• Your child’s weight is the critical factor in deciding which car seat is the safest and most suitable for them.
• The correct fitting of all car seats is vital to ensure the safety of your child in the event of an accident. Always refer to the instructions supplied with your seat and if in doubt contact the manufacturer.
• The seat should always be fitted as tightly as possible with no excessive sideways or forward movement.
• Check regularly that the seat is secure in the vehicle and that there are no signs of wear on the harness, buckles or the seat itself.
• Ensure the lap section of the harness is across the pelvis and not the stomach; this can be achieved by ensuring the buckle is as low as possible.
• In Group 0 and Group 0+ rear facing seats the shoulder straps should be slightly below the child’s shoulders and slightly above the shoulder in forward facing seats.
• Adjust the integral harness for every journey, regardless of how short it may be. The harness needs to fit snugly and you should be able to get one finger between the harness and your child’s chest.
• Always ensure your child is properly strapped in for every journey, regardless of how short it may be.
• It is advised not to use or buy a second hand car seat as it is possible there could be damage to the structure not readily visible which could affect the seats future performance.
• Never use a car seat which has been in an accident, regardless of how minor the accident was, as there could be damage not readily visible.
• Ensure that anyone who will be given the responsibility of placing and securing your child in a car seat is aware of how it operates.

The chart below correlates the appropriate car seat for the child’s weight.

Rear facing child safety seats must not be used in a vehicle seat that is protected by a frontal airbag, unless that airbag has been either manually or automatically deactivated.

Rear facing car seats, also known as infant carriers, are often bought as an integral part of a travel system and may have fittings to attach to a pushchair as well as a handle for transportation. Suitable for use from birth to 13kg, offering suitable support for your baby’s back and neck in the event of a collision. The seat is held in place with the vehicles 3 point seat belt or the ISOFIX system. Baby is secured in the seat by the integral 5 point harness, suitably adjusted to keep your baby firmly in place. Do not use in the front seat of a vehicle fitted with an active airbag under any circumstances. The air bag should always be deactivated either manually or automatically.

Rear facing car seats with the flexibility to also be used in a forward facing position, when your child is over 9kg and can sit unsupported. Some group 0+ & 1 seats have a one-pull harness tightening system and recline options for added comfort. The seat is held in place with the vehicle's 3 point seat belt or the ISOFIX system. Baby is secured in the seat by the integral 5 point harness, suitably adjusted to keep your baby firmly in place. Do not use in the front seat of a vehicle fitted with an active airbag under any circumstances. The air bag should always be deactivated either manually or automatically.

Forward facing and suitable from when your child is 9kg, the seat is held in place with the vehicle's 3 point seat belt or the ISOFIX system. Some Group 1 seats have a one-pull harness tightening system and recline options for added comfort. Your baby is secured in the seat by the integral 5 point harness, suitably adjusted to keep them firmly in place. When using a forward facing seat in the front of a vehicle, always check that the vehicle manufacturer has declared it is safe to do so in the vehicles handbook.

Forward facing and suitable from when your child is 9kg, the seat is held in place with the vehicle's 3 point seat belt. Your baby is secured in the seat by the integral 5 point harness, suitably adjusted to keep them firmly in place. When your child is approximately 25kg, the harness can be removed and the vehicle's 3 point seat belt is used to secure both the seat and your child. When using a forward facing seat in the front of a vehicle always check that the vehicle manufacturer has declared it is safe to do so in the vehicles handbook. Some seats in this category have a one-pull harness tightening system and recline options for added comfort.

Forward facing and suitable for when your child reaches 15kg, the vehicle's 3 point seat belt is used to secure both your child and the seat. When using a forward facing seat in the front of a vehicle always check that the vehicle manufacturer has declared it is safe to do so in the vehicles handbook. Some seats in this category have a height adjustable headrest. Booster seats also come into this category.

Cars made since 2006 have mostly had two ISOFIX fixing points which the bottom of the car seat (or any associated base) plugs into. ISOFIX is a universal system that ensures in most cases that any ISOFIX compatible seat will fit any vehicle with ISOFIX fixing points.

Newer cars must now also have a third fixing point which attaches to the top of the child seat too, preventing it from tipping forward if there is a collision - this is called a top tether and is sometimes referred to as an ISOFIX+ system.

In June 2009 the British Medical Journal recommended that rear facing is the safest way for children under 4 years old to travel in a car. Children have fragile, flexible and poorly developed neck muscles, so if your child is forward facing and a frontal collision occurs, their head is flung forward in the seat which causes an enormous amount of stress in the neck. Your child’s neck and spine are vulnerable because their spines are still soft and not yet solidified like an adult’s.