This is a very important question as most children do tend to outgrow their car seats in height first. ECE R44/04 and older certifications only use a weight (in kg) limit; R129 uses a height (in cm) limit (with weight and average age). An infant car seat has been outgrown when the top of your baby’s head is 2.5cm below the top of the car seat shell and/or the harness drops more than 2.5cm below their shoulders. A toddler car seat has been outgrown when the top of the headrest (when at the highest setting) is in line with the child’s eyes.

• Legs hanging over the car seat or touching the back of the vehicle seat (when in rear facing mode) is NOT an indication that the seat has been outgrown.
• Never exceed the maximum weight or height limits of the car seat.

Harness height is where the harness comes out at the slots at the back of the seat over the shoulders. The correct harness height for Rear Facing is at / level with shoulders or just below (max 1 inch / 2.5cm) shoulders. For Forward Facing the correct harness height is at / level with shoulders or just above (max 1 inch / 2.5cm) shoulders. .

Use the following methods to determine if your baby or child has outgrown their car seat in height if there is no height limit, but only a weight limit:

NOTE: The harness and headrest grow with your child.

Rear facing:
Method 1 (most accurate): if the harness height (where the harness comes out from behind the shoulders at the back of the car seat drops more than 1 inch (2.5cm) below the shoulders.

OR

Method 2: if the top of your child’s head is less than 1 inch (2.5cm) below the top of the car seat.

Forward facing:
Method 1 (most accurate): if the harness height (where the harness comes out from behind the shoulders at the back of the car seat drops below the shoulders

OR

Method 2: the tips of the ears / eyes are in line with the top of the car seat.

Top Tip: Be sure to check the harness height and headrest position every time your baby / child outgrows their clothes and shoes.

European car seats do not have an expiry date but do have a recommended life span. The car seat manual will state the recommended lifespan, usually between 6 – 10 years. If not mentioned in the manual, contact the manufacturer directly.

You will find the date of manufacture (DOM) on a sticker or stamped (looks like a sundial) on to the hard plastic shell of the car seat itself. 

In South Africa we follow European regulations regarding car seats and only car seats with ECE certification (the orange sticker) are legal to import, sell and use.  American, Canadian, Australian, etc. car seats (any non-European car seat without ECE certification) are illegal to import, sell and use in South Africa and may have different vehicle seatbelt routings. American car seats specifically must be installed with a locking vehicle seatbelt, which most vehicles on the South African market are not equipped with and correct installation cannot be guaranteed. 

Vehicle seatbelt lengths differ! Try another vehicle seat, for example if the left rear vehicle seatbelt is too short, try the right rear vehicle seat. There is also the “tip trick” that that you can try, but please note it does not work for all infant seats and not all car seats. Watch this video for more information about the “tip trick” The seatbelt is often too short to install some infant car seats – you may be able to purchase a belted base (base that uses vehicle seatbelt for installation and car seat then clicks onto installed base) which uses less / shorter seatbelt to overcome this problem. However, not all car seats have an optional belted base. Always fit a car seat in your vehicle before purchasing.

This is dependent on the car seat you have. Some may lightly touch the front seat; others must have a definite gap. The exact gap size is sometimes specified, please check your manual for further clarity or contact the manufacturer.

No. Contact the manufacturer for replacement of the polystyrene. If no replacement is available, you will have to purchase a new car seat.

Insuring a car seat is a very good idea and is a nominal monthly cost. In the instance of a collision or vehicle theft, you will have to replace the car seat which is often a costly and unforeseen expense. It is advisable to send your insurance company/broker an email with the section from the car seat manual stating that it needs to be replaced after it has been involved in a collision, together with the proof of purchase and a photo of the car seat.

Yes, if the manufacturer offers this service, we highly recommend that you register the car seat. You will then be the first to know if there are any issues or recalls for the car seat you purchased.

A small amount of side-to-side movement is considered acceptable; however, the allowance is for a maximum of 1 inch (2.5cm) of movement at the belt path. Please make sure that the seatbelt has been correctly routed as per the manual, the seatbelt is not twisted, the seatbelt has been pulled as tight as you can, and if applicable (depending on car seat model), that the built-in or separate lock-off clip(s) has been used. If you are uncertain, please contact us or the car seat manufacturer for further guidance.

In short, no, it’s not necessary but it can make your life easier, especially if you have back problems, a small door entry or a vehicle with high ground clearance. Some car seat’s design allows the car seat to rotate 360 degrees without uninstalling the seat, from a rear and forward facing position and others don’t stand up to the marketing hype. Please read our article on rotating seats here.

Head flop is when the baby’s head flops forward into their chest. This can be very dangerous if the baby has little or no neck control as it can cut off their air supply causing positional asphyxia. Head flop is dangerous and may be fatal especially while the baby has little/no neck control. Babies under the age of 6 months, premature babies, full term babies but born at a low birth weight and babies with medical conditions are at the highest risk for positional asphyxiation resulting from head flop.