Car seats 0-13 kg - Baby carrier Group 0+
The 0 – 13 kg car seats are the classic baby eggs that make up the trio, i.e. the car seats that we can mount not only in the car, but also on the frame of our stroller.
How long should the egg of the trio be used?
We can use these seats from birth up to 13 kg in weight, which would be approximately at least one year. In fact, from the first months, a reducer for the car seat that is inside it will be adopted, in order to wrap the newborn better, and make it safer in the car. As the newborn grows, it will be necessary to remove the reducer in order to make the seat more comfortable and spacious.
Unfortunately many do not know that in the car, the egg is the safest seat of all. This is because it is mounted backwards, i.e. in the most protective position ever. In fact, children up to one year of age have not yet fully formed all the muscles of the neck and spine, and it is therefore recommended that they do not stay in the car facing the road.
In reverse gear the impacts are cushioned and the neck will not suffer any injuries. The most important thing to understand how long a child can stay in a car seat is to look at his head, if he doesn't go beyond the headrest he can continue to use it without problems, indeed the more he uses it the better.
Let's not be scared if the legs touch the seat, they have to touch it. The legs must form a frog position and touch the seat, that is precisely the most correct and safest position of all.
How is the egg mounted in the car?
There are several ways to install the car seat.
The egg is approved to be mounted as it is, without the need for mandatory bases, in fact it has free passages in the body for the car's belts which make it already so safe.
If desired, however, there are the auto belt bases and the auto isofix bases. Thanks to them, installation in the car will be facilitated and the risks of incorrectly fitting the belts will therefore decrease.
In any case, if we mount the egg with the seat belts or with the seat belt base, we could place it both in the front seat and in the rear seats. If we mount it in the front seat, we will have to deactivate the airbags.
If, on the other hand, we mount the egg with the isofix base, we are obliged to mount it only in the seats where the isofix is present, which in 99% of cases is found only on the right and left rear seats.
Car Seats 0-18kg - From 0 to 4 Years
The 0 – 18 kg car seats are approved car seats from birth up to about 4 years of age, one meter in height. When we use them from birth, we will use the car seat reducer that is already present inside in order to make the seat more enveloping and performing for the baby's first months.
How are car seats fitted?
From birth to about one year of age, they can be mounted backwards which is the safest position as the child is too small and the neck muscles are not yet trained to face the road. From this year onwards, we will be able to mount the car seat in a forward-facing position.
Group 0-1 car seats can be belt car seats and isofix car seats based on the type of assembly in the car. As for the seats that are fitted with belts, these use the car's belts which are passed through certain pre-established steps which are usually indicated in blue when we mount them rearward facing and in red when we mount them facing the road.
The isofix car seats, on the other hand, do not use the car belts to be fitted, but the isofix system which is composed of a rigid base in which we find two clamps that are fixed to the car frame and a column that will rest perpendicularly on the floor.
Are isofix car seats safer?
It is said that the isofix is safer than fitting belts, because when we fit a car seat with belts we ourselves must be careful to tighten the belts well and pass them in the correct way. With the isofix system, since assembly is much simpler, the margin of human error is reduced so that we can assemble the seat incorrectly.
However, if we mount both versions well, the security remains the same.
In the category of isofix seats, a new regulation called I-size has been out for a few years, which no longer looks at the weight, but divides the seats according to the height of the child, which is the most important thing. According to this regulation, side impacts are also tested and it becomes mandatory to remain facing backwards up to 15 months and 76 cm in height. After this stage has been reached, we could decide to mount the seat facing the road, or continue up to 105 cm rearward facing.
The i-size car seats are therefore the safest and most up-to-date, and in some versions there will also be the possibility of having the structure rotate 360° in order to simplify assembly in the car even more.
Undecided? See the selection of Iperbimbo --> HERE
Car seats 9-36 kg Group 123 - From 1 to 12 years
The 9-36 kg car seats are approved from 9 kg in weight according to the ECE R44/04 standard, but it is recommended and much more correct to use them from at least one year onwards, since they can only be positioned facing the road.
When are child seats 9-36 kg used?
We recommend using them at least from one year onwards, because up until one year of age, children have not yet fully formed their neck muscles and spine, therefore in the event of an accident they will be much better protected than when driving, where the neck cannot be injured.
They are reclining seats, which allow you to have the most reclining position, useful on long journeys because when the children fall asleep they can rest their heads well, without rocking forward.
These group 1 2 3 car seats can be used up to 36 kg which are approximately 12 years, 150 cm in height. The maximum limit of 150 cm is given because when children reach this height, it means that they can use the car seat belt without the need for booster seats.
Up to one meter in height, which roughly corresponds to a child's 4 years, the seat uses its own straps that we can tighten or widen as we please. From one meter tall onwards, we will have to remove the straps that belong to the car seat and use the official car belt, which by now will already pass under the neck and will be fitted normally as is used for adults.
There are models that have both approvals, and can either be fitted with seat belts or with the isofix connection.
Undecided? See the selection of Iperbimbo --> HERE
Car Seats 15-36 kg Group 2 3 - From 4 To 12 Years
The 15-36 kg car seats are seats that comply with the ECE R44/04 weight standard and therefore can be used from 15 to 36 kg. However, this indication is very indicative, because these group 2 3 car seats no longer have their belts, they must use the car belt which will pass under the neck as in adults. In order to use the car seat belt, so that it does not bother the neck, the child must be at least one meter tall.
How to choose the best group 2 3 car seat?
Precisely for this reason, weight and age are not important in understanding which car seat 2 3 to buy, but what matters most is height. As we have said, for the safety of our children we recommend using these seats starting from about one meter in height and we can use them up to one meter and fifty. They can be used up to 1.50 m because this is the ideal height for which the car belt will no longer bother the neck.
If we wanted to base ourselves on age, as an indication, these seats could be used from about 3 to 12 years.
Are 15 36 kg isofix car seats safer?
The differences between one child seat and another depend above all on the type of assembly, which can be isofix or simply with the use of the belts only.
The group 2 3 isofix car seat is certainly the safest assembly, as it is fixed directly to the chassis of the car and in this way remains firm and stable. After having fitted the isofix connectors, we will only have to pass the car belt under the headrest of the seat and finally hook it up as usual.
If, on the other hand, the car seat does not have the isofix, we just have to pass the car belt under the child's neck and hook it as usual. In this way the belt will hold the child and the seat in place at the same time.
An important thing to know is that the 15-36 kg isofix seats are also approved to be fitted only with belts. So if you have a car without isofix, you can still mount this type of seat, hiding its connectors.
Undecided? See the selection of Iperbimbo --> HERE
