Group 1 2 3 car seat safety guide – the basics
By law, all children must be secured properly when riding in a car, as proper use of car safety seats can keep your child safe from unfortunate accidents on the road. However, the car seat industry is huge and nowadays you’re not just buying the standard car seat on its own anymore – tons of new car seats have a menu of accessories that come in the box and what even is a group 1/2/3 car seat Isofix bundle!?
If you’re new to car seats and have little to no expertise regarding car seat safety, then this group 1 2 3 car seat safety guide will touch upon the car seats available by age/weight and the typical car seat safety check each car seat needs to go through so your child can keep safe in the car.
This article will however focus on the car seat group 1 2 3 stages and how you can ensure ultimate child passenger safety in the car when your child transitions through each stage.
“Car seats and boosters provide protection for infants and children in a crash, yet car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. That’s why it’s so important to choose and use the right car seat correctly every time your child is in the car.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The basics
Children aged up to approximately 11 years old or 36kg must travel in initially rear-facing car seats, transitioning then to forward-facing child car seats and finally booster seats.
But you don’t just fit and go. Your child’s car seat must:
- Be properly installed
- Conform to the United Nations standard, ECE Regulation 44.04 (or R 44.03) or to the new i-size regulation, R129. Look for the ‘E’ mark label on the seat.
- Be appropriate for your child’s size and weight
- Be properly fastened and adjusted to fit so the belt fits properly
- Must follow car seat regulations
Choosing the right toddler seat can be even more challenging, as different products are available on the market, categorised by car seat groups.
There are four types of child seats for cars, and the size car seat relates to the age and weight of your child. This Group 1 2 3 car seat safety guide will briefly discuss the key features of each car seat but focus on the car seat 1 2 3 group to help you understand which one is the best fit for your situation.
Car seat weight chart
Below is an image taken from which.co.uk that shows the corresponding weight for children’s car seats, from infant car seat to booster seats car seats.
As you can see in the images above, car seats are categorised according to weight rather than age because weight can fluctuate. So it’s not safe to rely on your child’s age when choosing a car seat.
For example, my eldest is in the 99th centile for his age category, my middle boy is in the 25th centile, my middle girl is in the 50th centile and my youngest girl is in the 98th centile. So, following the exact age for all four of my children would be dangerous because my middle children wouldn’t be ready to move on to the next car seat stage at the same time my eldest transitioned.
Start with the infant car seat
When you come home from the hospital, you bring your newborn in an infant car seat. The infant car seat is particularly designed for newborns but can be used for kids up to 2 years old. It mostly depends on your child’s development as some babies (like two out of my four babies) can outgrow an infant car seat quickly.
Infant car seats need to be installed rear-faced for extra protection, so make sure you check the weight and height of your child before you purchase your first baby car seat (which is 0-10kg (22lbs) for Group 0 car seats and up to 13kg (29lbs) for Group 0+.) Also, the car seat’s instruction manual will include car seat safety tips for infants, so ensure you’ve read the manual thoroughly before use.
Group 1 2 3 car seat
This group 1 2 3 car seat safety guide focuses on group 1 2 3 car seats. But, what does group 1-2-3 car seat mean exactly? Group 123 car seat products are 3-in-1 car seats. They can also be called combination seats because they can be used from birth (when your baby is in an infant rearward facing car seat), convertible forward facing toddler car seat, and booster child seat.
It’s also called an all-in-one seat or convertible seat because it’s manufactured to achieve all the purposes combined in just one seat.
Much like travel systems which include carrycots and pushchairs, the best part about convertible car seats is they are used from your child’s birth until they reach the car seat’s maximum height and weight limits, which makes them budget-friendly too.
Are group 1 2 3 car seats safe?
This group 1 2 3 car seat safety guide includes a couple of group 1/2/3 car seat reviews, including the Cozy N Safe Excalibur car seat and the Icklebubba Solar Car Seat, where we reviewed the car seats extensively and found them to be very sturdy and safe.
Group 1 2 3 car seats are forward facing and generally fitted with an Isofix attachment which provides more safety, especially when used with the car’s seat belt too. Your little one is safest rear facing, so you should keep them that way for as long as possible before you transfer them to forward facing seats.
What is an IsoFix?
An Isofix as it is known in Europe and LATCH in the US (which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers or Tether for CHildren) is a mechanism which attaches to the vehicle’s seat via special anchors so you can use the car seat’s safety harness rather than the seat belts of the car.
Is Isofix safer than a seatbelt?
Independent tests show that ISOFIX mounted seats are extremely safe. Rather than relying on a belt, the car seat is fixed directly to the child seat base. That means there’s less movement in the seat in the event of an accident, particularly a side on impact. The real advantage to ISOFIX is that it’s so simple to fit.
https://heycar.co.uk/guides/what-is-isofix
What age is group 1 2 3 car seat products suitable for?
The Group 1/2/3 car seat age applies to children from 9 months to around 11 years of age, but remember, as per this Group 1 2 3 car seat safety guide suggests, weight and size are more important. So these car seats are suitable for children who weigh between 9 to 36kg (20 to 79lbs).
The best group 1/2/3 car seat we’ve tried so far is the Cozy N Safe Excalibur Car Seat and the Icklebubba Solar Car Seat. You can find out more about the Cozy N Safe Group 1 2 3 car seat here and the Ickle Bubba Car Seat here.
Buy the Cozy N Safe car seat here*
Buy the Solar Group 1 2 3 Isofix Car Seat from Ickle Bubba and save £40 for a limited time only*
What are the different stages in a Group 1 2 3 car seat?
Group 0+/1/2/3 car seat products include newborn infant car seats, so they are suitable from birth and transition through to booster seats.
I haven’t found a group 1/2 car seat and I’m not sure whether group 2 car seats exist on their own, but group 3 car seats are booster seats without the back. A group 3 car seat can work in combination with a backed booster – this is also called a group 2 3 car seat.
A car seat group 2 3 is a high-backed booster seat and may use the car’s 3-point seat belt or ISOFIX . Seat belt installation – The car’s 3-point seat belt secures both the child and the seat. The seat will have guides through which the seat belt must be threaded correctly.
https://www.madeformums.com/reviews/the-10-best-car-seats-from-4-years/
Booster seat car seats
Boosters sit in car seat group 3 and are suitable for children above 8 years old. A good positioning booster can be used until the child is 13 years old and can come as part of the car seat group 123 products. Note that you should not purchase a booster seat unless your child has outgrown the previous car seat’s weight and height limit.
However, forward-facing car seat requirements suggest your child should be able to be big enough to fit into car seat booster seats, but if they don’t adjust properly, you can always revert to the group 23 car seat (car seats to booster seats). You can always try a backed booster for an easier transition to a booster.
Mistakes to avoid when installing car seats
Not researching before buying
If you’re considering a used child seat for your toddler, then make sure the car seat:
- Has no missing parts or visible damage
- It comes with a label showing the model number and the manufacture date
- Comes with instructions
- It hasn’t been recalled
- It isn’t over 6 years old or expired
- Has never been in a crash
- The harness is in excellent condition and the seat belt fits properly over your child
Installing the car seat in the wrong spot
The safest place for a child’s car seat is in the back seat, as far as possible from the active airbags. Avoid placing the car seat in the front seat as the airbag could inflate and hit the back of the rear-facing seat – right where your child’s head is – and cause a serious injury.
Most vehicles should have Isofix mechanisms installed for Isofix car seats, so it’s important to follow your car’s manual for optimum seating positions for your child’s car seat.
Not reading the instructions
Before installing a car seat, read the manufacturer’s instructions and the section on car seats in your vehicle’s manual. The seat should be tightly secured – enabling only 1 inch of movement from front to back when clasped at the bottom near the attachment points – and facing the right direction. It’s important to read the car seat safety brochure and look at the car seat safety ratings so you’re well versed with how to ensure maximum safety when using the car seat.
Reclining the seat at the wrong angle
If you install a car seat in the rear-facing position, ensure you recline the seat according to the manufacturer’s guidelines so that your baby’s head doesn’t move forward. Infants must be semi-reclined in order to keep their airways open. The good news is that most seats come with angle adjusters or indicators to guide parents.
Wearing outerwear in the car seat
You should not leave a coat or thick clothing on when you fasten your child in the car seat because the outerwear leaves a hidden gap between the body and the straps. Remove coats and any other outerwear before you put your child in the car seat and tighten the straps so you can get just a two finger gap between your child and the straps.
Moving to a booster seat too soon
Some kids may need booster seats in cars to help an adult seat belt fit properly. You should opt for a good positioning booster seat when your kid has reached the highest height or weight allowed by the vehicle seat manufacturer. But don’t be so quick to move to a group 3 / booster seat. Try a backed booster first to see if that suffices to secure your child.
If you’re having a hard time finding the right child safety seats in a car for your little one, then you can ask for recommendations from other parents, consult online community groups, or a car seat manufacturer to ensure you have a proper child safety seat and you’re following the car seat guidelines. Halfords can answer certain car seat questions, so try them too!
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