Baby seats are child seats that are especially suitable for babies. Here you will learn what to look for to choose a safe product and how to use the child seat correctly. Because even incorrect use can lead to terrible accidents.
Our checklist contains all the important buying criteria and our product recommendations provide you with additional support so that you don’t have to spend weeks researching, but can choose the right model today if necessary.
Table of contents
The Bestsellers Of Baby Car Seats
In a list of bestsellers, we have compiled the most popular baby car seats for you.
Baby Car Seat Checklist
- With Isofix , the baby car seat or base is attached to the car seat (between the seat and the backrest) with the Isofix pins.
- Baby car seats with a base are lighter because the heaviest part (the base) remains in the car and only the top part (the shell) is removed. Also, baby car seats with a base can be attached particularly quickly (just snap them into the base).
- Baby car seats without base are worthwhile if you often change the car (saves you the installation and removal of the base).
- Older cars often do not have Isofix, then the infant carrier is fixed with the belt.
- For some infant carriers there are adapters for the stroller.
- Only infant carriers with i-Size (UN ECE Reg. 129), UN ECE Reg. 44/04 and UN ECE Reg. 44/03 are permitted.
- Pay attention topollutant-free materials (plastic, fabric cover with Oeko-Tex seal).
- Babies up to 15 months or 13 kg must be transported in a reboarder (rear-facing seat).
- Reboarders are generally recommended for children up to 4 years of age , as they exert less force on your child’s sensitive spine in the event of a collision.
- Newborns need a newborn insert to support the head.
- Baby car seats are divided into classes according to age and body weight.
- Class 0 is approved up to an age of about 1 year or a body weight of up to 10 kg.
- Class 0+ can be used up to an age of about 1.5 years and a body weight of up to 13 kg.
- Class I can be used between 1.5 years and 4 years and with a body weight between 9 and 18 kg , either backward or forward facing.
- Class II is approved for children up to 7 years of age between 15 and 25 kg, facing backwards or forwards.
- Class III is for children from 22 to 36 kg between 7 to 12 years, forward facing.
- There are also child seats that grow with the child, example: Class 012.
Recommended Baby Seats
We have compiled the best and most interesting baby car seats. You can find the list with our product recommendations here.
Tip: You can find practical roof racks in this guide to roof racks.
Current Offers Of Baby Car Seats
You can find the best current offers on baby car seats in this list.
Tip: The best winter tires can be found in this guide for winter tires
Baby car seat advice
Which baby car seat is right for me?
A thousand different baby car seat models with even more different features. When you start looking for a baby car seat you are quickly overwhelmed because the choice is huge and you do not know exactly what to look for. That’s why I have put together a small selection of top products with my top baby car seat recommendations.
How to find the right baby car seat
The most important thing you should look for when buying is of course the right size. This depends on the size and weight of your baby. Only with the right baby shell, or later the right car seat, your baby or child sits really safe. I have shown you here only models that you can use from birth, up to a weight of about 13 kg, or an age of up to 4 years. This way you don’t have to buy a new seat too quickly. If you are still looking around for other products, you should make sure that a removable insert for newborns is included, which allows a flat lying position.
Make sure that the installation is possible with Isofix base. With Isofix, the baby car seat is simply clicked into place and automatically sits correctly. With the classic harness system, parents often make mistakes during installation, which has a negative impact on the safety of the product.
However, it is advantageous to choose a baby car seat that can also be attached in cars without Isofix, if the baby is also to travel in vehicles other than that of the parents.
The baby car seat should also comply with the new i-Size regulation. This does not mean that the “old” infant carriers are not safe, but i-Size is even safer.
A sun canopy with UV protection is also practical if the infant carrier is also to serve as a travel system on a stroller.
For possible air travel, it is also useful to make sure that the baby car seat is also approved for use in airplanes.
Baby Car Seat Info
Before buying a baby car seat, you need to know a little information so that you know what to look for. That’s why I’ll explain in more detail here what the i-Size regulation is, why Isofix is so great and where you should best place the car seat in the car.
The i-Size Regulation
The i-Size regulation is a relatively new EU regulation that concerns the safety of child seats. Its actual name is ECE R129, but for the most part it refers to i-Size.
Since 2018, child seats have had to comply with this regulation, as it requires a higher safety standard. Child seats are now no longer classified by age, but by the weight and size of the baby. This ensures that the infant carrier or car seat always fits the size of your child. This is much more accurate than being based on age
The i-Size regulation also states that babies must be transported backwards until at least 15 months of age. This position is much safer and protects the head and neck in particular in the event of a collision.
According to i-Size, outboard seats must have an Isofix base, as this installation offers more safety.
Why Isofix?
Why do I recommend buying an infant carrier with Isofix, when the belt can be installed in any car and is therefore more universal? Quite simply: Isofix is particularly safe. Despite operating instructions, most belt installations result in incorrect attachment, which reduces safety. Isofix, on the other hand, is quite simple, usually only one click is needed and you can be sure that the baby car seat is perfectly attached and safe. That’s why the i-Size regulation also supports Isofix mounting.
For the attachment of infant carriers, an intermediate piece is usually required, the Isofix base, which then remains continuous in the car, even if the seat is sometimes removed.
The Baby Car Seat In The Car
My tip: Please attach the baby car seat to the back seat and not next to you on the passenger seat when you are traveling alone. Many parents like to bring their child to the front of the car so that they can keep an eye on him or her and also play with him or her at red lights. But the back seat is much safer in most accidents, because it is usually a frontal collision. In the front, it’s also easy for mom or dad to be distracted from driving by the child. If the child cries for a longer period of time, simply stop and calm him or her down.
In the first 15 months, babies should also be transported backwards because this is safer. It is therefore advisable to keep this position until the child is three years old, because in this position the energy of the impact presses the body evenly into the seat, thus protecting the head, neck and spine.
FAQ About Baby Seats
When a child is 13 years or older, he or she may drive a car without a child seat. However, if the child has already reached a height of at least 150 cm, the child seat can be omitted from this point on.
Children of all ages may sit in the front with the appropriate booster seat. In the event of an accident, however, the rear seats are usually better protected.
For a booster seat, the child must weigh at least 15 kg. However, this should definitely include a backrest to be better protected in side crashes. The booster seat may only be omitted from the age of 13 years or from a height of 150 cm.
On average, baby car seats are used until the first year of life. However, this can of course vary individually, as each child grows or develops differently. Of course, you also have to consider the maximum load of the baby shell.
Which baby car seat is the best is difficult to judge, because there are many good providers and many different requirements that parents and / or caregivers. In our guide you will find the exact differences and advantages or disadvantages, so you can easily choose the right model for you. Feel free to take a look!
As a rule, baby car seats are no longer needed from about one year of age and are replaced by appropriate, more suitable child seats. However, this is always individual, depending on how big and heavy your baby is at that time. It is important that you always pay attention to the highest safety and only use baby seats that are suitable for the current condition of the baby.
When your baby has become too big and/or too heavy for the infant carrier, you need a suitable child seat. Overall, you should always ensure the highest level of safety and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Child seats are already available for children from 6 to 12 months. To help you find the right model, you can take a look at our child seat guide.
As a general rule, newborns should lie in the car seat for as short a time as possible. At most, they need a break after an hour. There are recommendations that babies under one month of age should at best not be transported in a baby car seat at all. In any case, pay attention to the manufacturer’s specifications and choose a high-quality and safe product. You can find help with your decision in our guide.
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