Safety - Choosing the right restraint for your child

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Safety - Choosing the right restraint for your child

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Choose correctly – Fit correctly – Use correctly – Check correctly

Infant restraints, child seats and booster seats with full backs provide excellent protection for children if they are fitted correctly.
Consider your child’s height and weight as well as their age when choosing the most suitable restraint, child seat or booster seat.
• It is illegal to carry a child in your arms in a motor vehicle. In a crash the child could be crushed, thrown around the vehicle interior or thrown out of the vehicle.
• Never put a seatbelt around both yourself and a child on your lap.
• Children must never share a seatbelt - it’s illegal.

Remember:

Always use a child restraint that has been certified to meet the Australian Standard.

Child restraints are available in a range of styles to suit children of different sizes. Infant restraints can be rented from some maternity hospitals or purchased from department and specialist baby stores.
If using a second-hand restraint, child seat or booster seat, ensure that:
• It is not more than 10 years old.
• It has not been damaged in a crash.
• All buckles and adjusters work correctly.
• The strap webbing is not frayed.

Installation

• Follow all the manufacturer’s instructions carefully if you are fitting the restraint yourself.
• If the instructions have been lost, contact the manufacturer or seek advice from an RTA Authorised Fitting Station. Call 13 22 13 to find your nearest RTA Authorised Fitting Station.
• An infant restraint or child seat is fitted correctly when the top strap of the child restraint is attached to the anchorage point. Usually, this anchorage point is positioned just behind the back passenger seat.
• Currently it is against NSW law to use an infant restraint, child seat, booster seat or booster cushion in the front passenger seat if there is an airbag fitted for that position. The safest location for a child restraint is in the centre of the rear seat.

Infant Restraint

• For babies up to 9kg, 70cm long and from birth to 6 months.
• An infant restraint must be correctly installed in your vehicle and adjusted properly to fit your baby. If it is not, the restraint may not offer full protection in the event of a crash.
• Make sure you have a restraint installed in your car before your baby is born, ready for their first car trip, which will probably be on the way home from the hospital.

Child Seat

• For young children 8 - 18kgs and from 6 - 9 months to approximately 5 years old.
• To use a child seat, your child must be able to sit and easily hold their head upright.
• You will know that your child has outgrown their child seat when their shoulders no longer fit comfortably within the child seat or when their eye-level is higher than the back of the top of the child seat.

Booster Seat

• Children 14 - 26kgs (until they are large enough to be safely secured by an adult seatbelt)
• Children should travel in a booster seat that is secured by an adult seatbelt, never a lap belt only.
• A booster seat should be used until your child’s shoulders no longer comfortably fit within the booster seat or when their eye-level is higher than the back of the top of the booster seat.
• A child harness, which is used in conjunction with an adult seatbelt can be used with or without a booster seat.

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stella makes this comment

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Just to update the above information, there are now new booster seats available which will accommodate children larger than 26 kg. The latest Australian Standards 2010 rate child restraints on height rather than weight, allowing children to remain in their restraints for longer.
For more info, please head over to the ACRI Australian Child restraint Resource Initiative Face book page. Questions and feedback are welcome.

http://www.facebook.com/acri01