02/09/2026
🚗👶🏻👧🏻🙋🏻♀️🚗 A child's entire car seat journey spans over 3 Stages, but there's 4 Types of Car Seats - What Now?
📌 Choosing the right type of car seat is critical for your child’s safety during each stage of development. Here's a breakdown:
TYPE 1 - STAGE 1️⃣
👶🏻Dedicated Infant Seats (0 -10, 12 or 13kg / 40 to 75cm - 87cm depending on model and ECE regulation):
✅ ONLY Rear Facing. Best protection for fragile necks and spines.
✅ Max out the infant seat's harness weight / height limit before moving your child to the next Stage 2 seat which is prefably a dedicated toddler seat or alternatively a multi-stage seat; still Rear Facing
TYPE 2 - STAGE 2️⃣
👧🏻 Dedicated Toddler Seats (up to 18kg/105cm depending on model):
✅ Rear Facing (up to 105cm) or Forward Facing (earliest from 76cm - 105cm)
🛡️ Rear Facing is safest – keep them that way for as long as possible, while staying within your car seat limits.
💡We highly recommend you invest in a toddler seat that can Rear Face to a minimum of 105cm / 18kg (and not only to 87cm / 13kg).
TYPE 3 - STAGE 3️⃣
🙋🏻♀️ Dedicated High Back Boosters (100-150cm):
🪑 Uses the vehicle 3-point seatbelt to restrain both the child and seat, some with optional ISOFix.
✅ Only start using once the child is at least 100cm (1m) tall (preferably 105cm tall) and emotionally mature enough to sit properly without slouching or playing with the seat belt for the whole ride - as a general guideline this is from 4 or 4.5 years old until a child reaches 150cm (1.5m) tall which most average sized children reach only between 10 - 12 years old.
TYPE 4 - STAGE 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ combined
👶🏻👧🏻🙋🏻♀️Multi-Stage (All Stages) Seats:
➡️ A seat marketed as one seat from birth to booster (0 - 25kg/135cm or 0 - 36kg/150cm). Thus one seat with multiple modes – but check the manual for specific weight and height limits for each mode.
📌 Most multi-stage seats, though approved and marketed to use from birth, do NOT provide a good and safe fit for newborns and young infants. We strongly advise you start with a Stage 1 Dedicated Infant Seat and only once outgrown, move the child into a multi-stage seat, still Rear Facing.
💡We strongly advise then to invest in a multi-stage seat with a minimum 18kg / 105cm Rear Facing harness limit and a booster mode limit of 150cm / 36kg or 50kg.
📌 Max out each mode before moving your child to the next stage that the seat offers
END OF CAR SEAT / BOOSTER JOURNEY
🚗 Vehicle Seat Belt on its own without a booster:
✅ Only when your child is at least 150cm (1.5m) tall, usually between 10–12 years old and passes "The 5-step test".
Until then, a booster is a must!
📌 Remember: Moving your child too soon to the next stage increases their risk of injury in a crash. There is no need to rush.
