Updated: 09 Sep 2011

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Introduction

We've selected the best child restraints from 3 international testing programmes.

Using a child restraint is one of the most important things you can do for your child's safety. But our test results show that not all restraints are created equal ... and some perform significantly better than others.

We also explain about the various kinds of child restraints and what standards to look for.

Child restraints and the law

All children under 5 years of age must be in an approved child restraint when they're travelling in a car or van. The restraint must also be certified to one of 3 standards and suitable for the age, weight, height and physical development of the child.

Older children between 5 and 7 must use an approved child restraint if one is available – otherwise they must use an adult safety belt. If no safety belt’s available, they must be in the back seat.

New Zealand lagging behind

Our record on child-passenger safety could be better. We’re third from the bottom in an international comparison of road death rates for children. Our average rate is 3 children killed on the roads per 100,000 people. Sweden had the lowest rate: 0.6 deaths per 100,000.

Other countries have stricter laws for protecting children in cars. In Australia, children under 6 months old must be rear-facing and children aged 4 to 7 years must be in a forward-facing restraint or a booster seat. The UK insists older children must use an appropriate child restraint until they reach either their 12th birthday or a height of 1.35m.

Road safety strategy

In March 2010 the Minister of Transport released Safer Journeys, the government’s road-safety strategy through to 2020. One aim is to "make the use of booster seats the norm for children aged 5 to 10" – which may imply bringing our child-restraint laws in line with international best practice. A first stage would be a requirement for all children up to the age of 8 to use an appropriate child restraint. This could later be extended to all children up to their 10th birthday or once they reach 1.48m in height.

Act now

We don’t think you should wait till the law changes. We recommend using a booster seat up to the age of 10 years or until the child is taller than 1.48m.

Buying checklist

Here's what to look for when choosing a child restraint.

Standard compliance label

There are 3 standards to look for. See The 3 standards for more details.

Tether strap

This stops the child restraint tipping forward in a crash. The tether strap must be used for all restraints (rear- and forward-facing) that comply with the Australian/New Zealand standard – otherwise their safety performance will be compromised. Many forward-facing US restraints also use a tether strap, and the latest Isofix standard includes a tether strap. A tether strap doesn't necessarily make a seat safer than a seat designed without a tether, but if the seat has one it must be used - not using it will risk serious injury to the child, or worse.

Height-adjustable seatback

A seat may claim to be suitable for children up to a certain weight but a tall child can grow out of a seat before then. Some forward-facing seats and booster seats have adjustable seatbacks that can be raised as the child grows.

Side wings

It’s estimated that 1 in every 4 crashes involves a side impact. Well-padded side wings can help protect the child in this type of crash. Many wings are height-adjustable so they can “grow” with the child.

Locking clip

This holds the adult safety belt tight when it’s used to install the seat or secure the child into a booster seat. A locking clip is a good idea, even though it's not required by the standards. Some restraints don’t need one – so check the instructions.

Isofix and LATCH

Many late-model cars designed for sale in Europe are fitted with Isofix mounting points. An Isofix-compatible restraint can be snapped into the rear-passenger-seat frame instead of being held by the car's safety belt – so Isofix reduces the likelihood of a restraint being installed incorrectly. The US has a similar system called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). Isofix and LATCH seats will fit each other's mounting points. Isofix points can't be added to an older car - they are built into the structure at the factory. However, many late-model cars here have Isofix mounting points, but they may be hidden under the rear seat cushion. Many Holden and Ford cars are designed to be sold in Europe and the US as well as here, and may include Isofix points hidden under the rear seat cushion. They aren’t made obvious because using Isofix is illegal in Australia - it isn't recognised by the AS/NZS child restraint standard. If your car was built in the last 5-6 years, try poking your hand down between the seat back and squab cushions and feel for a metal loop. There should be two loops for each seat. If you’re unsure, you could ask a new-car dealer - they may know if your car has Isofix points.

Safety harness

At least three securing points are required, five points are preferable (and required by the AS/NZS standard).

Harness-height options

This lets you adjust the restraint as the child grows taller.

Reclining the seat

Many forward-facing and booster seats can be reclined to create either a better fit to the car seat, or to allow the child to sleep more comfortably and safely without its head falling forward. Some seats require the recline angle to be chosen before the seat is installed, which will be inconvenient if you need to adjust the angle often. Some seats allow the angle to be adjusted after installation, using a lever or button.  

Lining

Make sure the lining is easy to remove and washable. To protect your car's seat coverings look for a restraint with a mat underneath. Or you can keep a towel in the car instead.

Safety tips

• Buy or hire your restraint several weeks before you'll need it. This will give you time to get used to installing it.
• Always try the restraint in the car before you buy. Not all restraints fit all vehicles: some won't fit when they're in the rear-facing position, and sometimes the safety belt won't be long enough to secure the restraint. If your family has two cars, try the restraint in both.
• Never place rear-facing restraints (including capsules) in the front passenger seat if the car has an airbag that can’t be disabled. In a crash, the airbag will throw the restraint up against the passenger seat and the baby could be seriously injured or killed. Research shows that children are safest in the rear of the vehicle.
• A restraint that’s incorrectly installed or fitted will put a child at risk of serious injury or death. If you’re installing the restraint yourself, always follow the manufacturer's instructions. Plunket can also help with installing and fitting the restraint. Retailers may have staff who are Child Restraint Technicians. Technicians have had training and can advise you on your choice of restraint and show you how to install it properly. 

Don't buy second-hand

A second-hand restraint may have been bought overseas and may not comply with safety standards. Or it may have been in an accident. Or the instructions (or extras such as a locking clip) may be missing. Or it may simply be too old.

Over time, plastic can become brittle and the webbing fabric can deteriorate from friction or from exposure to the sun. A restraint that will survive a severe impact in its first few years after manufacture may fail in an accident 10 years later.

If buying a new child restraint is beyond your budget, you can apply to WINZ for a Special Needs grant to buy one.

Hiring a child restraint

Any restraint needs to keep pace with your child’s growth – which means you’ll need more than one restraint before the child is old enough to use the adult safety belt on its own. What’s more, you may end up using a capsule for only 6 months to a year. So some parents hire capsules and other child restraints from Plunket, hire companies, or a retailer. 

The 3 standards

All child restraints sold here must meet 1 of the 3 standards listed below.

Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS1754: This can be identified by the Australian "tick" mark.


 
US standard FMVSS213: Restraints that comply with this standard must show the number FMVSS213. They carry the "S" mark to show they have been certified for use in New Zealand. 

 
European standard ECE R44.04: This is labelled with a circle containing an "E". 

About our tests

Since this country allows child restraints to meet the criteria of 3 different international standards, we’ve compiled our test results from 3 different test programmes in Europe, the US and Australia. This is to make sure our report has test data for as many locally available models as possible. All models in our tables meet one of the 3 international standards.

These different test results are not directly comparable – so we show them in 3 separate tables.

• Most of our results are from restraints tested for us in Europe by the international consumer testing organisation ICRT. These tests use the same crash conditions as the Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) tests for passenger car safety, which are more stringent than the European standard for child restraints (ECE R44.04). The test assesses front impact at 64 km/h and side impact at 50 km/h, but doesn’t include an oblique-impact test.
  
  See Tested in Europe for the ICRT test results.
• Testing of Australian child restraints is performed by the Child Restraint Evaluation Programme (CREP), which is run by a consortium of government agencies and motoring organisations. The test assesses front impact at 56 km/h, side impact at 32 km/h, and oblique impact (at a 66° angle) at 32 km/h. Its lowest rating (one star) is equivalent to passing the AS/NZS1754 standard. We have only made the top-scoring seats in the Australian tests “Worth considering” because the lower impact speeds used in the CREP test make the crash impact much less severe than the impact in the European ICRT test.
  
  See Tested in Australia for the CREP test results.
• We’ve also included restraints tested by Consumers Union US. It tests front impact at 48 km/h but doesn’t carry out a side-impact or oblique-impact test. Because the US tests don’t include side impact, we show the top-scoring US restraints but haven’t “recommended” them or made them “worth considering”.
  
  See Tested in the US for the Consumers Union test results.

Profiles of all the car seats we've recommended or rated "worth considering" are found in We recommend.

Tested in Australia

These models were tested by the Child Restraint Evaluation Programme. The test assesses front, side and oblique impact (see About our tests for more information). Its lowest rating (1 star) is equivalent to passing the AS/NZ1754 standard.

 

Guide to the table

Models

• A = is only available when bought with the Cortina Stroller (the price includes seat and stroller).
• B = the model sold here has been upgraded to meet the 2010 AS/NZS standard:  the side impact testing uses a heavier dummy than the 2004 standard test and the seat includes shoulder height markers. Our test results are for the 2004 AS/NZS standard model.
• C = the ASC (Anti-Submarining Clip) is a clip and strap on the seat that attaches to the lap belt to prevent the child sliding under the safety belt in a collision.
• D = this model is also available here as the 'Infa Secure Fusion'.

Price is the recommended retail price or is from an online retailer.

Ratings are a maximum of 5 stars. Safety includes front-, side- and oblique-impact scores. Ease of use assesses ease of fitting the seat to the vehicle, avoiding incorrect use, fitting the child into the seat, and using the instruction manual. 

Weight is that of the removable seat (what you lift in/out of the vehicle). It excludes any separate base.

Type/Tested as 

• C = capsule
• R = rear-facing with integral harness
• F = forward-facing with integral harness
• B = booster

Some models can be used as more than one type. Tested as shows test mode.

Installation method is what was used in the safety testing. Belt = the car's safety belt.

Product profiles

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Safety 1st One-Safe Infant Carrier

• Good points: Excellent overall safety performance. Good ease of use. Clips to its base. Base remains in car.
• But: (No obvious bad points.)

Chicco Keyfit (has base)

• Good points: Very good overall safety. Very easy to use. Clips to its base. Base remains in car.
• But: (No obvious bad points.)

Safe-n-Sound Meridian AHR Tilt & Adjust

• Good points: Very good overall safety performance. Easy to use.
• But: (No obvious bad points.)

Infa-Secure Exceed EHP CS57

• Good points: Good overall safety (both as forward facing and as booster). Easy to use.
• But: (No obvious bad points.)

Infa-Secure Vario Kid

• Good points: Very good overall safety. Easy to use.
• But: (No obvious bad points.)

Safe-n-Sound Hi-Liner SG

• Good points: Very good overall safety. Easy to use.
• But: (No obvious bad points.)