i-Size child seats make it easy to find a seat that will be safe fit for your child and your car.
The term 'i-Size' refers to a new EU regulation (ECE R129) that has goal to make all car seats safely fit all cars using the ISOFIX anchor points that are fitted to all modern family cars. As it stands, just because you have an ISOFIX baby seat and ISOFIX mounting points in your car, it won't necessarily fit.
What is i-Size with child car seats?
i-Size aims to make all car seats fit all cars using ISOFIX mounting points fitted to all modern family cars. Right now, before you buy an i-Size seat, you'll need to check the approved list of cars supplied by the seat manufacturer to know for sure it'll fit your car. The aim is that i-Size will be standardised with time with the old ECE R44/04 seats mandated seats slowly being fazed out, although a set date for this hasn't been finalised.
How do I know if a car seat is i-Size?
Car seats that are i-Size compliant have 'i' on the side, have 'i' in their name or include the word i-Size, although to know for sure it is best to speak to the retailer to confirm it is indeed an i-Size seat.
How are i-Size child seats grouped?
Car seats used to rely on the weight of your child to know which seat would provide the safest fit, but i-Size uses height to provide a more accurate guide. The seats are categorised under four groups i-Size baby (newborns up to 85cm in height), i-Size baby and toddler (Newborn to 105cm), i-Size toddler and child (61-105cm) and i-Size child (100-135cm).
Why are i-Size seats safer?
i-Size seats are safer than old seats (mandated under ECE R44/04 regulations) for a number of reasons. For a kick off, they all fit using Isofix anchor points that make it easy to safely mount a child seat – the seat slots onto anchor points that are welded to the car's chassis, rather than being wrapped up in a three-point seat belt.
Another safety benefit i-Size seats have over the older versions is that they are crash tested in side impacts, plus the tests use sophisticated Q-Series dummies – which can accurately replicate kids from six-weeks to 10-and-a-half years old – that give more in depth results than the old P-Series models.
When should i stop using a rear-facing child seat?
Under the United Nation's R129 regulation, it is mandatory to to keep your baby in a rearward facing seat until they are at least 15 months old. Relative to older kids and adults, kids this age have large heads and weak neck muscles, so there's a risk of serious injury in front-facing seat that allows a their head to whip forward in an accident. In a rear-facing seat, this won't happen – the child's head will be supported by the seat and the likelihood of injury is greatly reduced.
Are i-Size seats a legal requirement?
Right now, the old R44/04 and new R129 regulations coexist, but the safety benefits of the later mean you can expect their use to become mandatory in the near future.
i-Size seats are fitted to your child according to their height. Like other seats, they still use the Isofix system to securely fit to your car.
Kids whose height or weight exceeds the forward-facing limit of their child seat should use a belt-positioned booster seat until their big enough to fit the seat without a booster – usually when they are eight to 12 years old.
ISOFIX isn't a size of seat, it's a way of fitting your child's seat safely and securely to your car. While using an ISOFIX capable child seat is voluntary, i-Size will be a mandatory system to insure your child is sitting in the correct seat for their height.
What's the difference between i-Size and ISOFIX?
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