Buy your seat carefully

When choosing a car seat for a child, it is best to pay attention not to the price, but to the degree of protection of the health and life of the child.

The market is overflowing with child car seats, but choosing the best one for the little passenger is not easy. It is best to focus not on the price, but on the degree of protection of the health and life of the child.

 

Special protection for children when transporting a car is provided for by the provisions of the Road Traffic Act, but, as the police rightly say, the usual concern of parents for the safety of children should encourage them to install child seats (or special seat-supports). ).

Children under special protection

We are talking about those small passengers who are under 12 years old and under 150 cm tall. Carrying them without special seats or in seats, but without fasteners, exposes them to a huge risk of injury in a traffic accident, and the driver - in any situation - to a fine and demerit points. Older children whose age and height are close to the maximum dimensions specified in the regulations (for example, a boy of 11 years old, height of 140 cm) can be transported without a seat, but provided that a seat cushion and seat fastening are used. belts. Thanks to the elevation, the belts pass at a safe height: through the chest and hips. In addition, from this position, children are better visibility.

Where can I buy

You can find car seats in almost all baby food stores. It is best to buy them in stores that specialize in car seats. The offer is rich, both in terms of price and equipment. It is enough to look at the websites of these institutions, such as: www. www.bobomarket.pl tanimarket.pl, www.baby.com.pl, www.familyshop.com.pl, www.dlasmyka.pl or www.calineczka. sq. They offer car seats from leading manufacturers, including Polish ones. In addition, Polish ones such as Ramatti or Deltim, along with Italian Inglesina and Chicco or French Renolux, offer the most affordable products. The most expensive seats include the German company Recaro, the Dutch Maxi-Cosi and the English Kiddy (from 800 to 1700 and more zlotys). The cost of most places is PLN 450-700. And more often than not, the more expensive the seat, the richer it is equipped and made from better materials, although, according to Agnieszka Gorzkowska from the Baby and Us store in Warsaw, Polish ones are in no way inferior to foreign ones. Manufacturers are using more and more new solutions in car seats to ensure that the child is protected in the best possible way. SPS, i.e. Side Head Protection System (offered, for example, by Maxi-Cosi), additional seat belts or seat depth adjustments are just some of them. 

What to look for when buying a car seat?

Experts agree that the seat should:

- correspond to the height and weight of the child, which does not indicate his age, because children develop in different ways,

– have proof of safety in the form of a certificate, mark or approval,

- a car is suitable for transporting a child,

- have assembly instructions.

Also worth noting is that the seat is adjustable, the high sides and back protrude above the child's head (this increases his safety), it can be installed on the front and back seat - facing forward or backward, and finally, its cover can be removed for washing. In Polish shops we can find car seats that meet some, most or all of these requirements. Some say it's best not to buy a used car seat, as its history is often unknown (it's unknown if it was involved in an accident), and only the original purchaser is entitled to a warranty.

Child seat groups

Car seats are usually divided into five groups:

- O - for babies up to 10 kg (i.e. up to about 6-9 months),

- 0+ - for children up to 13 kg (up to 12-15 months),

- 1 - for children weighing 9-18 kg (up to 4 years),

- 2 - for children weighing 15 - 25 kg (4-6 years),

- 3 - for children weighing 22 - 36 kg (6-12 years).

Child car seats are most often multifunctional, and can also function as a cradle, carrier and rocking chair, and you can often buy a suitable stroller. This seat can be placed on a rear-facing front seat (better protection for the neck and spine), however, provided that the airbag is deactivated. Older children should only ride in the back seat, preferably in the middle.

group places

There are also multi-group car seats on the market, that is, adapted for children of different weights and heights. So, for example, the Trimax-racer seat of the German company Concord is designed for children weighing from 9 to 36 kg, that is, from about 9 months to 12 years (!), Thanks to a special double-walled “shell”. . With a child weighing more than 18 kg, you can unscrew the backrest and get a seat that will serve him up to 36 kg. The seat is equipped with, among other things, 5-point harnesses and 3-stage height adjustment.

The conformity of the seat to the very strict European safety standards ECE R 44/03 and therefore the possibility of placing it on the market is confirmed by the “E” certification mark. It must be found, and the child's weight limit must also be on the same sticker. As we were told at the Institute of the Automotive Industry (PIMot), such marking should be on all car seats imported into Poland. So, for example, a seat from Germany will be labeled E1 R44R / 03, from France after “E” it will be “2”, from Italy - “3”, from the Netherlands - “4”. Polish-made seats are approved by PIMot, where the letter "E" is followed by the number "20". Foreign permits are taken into account in Poland, i.e. they are not confirmed by PIMot. On the Internet, you can find many websites where experts advise on how to choose a comfortable and safe car seat (including: www.Dzieci.lunar.pl, www.child.nestle.pl). The portal www.fotelik.info presents the results of tests of car seats, including two or three years ago.

Before choosing a seat, you need to make sure that it meets the highest requirements. Although, as they say in the police, the greatest guarantee of road safety is prudence.

Selected car seats in the current market offer:  

Brand, model	Country of origin	Weight (kg)	Equipment includes:	Price (PLN)
Ramatti / The Venus Project	Poland	0 – 18	Backrest and seat belt adjustment	325
Peg-Peregro / First trip	Włochy	0 – 13	Seat keeps detaching from base installed in the car	PLN 549
Play beat/ evolution	Spain	0 – 25	Double belt tension system	PLN 659
Maxi-Goat / Up to XP	The Netherlands	9 – 18	SPS, additional belt tension automotive	PLN 729
Bébé Comfort /Safe side of Trianos	France	9 – 36	Safe Side system for extra protection head	PLN 669
Children's life	United Kingdom	9 – 36	8 levels of height adjustment back and seat with 3 positions	PLN 799
Recaro Start / Shield of Protection	Germany	9 – 36	Chair shaft protection system	PLN 1619
Graco Rally Sport	USA	15 – 36	three-way head protection system, Design by Ferrari stylists	PLN 349