👶 Child car seat checklist

The right seat fitted wrong is more dangerous than people expect — get the size right for the child, then get the fitting checked by someone who does it for a living.

17 items

1. Choosing the seat
2. Seat chosen for current weight and height, not ageA seat sized to the wrong measurement is the most common fitting mistake there is.
3. Isofix base, if the car and seat support itRemoves the chance of fitting the seat wrong with the seatbelt, which is the more common failure of the two methods.
4. Second-hand seat history knownOnly buy one whose full history you actually know — a seat that's been in an undisclosed crash looks fine and isn't.
5. Expiry date checkedPlastic degrades over years even unused — most seats have a manufacture date and a usable life stamped somewhere on the shell.
6. Rear-facing seat used for as long as the seat allowsUsually well past a baby's first birthday — rear-facing protects the head and neck far better in a front or side impact.
7. Fitting checked by a trained retailer or the manufacturerMost fitting mistakes are invisible to a parent doing it for the first time — a five-minute check catches them.
8. Harness height checked against the child's shouldersToo low or too high both reduce how well the harness holds in a crash — refit as the child grows, not once and forget it.
9. Chest clip positioned at armpit levelToo low, and the harness can ride up over the shoulders in a crash instead of holding them down.
10. Seat never fitted in a front seat with an active airbag if rear-facingA deploying airbag against the back of a rear-facing seat is a serious, known danger — disable the airbag or move the seat.
11. Bulky coats removed before strapping inA padded coat compresses in a crash, leaving the harness loose enough to matter — strap in with a thin layer and add the coat over the top after.
12. Straps tight enough to pass the pinch testIf you can pinch a fold of webbing at the shoulder, it's too loose — tighten until you can't.
13. Seat replaced after any crash, even a minor oneDamage to the shell or the frame isn't always visible, and most manufacturers require replacement regardless of how the seat looks.
14. Mirror fitted for a rear-facing seatSo a driver can see a rear-facing baby without twisting round while driving, which is its own hazard.
15. Sunshade for the rear windows×2Direct sun on a strapped-in child is worse than it is on an adult who can shift position or shield their eyes.
16. Next size seat researched before they outgrow this oneGrowth is gradual and easy to miss until a harness height no longer adjusts high enough.
17. Booster seat rules understood for when they're old enoughThe move to a booster is about height and the seatbelt fitting correctly across the collarbone, not a birthday.