BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

We’re all for public transport, but a car does make things easier when you have a tyke in tow.

It helps to lighten the load when you’re carting shopping, exploring new playgrounds, doing the daycare drop-off and generally getting out and about with someone who can’t walk (or can’t walk far).

Things do get a bit tricky though, when you’re trying to work out which car seat your kiddo needs, and when.

A newborn obviously has very different needs to a primary schooler, and to help you navigate the ins and outs of car seats (without Google Maps), Raising Children Network has updated all of its ‘Car Safety and Children’ content.

To clearly understand your obligations as a parent and chauffeur, here are their answers to five key questions:

1. When does my child need a car seat?

This is pretty straight-forward, because up until at least seven years of age, your child must be strapped into a child car seat whenever they’re travelling in a motor vehicle.

There’s some complexity when it comes to taxis, rideshare services and buses, which you can read up on here, but generally-speaking, your under seven doesn’t need a car seat for a bus, they do need one for a rideshare, and you’re wise to ‘BYO car seat’ when catching a cab.

2. How do I know what car seat my child needs?

This depends on their age and size, and the minimum legal requirements are as follows:

From birth to six months, you must put your baby in a rear-facing car seat with an in-built harness.

You can either use a car seat specially designed for ages six months and under, like an infant capsule, or put them in a convertible child car seat installed to be rear-facing.

From six months to four years, they must travel in either a rear-facing child car seat with an in-built harness or a forward-facing one with that same snug harness.

There’s no rush to show your baby the road ahead, though.

Derek McCormack, Director of Raising Children Network says, “It’s recommended that you keep your baby rear-facing until they’re at least 12-months-old, and only move them into a forward-facing position when their shoulders reach the shoulder height marker on their seat (or top marker if there are two lines).”

From four to seven years, your kiddo must use a forward-facing child car seat with an in-built harness, or a booster seat with a lap-sash adult seatbelt or child safety harness.

Although your child may be super keen to switch to a ‘big kid’ booster seat as soon as poss, it’s safer to keep them in the forward-facing car seat for as long as they fit it, then switch to a booster seat when they’re properly big enough to level up.

Once your child turns seven, you may be able to do away with the whole car seat/booster seat thing completely. However, there is a caveat…

Your child may only use a lap-sash adult seatbelt if they’re 145cm tall and can do these five things:

1. Sit with their back firmly against the seat back
2. Bend their knees comfortably over the front of the seat cushion
3. Sit with the seatbelt across their mid-shoulder (it can’t be cutting across their neck or face)
4. Sit with the lap belt across the top of their thighs (not their tummy), and
5. Stay in this position for the whole car trip, whether you’re doing a quick milk run or clocking serious Ks.

You apply the five-step test to each spot in the car they want to sit in, and it might be that your child meets the test in Mum’s car, but not in Dad’s, or they’re good to go in the middle seat, but not the window one.

Also, before your seven-year-old jumps into the front seat yelling “Shotgun!”, keep in mind that it’s safer for them to travel in the back (away from the windscreen), and most seven-year-olds won’t hit the 145cm mark and meet the test until they’re 10 to 12, so they may be in the booster for a while yet!

Derek McCormack says, “If your child outgrows their booster seat, but isn’t quite tall enough or old enough for an adult seatbelt, then you simply need to get them a taller booster seat.”

3. What should I do if my child is big or small, short or tall, for their age?

Law-makers recognise that a ‘one-age-fits-all-car-seats’ approach isn’t appropriate.

Every child is different, and while some babies outgrow their capsule in a blink, other children still fit their forward-facing car seat when they’re eight.

So, the law says the following action is ok:

• If your child is too big for the type of car seat specified for their age, they can move to the seat specified for the next age bracket, and
• If your child is too small for the type of car seat specified for their age, they can stay in their current seat till they grow enough for the next seat up.

Either way, it’s definitely not a good idea to strap your child into an ill-fitting seat.

They won’t be well-protected if you have a crash, and there’s also the possibility that an eagle-eyed police officer will see that your primary schooler doesn’t fit their grown-up seatbelt and you’ll cop a fine.

4. How else do I keep my child safe in the car?

Child car seats must be safely manufactured to withstand impact and it’s important that any brand or model you buy meets the AS/NZS 1754 safety standard.

You’ll find this number on the box and seat, and correct installation and fit also matters.

Derek McCormack says, “We recommend that you get your child car seat professionally installed or checked. Your road safety authority will have links to local restraint fitting stations, and their expertise ensures that your precious cargo travels safely.”

“It’s also important that the car seat is adjusted to fit your baby or child well – not too loose, not too tight, just right – and the ‘pinch test’ is good for this.”

“You can do the ‘pinch test’ to make sure that a car seat harness fits your child properly. First, check that the harness straps are flat, not twisted, against your child’s torso. Fasten the buckle and tighten the straps. Then try to pinch the straps horizontally at the shoulder. If you can pinch the straps, you need to tighten the harness more.”

5. Is it ok to buy a car seat second-hand?

We all want to save cash where we can (especially with the scary cost of fuel), but it pays to be cautious when considering a pre-loved child car seat.

Derek McCormack says, “If you are looking at a second-hand child car seat, then you need to make sure that it’s less than 10 years old and has no wear and tear or history of being in an accident.”

It’s recommended that you buy from someone you know and trust, and because child car seats see a lot of action (and yoghurt spillages!), you might want to buy new after all, knowing that you’ll get many hard-working years out of it.

There will always be a bit of, “Are we there yeeeeeeeeettttttt????” when you’re on the parenting journey, but Raising Children Network has some great tips to keep your child comfy in the car, and no matter where the road takes you, we wish you a safe, serene trip!