Expert / 15 November, 2021 / Ellie Thompson
It’s Road Safety Week and we’ve partnered up with Red Castle to bring you these *tips on how to travel safely with your baby. Car accidents happen all too frequently, which is why we have to make sure our little ones are protected. Even at slow speeds, sudden changes in momentum can result in an injury. Anatomical and physiological differences mean children are less able to cope with the stress of an accident, so it’s important to ensure they are in the correct seat for their weight and height. A child who is correctly seated is five times safer in a collision.
By law, children must use a child car seat until they are 12-years-old, or 135cm (4ft 5in) tall, whichever comes first. When choosing and fitting a car seat, and when seating your child, the most important things to remember are:
All children from birth to 1.35m in height (approx. 12 years) must use the correct car seat for the child and car in question. You can check your car’s compatibility here. Isofix fittings are safer, but if the car doesn’t have Isofix points then do not buy an Isofix-compatible child seat.
i-Size regulations are based on centimetres rather than kilograms. This means you can decide which car seat is right for you based on your child’s height rather than their weight.
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i-Size (R129) regulations state that children must be rearward-facing in their car seat from newborn to 15 months old. This is to stop your child’s head from being thrown forward in the event of an accident.
If you’re using a 5-point harness, you should just be able to get two fingers between the child’s chest and the straps. For rear-facing seats, the harness should be level or no more than 2cms below the shoulders. For forward-facing seats, it should be level or no more than 2cms above the shoulders. The buckle of the car’s seat belt should be level or lower than the child seat, and not under pressure.
Padding in children’s coats can mean that a car seat harness is not tightened properly, so it’s important to always remember to remove coats and jackets before you strap your child in. This will help ensure they are seated correctly.
We recommend investing in a Babynomade Blanket, ideal for the littlest passengers who need to be kept warm. The Babynomade does not compromise car seat safety, so you can travel safely with your baby at all times.
The Babynomade Double Fleece Blanket can be used from birth. It’s the perfect solution for keeping your precious bundle safe and warm during every car journey. Being generously sized, you can use your Babynomade from newborn until around 6 months old. A must-have for winter travel and here’s why:
The super-soft, double fleece blanket features a clever hooded design to keep your baby’s head warm. Its side flaps wrap around them to keep them snug and there are also two cosy little pockets for two tiny feet. Babynomade’s inner waist belt and Velcro closing will keep your baby swaddled closely, with no risk of the blanket coming undone.
We love Babynomade’s seasonal Happy Fox design. Featuring cute grey foxes and other woodland animals including squirrels and hedgehogs, its white cotton background and calming pastel colours make it the perfect winter choice for any baby.
The Babynomade by Red Castle comes in a variety of togs to suit the weather. For winter, 2.5 tog or 3 tog is ideal. The extra warm fleece lining offers comfort and warmth for your baby while the water-repellent fabric ensures optimum protection whatever the weather throws at you.
The Babynomade is quick and easy to install. The blanket’s special harness slots are compatible with both 3- and 5-point harness systems so you can rest assured your baby is safe and sound in their car seat. The harness slots also mean the Babynomade can be safely installed in a pushchair too, so it can accompany you on every adventure.
What’s more, you can enjoy uninterrupted naptimes with a seamless transition of your sleeping baby from car seat to cot with ease.
Your infant carrier handle is used for more than just carrying your little one in and out of the car. In the event of an accident, an upright handle prevents baby from being thrown into the car seat’s back support, helping to prevent injury. To travel safely with your baby, always ensure the infant carrier handle is up.
If you are involved in an accident when travelling with your car seat, you must replace it, whether your child was in the seat at the time or not. Although the car seat may appear to be in working order, the impact of an accident may have damaged the core of the seat which means that your little one’s safety is at risk.
Finally, remember not to put a rear-facing seat in the front of a car that has airbags activated!
*Advice from Brake.org.uk and Red Castle.
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