Car seats and boosters are now
mandatory for children up to the age of 12 or until they reach 135 cm in
height. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure children use the
appropriate restraint until they are 14 – all part of being a car owner, along with obtaining learner driver insurance that’s cheap and taking the car for its annual MOT. Most people
use car seats without any problem. But did you know that there are many other
gadgets and accessories you can use alongside them to improve safety and the
child’s travelling experience?
Isofix is the system used for child car seats, designed to standardise the way
car seats are manufactured and installed. Seats and carriers are placed in
mounting points in the car, which works well if both car and carrier have the
appropriate Isofix points. Otherwise, seat belts need to
be used to attach the car seat, which can be problematic and is not so secure.
This problem has been addressed with the manufacture of car seat bases which
come with a range of adjustments to suit different vehicles and types of
carrier. Using a base means that the car seat is able to attach securely to the
vehicle without relying on the seatbelt to hold it in place. This is both a far
more convenient method and means the seat is more likely to be fitted correctly
- even the highest quality car seats can fail to provide good protection unless
they are fitted well.
Like bases, levellers are designed to ensure the car seat fits securely. The
problem arises when carriers tilt backwards, leaving the child sitting at the
wrong angle from a safety perspective. Levellers provide firm, solid support to
correct the angle of seats so they don’t tilt and make sure the child is seated
at the right angle. They are preferable to the use of rolled up towels or
clothes to tilt car seats, which is somewhat common but can be unsafe if they
flatten. A range of adaptors are also available from suppliers to help parents
use their car seats as securely as possible.
All parents want to keep their child in view when they’re travelling and it can
be tempting to look back to see how they’re doing. Obviously, this isn’t always
safe or desirable, so manufacturers have come up with safe view mirrors for use
with front facing seats which allow the child’s face to be kept in view. They
have wide angles and can be rotated and extended as required, and they fit to
the rear view mirror with a simple adhesive.
Other accessories address the child’s comfort, with a variety of support
pillows, snuggles, footmuffs, blankets and sleeping bags specifically designed
to fit car seats. Padded strap covers can relieve discomfort caused by straps
and seatbelts and prevent kids trying to loosen them, while head rests and
cradlers support the head in a comfortable position. Car seat raincovers are
handy, not for use in the car but for transporting children from the car to
home without disturbing them. The sun can be more of a concern than the rain,
however, and sun shades for in-car use are available to block the heat and rays
of the sun.
Toys can be useful to distract children from playing around with their seats
and buckles, so bring along their favourite games, puzzles, dolls and home
comforts. Handy storage containers can clip and fix on to car seats or the back
of seats for convenience and to stop the car becoming cluttered.
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