easy mounting. The chair must be fast and easy to attach to the seat of the car, just as easily removed.
• Conformity to the weight of the child. Producers very often indicate the age of the child, but this figure is rather approximate, calculated for the average kid. The basic selection of an armchair nevertheless needs to be made on weight of the concrete kid. There are 5 main groups, which we will discuss below.
• Comfort, convenience for a small passenger. It is best when the chair can be adjusted on a slope so that the child can sit comfortably and lie down while asleep.
• Quality of fasteners, durability. It is worth choosing the models of armchairs of proven manufacturers, which guarantee a long life of the products and reliability of fixation.
• When choosing a car seat, pay attention to the side protection.

Important! In general, when choosing a chair for a baby, you should pay attention to the ECE R44 / 03 or ECE R44 / 04 standard( if the manufacturer is a foreign manufacturer) or GOST 41.44( if the product is from a domestic manufacturer).If such certificates are available, it means that the car seat fully complies with all Safety Standards and a full test cycle has passed.

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Categories of car seats for children

All products are divided by weight criterion into 5 categories.

Category 0

The product is intended for newborn infants and children with a weight of up to 10 kg. Often such an armchair is called a car:

• The armchair is placed on the rear seat of the car and it is located sideways to the motion.
• The car seat is fixed with regular belts.
• The breast canals in the box may lie or be in a semi-recumbent position.

Important! Autoworks often have additional protection for the baby's head, and special fastening belts make this design reliable and convenient. In addition, this cradle is easy to carry along with the child. If you do not know which car seat to choose for a child from 0 to about a year, then choose your safe and comfortable cradle.

Category 0+

Cradle-carrying is designed for kiddies from birth to 1.5 years with a weight of up to 13 kg. Outwardly the armchairs of group 0+ are similar to the armchairs of group 0, but are more versatile and functional:

• Multifunctional design can be used as a cradle, rocking chair, or even a chair.
• In such cars, the child is in a half-lying position, fastened with three-point or five-point belts, and is placed back in the direction of travel.
• Car seat group 0+ is installed only against the movement of the car - this is done in order to protect the cervical spine of the baby during severe braking.

Important! You can install the chair in any seat( front or back).The armchair has additional protection on the sides and is designed for heavier weight than the products of group 0.

Category 1

It is designed for the weight of a child from 9 to 18 kg and the approximate age from 9 months to 4 years:

• Externally the car seat of group 1 resembles the usual "adult "seat and fastened in the course of the car.
• Plastic "soap box" on the power frame has several different positions - it can be used for waking and sleeping a child.
• Group 1 car seats have additional three-point or five-point child restraints.
• They are equipped with additional protection for the head and side protection in the event of a collision of the car.

Important! If you do not know how to choose a car seat for a child from 9 months, then pay attention to the products of group 1. In these chairs the child can be up to 3-4 years old, which is very convenient and economical.

Category 2 - for older children:

• Products are calculated for weight from 15 to 25 kg and age from 3 to 7 years.
• The design involves moving from the inner straps to the outer ones as the child grows.
• The chair is installed in the direction of the car, that is, the child is facing forward.
• Most models of car seats group 2 have a height-adjustable backrest, which can be removed later.

Category 3:

• Designed for children weighing from 22 to 36 kg and age from 6 to 10 years.
• Buy a chair group 3 can be separately or, as an option, you can simply take off the back of the car seat category 2.
• Most often, these chairs are called "booster", from the English Booster, that is, "amplifier."Boosters are designed for children with a height above 120 cm and are seats without a backrest, usually with armrests. The booster raises the child to a height sufficient to use a stationary car seat belt designed to grow from 150 cm.

Important! There are various combined versions of car seats, for example, 0 + / 1, 0+ /1/ 2, 1 /2/ 3. The purchase of such models, as a rule, is cheaper. However, in this case, often it is necessary to sacrifice not only comfort, but also safety. As an exception - group 2-3, where the back is simply removed.

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Recommendations for choosing a car seat for a child

Despite the rich classification and variety of products, many parents do not know which child seat to choose. We hope that our recommendations on the choice will help you:

• Before you go to the store for an armchair, weigh the child. You need to know the exact weight of the baby, since this is the main parameter, which should be oriented.
• Take your child with you to the store, so that the kid himself can try out the seat for travel. Let the child himself confirm that it is convenient, otherwise - in case of discomfort, the child will begin to be capricious and distract the driver.
• Check the Safety Standard icon( ECE R44 / 03 or GOST 41.44), which guarantees quality and safety.
• For children under 3 years of age, there must be internal Y-shaped straps. Be sure to inspect the gasket, which fixes a small passenger in the perineum( most often it is a cloth).The gasket should be wide and elastic - especially this is important if you choose a chair for a boy.
• Pay attention to the possibility of adjusting the chair to the slope, since many hours of travel involve the dream of the baby.
• The seat cover must be removable. Children are big fidgets, who all the time spin, spin and pollute the upholstery of the chair. It is much more convenient to remove the cover and wash it, rather than constantly brushing the chair with a brush by hand.
• Be sure to try on the chair in the car and determine its type of attachment.

Important! In addition to regular belts, it can be a popular mount isofix. This option is more reliable and easy to use. It is only necessary to snap special locks. This way of fixing eliminates the possibility of incorrect installation of the product. However, to pay for isofix is ​​only in the armchair group 0+, 0 + / 1, 1.

• The armchair should be light, as you will have to move and install it at home. In addition, a very important criterion is the convenience and ease of installation of the product.
• If you choose to follow the basic criteria: safety, convenience and comfort. Learn the crash tests of the products that are provided by: the automobile magazine "Avtorevju", the Swiss club "TCS", the German club "ADAC", the Spanish automobile club "RACC", the Dutch association "ANWB".All these organizations regularly conduct tests and publish test results on safety parameters, ergonomics, economy and convenience of use - for both the baby and the parents.
• When buying an armchair, choose the shops where you provide a discount card for the purchase of goods and where it is possible to change the product to another group. Consider the fact that soon the child will have to change to another, more comfortable place as the growth grows, and the products of all five groups of the indicated classification should be on sale in the store.

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Rating of the best models for crash tests:

• Category 0 - Kiddy Evo-Lunafix, Cybex Aton Q i-size;
• Category 0+ - "Hauk Varyogard", Recaro Zero.1;
• Category 1 - Cybex Sirona M2 i-size, Recaro optiafix;
• Category 2-3 - Britax Roemer Discovery, Maxi-Cosi Rodifix.

We hope that the information and recommendations given in the article will help to choose a car seat for a small traveler who will provide maximum comfort and ensure its safety. Bon Voyage!