Because of its life-saving qualities, a car seat is one of the most important purchases you will ever make for your child.

When choosing a car seat, it is important to get help and advice to ensure you select the correct seat for your child and car. Research shows that a staggering four out of five car seats are not fitted properly, often because parents do not get the correct information they need.

In 2006 there was a change in law meaning that all children MUST use a car seat until they are 135cms tall (4ft 5") or reach their twelfth birthday. Children not using booster seats are more likely to be injured by their seatbelt in a crash. Seatbelts are designed for adults 5ft and taller. As children are smaller, a seatbelt alone will sit high across their tummy and cut across the neck.

All our advisor's have undertaken Bromley Council's Road Safety Car Seat Fitting Course and have achieved silver accreditation for their car seat fitting service. 

Bronze indicates that the advisor is qualified to give basic car seat advice about weight groups, moving baby from one stage to the next stage, airbags, harness adjustment, ISOFIX (International Standards Organisation FIX - a system for installing car seats in a car) and the law.  

Silver accreditation is given when advisor's are able to deal with the practical fitting of car seats.

Please do not buy a second hand carseat.

You can never be certain of its full history and should you have an accident the seat may not protect your child. The seat may have already been damaged or stressed in an accident, important safety components may be missing or damaged which are not apparent by visual inspection. If the seat has been in an accident, the buckle and lock may not prove effective in the event of a crash.

Tip - Safety standards change on a regular basis, a second hand carseat may not be the correct standard at the time, improvements made on carseats are certainly worth paying for!!

Lets face it, times are hard and people don’t consider the risks of selling second hand carseats which have been involved in an accident. Carseats are more important than getting the latest pram, its your childs life you are risking!

Tip - Always follow your baby’s weight and height, not age, when choosing a car seat. As a rule of thumb, a child only outgrows a carseat when either the child's eyes are in line with the top of the seat or the child reaches the maximum weight.