What are i-Size car seats?
i-Size is an European safety standard for baby and child car seats. It's part of regulation ECE R129, which will eventually replace the old safety regulation R44/04. The idea is that all car seats will eventually meet the tighter i-Size safety standards.
Your car must have Isofix connectors for you to be able to use an i-Size car seat. At the moment there are only a few i-Size seats on the market in the UK and not all cars have Isofix connectors.
Visit the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) child car seats website for more on i-Size car seats.
What size car seat?
Car seats are divided into 3 main groups, depending on your baby or child's age and weight:
- group 0+ – rear-facing car seats suitable for babies aged up to about 15 months or who weigh up to 13kg (29lb); some can be clipped on to a pushchair frame and are known as travel systems
- group 1 – rear or forward-facing seats suitable for children who weigh 9-18kg (20-40lb) or who are aged from about 9 months to 4 years
- group 2/3 – rear or forward-facing high-backed booster seats suitable for children who weigh 15-36kg (33lb-5st 9lb) or are aged from about 4 to 11 years
You can also buy combination seats that cross over these groups, such as group 0+/1 seats, which are suitable from birth until your child weighs about 18kg (40lb) or is aged about 4.
Use a rear-facing car seat for as long as your child fits into it, as these offer better protection in the event of a car accident.
Baby or child car seat fitting
- It is dangerous and illegal to carry a baby in a rear-facing baby seat in a front passenger seat that has an active airbag. Forward-facing seats in the same position, while not illegal, are not ideal. It's always safer for children to travel in the back of the car.
- Make sure the seat is fitted properly in the car, following the manufacturer's instructions.
- Look out for safety days where experts demonstrate how to fit baby and child car seats safely. These often take place in supermarket or shopping mall car parks.
Using a baby or child car seat
- Make sure you always put your baby into their car seat from the pavement side of the car.
- Make sure your baby is securely strapped in according to the manufacturer's instructions. When you buy your car seat, ask the retail staff to demonstrate how to strap your baby into it.
More help and advice on car seats