Baby car seats

You’ll need a car seat to drive home from hospital, so it’s worth buying and practising fitting it a few weeks before your due date.

i-Size infant seats are approved by your baby’s height, usually from 40cm to about 83–87cm, and always face backwards.

An ISOFIX base stays in the car and the seat clicks on and off. Most seats can also be fitted with the car’s seat belt if you don’t have a base.

Most makers advise no more than two hours in the seat at a time for young babies, with breaks out of the seat on longer journeys.

Usually until about 12 to 15 months, when they reach the seat’s height or weight limit or their head is level with the top of the shell.

Many infant seats click onto pushchairs with adapters. Check the pushchair maker’s list of compatible seats, and whether the adapters are included.

A new seat is the safer choice. A used seat may have been in an accident without showing damage, and you can’t always be sure it has all its parts and instructions.