Car seat for children from 15 to 36 kg: characteristics and tips for choosing

A car seat is often perceived as an indispensable attribute for transporting a child under three years old, however, manufacturers of such products insist that complete transportation safety can be ensured only if the child drives a special seat up to 12 years old. Many parents ignore this recommendation, but everything indicates that they are doing so in vain.

Most parents believe that at a relatively conscious age the child can already be seated on a separate adult seat, wearing a conventional car seat belt. In a pinch, pick up and transport it. Naturally, both options are unacceptable from the point of view of safety in an emergency situation. When a child is held in the hands of an adult, in the case of sudden braking, or especially a frontal impact, he is not protected from being thrown forward at all.

A standard seat belt also gives very dubious guarantees, since it is designed for an adult and does not always tighten to the necessary tightness, and it is too high, so instead of a chest it can clasp the throat, with serious consequences. That is why the ideal solution is a car seat designed for the appropriate age.

Chairs for preschoolers and children under adolescence are not as common as yet, but they exist - these models fall into the category 2/3. This group of car seats makes certain demands on its passengers, for example, a child's weight from 15 to 36 kg and a height of at least 95 centimeters. As for the upper growth indicator, it varies depending on the model - it can be both 145 and 160 centimeters. At the same time, the seating parameters may differ significantly, so it is advisable to “try on” the chair before making a purchase.

The concept of 2/3 is implemented in a very simple way - in fact, manufacturers provide two chairs, one in the other. The basis is a larger 3, which has all the necessary rigidity and provides the bulk of the necessary protection. The seat of category 2 in this case is represented by a relatively thin overlay, which is installed on top of the chair 3 and provides closer “hugs” for the baby, for whom it is too early to use category 3.

As the child grows, such an overlay is simply removed, and an ordinary chair for the third age group remains from the transformer. Naturally, the soft lining of the second category is cheaper for parents than a full chair of the same group - due to this, savings are achieved.

Since children's life depends on the effectiveness of the car seat, before entering the market, leading manufacturers carry out so-called crash tests, when an emergency situation is created in laboratory conditions. Usually a car without a control is sent to a concrete barrier at high speed in order to see how it will end. Of course, instead of a child, a mannequin is put in the car seat, but according to his condition after the collision, it is judged how effective the model in question is.

It would seem that a child car seat is not the most complex structure to assume the diversity of species. Nevertheless, the classification stands out even for child seats group 2/3. To begin with, it should be noted that child car seats are most often produced exactly in the 2/3 format, however, as an exception, they come across separately and simply 2, and just 3. The principal difference is that 2 are conditional preschoolers, and 3 are children school age younger than teenagers.

Most manufacturers understand that any family will prefer one durable chair, so they produce exactly 2/3, whose lifespan can reach nine years.

Given that the road may be long-distance, and a child aged 3 years may want to sleep at any time, car seats with a sleeping position are particularly successful. For such products traditional is the ability to adjust the height and tilt of the headrest, but if you want the baby to sleep, the best models offer the possibility of tilting the backrest. The chair at the same time as it goes a little forward, but still reliably fixed with standard car seat belts.

Separately, it must be said about the so-called boosters - these are car seats that do not assume the presence of a backrest. They are necessary for those children who, due to their age and size, are not so easily placed in a child seat, but are still not fully capable of using “adult” seat belts. Realizing that such a state is almost always temporary and unpredictable, manufacturers usually make chairs of the 2/3 group so that, if necessary, the backrest can be removed altogether, turning the design into a booster.

A baby car seat is exactly the product where the highest quality is vital, but reviews show that, like in any other industry, there are the best models and everything else. Some manufacturers are willing to somewhat reduce the safety performance so that the final product is cheaper and more affordable for the buyer. Some companies are doing everything to protect against impact, but because of this convenience suffers. Some companies manage to combine functionality and stylish design in their products. And for some brands, all these indicators are relatively balanced.

By the way, for this reason, it is quite difficult to name the ideal car seat, since each consumer may have special requests. Of course, the main criterion is safety, but if the child is uncomfortable and he constantly cries - it will distract the driver, once again provoking an emergency situation. Someone has a child too short for a better model, and someone else is too tall or full.

In a word, there are no unambiguous criteria, therefore it is necessary to single out several models from those that are criticized quite rarely.

This car seat is a vivid example of the fact that the manufacturer may not have a great experience in the production of such products, but still make them qualitatively. The history of the brand has some two decades.

However, this model, referring to the newest, managed to win in numerous European competitions for children's car seats. For fastening, the modern Isofix system is used, which provides a reliable connection between the seat and the car. A peculiar "chip" of this chair is the patented three-position headrest, which allows you to find the ideal position for a child among eleven options, without an adjustable backrest, too, was not.

The inconsistency of the child with the standard parameters for his age can significantly reduce the number of options available, however, this does not mean that he will have to drive without a car seat. The considered model is designed for those children who are characterized by increased dimensions - in particular, the maximum stipulated weight of the passenger here is 45 kilograms.

The manufacturer is not limited to the minimum adjustment of standards, but also took care of convenience, for example, made the armrests soft with built-in holders.

This seat, on the contrary, somewhat limits the maximum weight, since it is suitable exclusively for passengers not heavier than 29.5 kg. But safety here is observed so carefully that many reputable experts consider it as his best solution.

The British manufacturer has tried to make the seat design literally fit the baby from all sides, which will help not to fly out of the seat in the event of a collision and soften the potential side impact.

Do not forget the engineers and that in many accidents even a child car seat does not save, if installed correctly. To prevent such a problem, the developers have simplified the installation process as much as possible - it is reduced to the elementary pulling of a standard seat belt under the armrests.

This model could be attributed even to the group of more multifunctional transformers 1/2/3, which does not prevent it from meeting the standards considered in this article. Here, the number of potentially child-friendly positions is numerous than anywhere else. Permissible passenger weight starts from only 6 and ends with 39 kilograms.

In the pursuit of maximum convenience, the designers did not forget about safety, in particular, great attention was paid to lateral protection, since in accidents children suffer most from lateral collisions.

The choice of reliable car seats for children is not an easy task, because there is no room for error. As already mentioned, the universal model does not exist, for each child will have to choose a chair separately. To do this without fail, you must at least know the basic criteria, of which there are quite a lot.

About age and weight have already been said, so it remains to determine the other parameters.

In an effort to provide the child with maximum comfort and safety, diligent parents often forget that the “perfect” car seat may corny not fit in the backseat of their car. Universal models should be suitable for all cars that comply with ECE R14 and R16 standards, but even in this case, it is advisable to try on a seat, especially if the car is of domestic production.

You can fasten the seat to the rear seat using standard seat belts, but this option, although popular, is not considered ideal. In recent years, more and more manufacturers of car seats are guided by the Isofix system, which involves holding the chair on special brackets that go deep into the seat. There are also models with a retractable resistant element that does not allow the chair to roll forward with a frontal impact.

There are chairs with anchor belts, which are additionally attached to the back of the backrest.

Protection against throwing a child under heavy braking is most often provided with straps with one, three or five attachment points.The more points, the better the impact force is distributed over the surface of the child’s body, minimizing the risk of serious injury. As an exception, departure protection can also be provided by a front table.

Some children's car seats do not have a rigid frame, then they are very compact and cheap, but they are able to protect the child only from being thrown forward, but not from being hit. The plastic frame is already a higher safety, since the best modern samples resist deformation rather well and can withstand a strong blow, while this chair will cost the parents relatively cheap.

The aluminum frame makes the chair as expensive as possible, but it does not make it heavier, and in terms of strength is the ideal solution, since it perfectly protects against impacts and allows you to maintain the correct position of the children's spine during long trips.

Until adolescence, the children's skeleton is still soft and is at the stage of growth and formation; therefore, it is now absolutely important to ensure the orthopedic position of the back and neck. There is no specific standard here - it is more correct to say that the seat should relatively correspond to the dimensions and parameters of its passenger.

Given that it is constantly and fairly rapidly growing, preference is given to those chairs that allow multi-position regulation of their position.

In the modern world, no one will agree to go for obvious discomfort for the sake of safety, and it’s impossible to explain to a child why he should sit in an uncomfortable, tightly hugging, sometimes dirty chair. Therefore, for the beginning it is worthwhile to give the child to try the seat himself. It is worth buying only if the baby does not show any dissatisfaction.

It is desirable that the fabric itself repels dirt and is fairly easy to clean without washing, however, it is just as important that the design of the chair suggests the possibility of removing the cover for hygienic care. By the way, usually upholstery is made of synthetic material with a slight addition of natural fibers, however, for the summer heat a model with a cotton cover that provides improved ventilation is much better suited.

There are organizations that are professionally involved in assessing the safety of children's car seats. If the manufacturer with this model has passed such a test, he will not fail to boast about it.

In the next video, see a detailed overview of the car seat 2-3 Cybex Solution X2-Fix (Cybex Solution X 2 Fix).