Choosing the Right Car Seat for Your Child

The decision on which car seat to buy for their child can be a confusing and difficult one for parents. With so many on the market and so many diffeent features, all we really want to know is ‘what one is safest for my child?’

A great first point of reference is Which? who run safety tests on car seats and rank them in order of safety, ease of use, comfort and price. Each seat earns an overall percentage and gives bullet points on why the ranking has been given, and hints on who it might suit best.

Having consulted the Which? safety bible we tried out the new Nuna MYTI which was sent to us for review purposes. This model claims to be the most versatile and secure car seat on the market.

The MYTI grows with the child transforming up and out from harness car seat to booster seat, all the while remaining i-Size compliant, a first of its kind.

The MYTI offers a nine-position adjustable headrest and shoulder width and is suitable for children aged 15 months to 12 years. The three position recline and ventilation seat panels ensure extreme comfort however long the journey.

The seat itself is bulkier than most we have tried, which makes strapping in a relcutant toddler hard work if they’re being resistant. But it’s easy to attach to ISOFIX bars and feels secure and stable once in.

There’s no pad to attach to the seatbelt, which can be uncomfortable for children on longer journeys and runs the risk of rubbing the neck, so we added a padded layer of our own to prevent any lacerations.

Nuna has a huge celebrity fan base including Beyonce, Serena Williams, Jessica Biel and Miranda Kerr. But it’s the basic rules of safety that interest us. We spoke to Damon Marriott, Head of Product Development at Nuna, about what mums and dads should look for when buying a car seat for their child.

He said: “A poorly fitted car seat can lead to potentially devastating results if involved in a collision. The most common issue with both belted and ISOFIX seats is that the child’s harness is either too loose or incorrectly adjusted with regards to the harness/ headrest height. Another common mistake is belted fixed seats, being fitted too loose.”

Damon offered Belle About Town readers Nuna’s Eight Essential Rules when buying a car seat for their child:

1: Choose the right seat

The car seat you buy needs to meet EU standards and your child needs to be in the correct category seat for their age and size. Height-based seats are known as ‘i-Size’ seats and they should have an ‘E’ in a circle and ‘R129’ on them to show they meet EU safety standards, while weight-based seats should have an ‘E’ and ‘ECE R44/04’. It is also recommended that a child stays in a rear-facing seat until they are 4 years old or they have reached 18.5kg.  

2. Install the seat correctly

It is vital to make sure that any seat you buy is compatible with your car, so make sure you read your car’s manual carefully. If you’re buying the car seat in-store, take your car to pick it up and ask a trained member of staff to fit it for you and talk you through the whole process, pointing out they key things to check as they do so. If you are unsure of anything, ask them to repeat it – then ask them to watch you install and remove the seat yourself and check you have done it correctly.

3: Don’t assume installation

Never assume belted seats or ISOFIX seats are installed once and never moved or dislodged. It’s easy for someone to release the seats in error so get into the routine of checking them before each journey – it only takes a second to pull on an ISOFIX seat and check the indicators, or with belted seats, to flick the lap belt section at the door side – this is the start of the belt. 

4. Check the harness tension

This should be checked each time you load a child into a harness seat – as different clothing can make it necessary to tighten or loosen the harness (heavier coats or lighter summer dresses). Best practice is to be able to fit your finger between the top of your child’s shoulder and only be able to wiggle your fingers slightly. If you can lift your fingers off their shoulder and make a loop in the harness then further tightening is required. 

5. Check the harness height

Ensuring the correct harness height is often forgotten – or put off for another day when it comes to manual re-thread harness systems – but is incredibly important! For rearward facing seats, the harness should be level or slightly below the child’s shoulder – with no gap between the shoulder and the harness. For forward-facing seats, the harness should be level or slightly above the child’s shoulder – it must not come from below their shoulder. 

6: Ensure a belted seat is tight enough

It may sound obvious but it’s a common mistake – ensure that the belt is fastened tight enough. If you have problems getting enough tension then don’t be afraid of using your body weight to help compress the vehicle seating whilst you secure the seat belt. 

7: Check the belt daily

Once fitted, get into the habit of checking the belt daily and flick the lap belt. You know the seat is tight enough when you flick it and it makes a noise – if it doesn’t ‘play a tune’ when you flick it, the belt is too slack and therefore unsafe, which could mean the difference between life and death.

8: Keep booster seats tied down

Booster seats can often be the most dangerous thing you have in the car if they’re not an ISOSAFE type. As a child climbs in and out of the seat it becomes looser and looser. Try giving your child the job of ‘seat belt officer’ – encourage them to make sure each seat belt and that their booster seat is fitted tight enough to avoid it coming loose and potentially harming another passenger in the event of a collision.

• The Nuna MYTI is priced at £275 from www.nuna.eu/uk