Everything you need to know about child car seats

Choosing the right restraint for your child, vehicle and parenting needs isn’t always easy. At Baby Bunting, we don’t just sell car seats for babies and children – we also have an extensive network of accredited car seat installers who are experts in the field of car seat safety.  

Child car seat safety isn’t something to mess around with, so we’ve put together a range of resources to help you understand the different types of seats available, the laws around using child car seats, and current best-practice recommendations that you can implement. This information will help keep your little ones as safe as possible.  

• Laws for using child car seats in Australia

• Types of car seats
• Car seat safety in non-standard vehicles
• Installing and using a child car seat
• Accessories for child car restraints
• Second-hand car seats.

Common terms used when speaking about car seats:  

• Harnessed – Car seats which have a harness with straps that go over the shoulders, around the hips, and have a buckle built into the seat are referred to as ‘fully harnessed’.    
• Booster/seatbelt booster – Booster seats have a base and back, but instead of a harness, a child is kept secure using the vehicle’s seatbelt system. 
• Rear-facing – Rear-facing car seats position a child so that they are looking towards the back of the vehicle. Due to the seat being at more of an incline than older children’s forward-facing car seats, this position provides much greater protection to the head, neck, and spine in case of an accident.    
• Extended rear-facing – This can refer to the practice of keeping children rearward facing longer than the minimum standards, and can also be used to refer to a category of car seat which enables children to rear-face longer. This category of car seat is designed to keep children rear-facing past the minimum age of turning around, often until around 30 months old (2.5yrs).
• Forward-facing – Forward-facing seats position a child so they are facing the direction of travel. Forward-facing seats are positioned to be more upright than rear-facing seats are. 

• Recline – Recline is how much of an angle the seat is at.   
• Padding – Padding refers to any of the soft material included with your seat. There is generally padding included for newborn support, shoulder padding, and padding cushioning the crotch buckle. 
• Anchor point – Anchor points are often built into your vehicle and provide a stable and secure point to which you must attach a car seat top tether strap, if the seat has a tether strap. 
• Tether strap – The strap which connects your restraint to the anchor point.

While legislation is generally consistent around Australia for how children should be kept safe in vehicles, there may be some small differences between states and territories.  

Before choosing your child car seat, it can be helpful to know what the law says, though following best-practice guidelines is always the safest option for your child.  

Car seat legislation overviews for Australian states and territories:  

• Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Northern Territory
• Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia

Understanding the difference between law and best practice  

The law is the minimum legal requirement for travelling with your child in a vehicle. It’s what you must do to avoid a fine if you get pulled over.  

It’s great to know what you legally need to do, and there are also some extra ways you can make sure your child is kept as safe as possible every time they travel in a vehicle.  

Here’s a handy cheat sheet to help show the difference between what is legally required and what is considered current best-practice by experts in the field of car safety for children. It will help answer important questions around how long your child can stay rear-facing for, or what age you can turn your child facing forwards in their car seat.  

Every child deserves to travel in optimum safety. 

Our friendly accredited and professional team of installers are in-store to support parents and carers in providing maximum protection for the most precious of cargo. – Arron Conroy, Baby Bunting National Installation & Services Manager 

*Exact laws may vary slightly between states. This is a guide only.  

Different types of child restraints are suited to different stages in life. When you’re choosing a car seat, remember that the age for each seat type is just a guide as to how long you might expect a seat to fit your child. If your child is exceptionally tall, or very short, you might find they outgrow the seat early or get even longer than expected using the seat.  

Here is a short overview of each type.  

Baby capsule – 0-12 months 

Type: A1/A2

A baby capsule or infant carrier typically fits babies from 0-6 months or 0-12 months depending on the model. They have two parts – a secured base, and a carrier which clicks in and out of the base, allowing you to get baby in and out of the car while strapped into their capsule.   

Learn more about baby capsules

Convertible car seat – 0-4 years 

Type: A4 

Convertible car seats are designed to be used rear-facing and forward-facing, allowing you to ‘convert’ them when your child meets the required size. They stay in your car (unless you need to adjust the seat or clean the cover) and you strap baby in and out each time.    

Learn more about convertible 0-4 seats

Harnessed forward-facing car seat – 12 months-8 years  

Type: G 

These seats allow you to keep your child harnessed for as long as possible. A 6-point harness helps distribute force more evenly and support your child’s body more effectively than a seat belt in an accident.   

Learn more about harnessed car seats

Convertible booster car seats – 12 months-8 years 

Type: B/E 

These seats allow for harnessing until your child is around 4 years old, and then convert to a seat belt booster seat.  

Learn more about convertible boosters

Seat belt booster seats – 4 years until outgrown 

Type: E, F 

Seat belt booster seats are seats that raise your child to a height that allows a seat belt to fit their body correctly.   

Learn more about booster seats

0-8 convertible car seats – 0-8 years 

Type: A4/G 

These seats are suitable from birth, allowing for extended rear-facing until approximately 2.5 years old, and then transition into a forward-facing seat that can used with a 6-point harness until approximately 8 years old.   

Learn more about 0-8 convertible car seats

Rules around keeping children safe in non-standard vehicles may vary based on your region. Non-standard vehicles include single cab utes and vans, classic cars, taxis, buses and rideshares.   

Single-cab utes and vans

In single cab utes, you can have a rear-facing restraint ONLY if it has an anchor point AND no air bags. If it doesn’t have an anchor point, or has air bags installed, then you may not have a rear-facing restraint installed. This means you cannot legally carry a child under 6 months old who needs to be in a rear-facing car seat. Importantly though, we always recommend waiting until a child is at least 12 months old and meets the minimum height requirement before considering forward-facing.  

Single-cab utes may have a forward-facing tethered car seat installed if they have an anchor point for the tether. If there is no anchor point, then an untethered booster seat may be used, provided the child is over 4 years old and meets the minimum height requirement. When children are restrained in the front seat of a vehicle like this, it's important to ensure the vehicle seat is moved back as far as possible.  

Classic cars  

Children travelling in a classic car still need to be restrained appropriately and adhere to the legal requirements. For classic cars manufactured before seatbelts were standard, you can choose to get seatbelts and anchor points engineered to allow an appropriate restraint to be installed.  

Taxis, buses and rideshares  

The laws around using baby and child car seats in taxis and ride shares vary widely depending on your region.   

Learn about what is allowed in your location using the links below.  

• Victoria

• New South Wales

• Queensland

• Northern Territory

• Western Australia

• Australian Capital Territory

• Tasmania

Like all safety equipment, child car seats can only keep your little one safe if they are used correctly. This means the seat is installed correctly, and your child is secured properly inside the seat for every journey.  

To install your car seat, you can either choose to use a professional car seat installation service (like the one we offer at Baby Bunting stores through our accredited installation service), or you can read your product manual carefully and install it yourself. 

Professional car seat installation services give you the peace of mind that your seat is installed correctly. As they fit hundreds of seats every week, they have extensive experience with a variety of car seat models, as well as experience fitting them to a range of vehicles.  

As your little one grows, you will most likely need to remove and reinstall their car seat at some point. If you need to install your seat yourself, we recommend a quick visit to an installer afterwards to get an experienced pair of eyes to check your install.  

It’s also important to check your install regularly to ensure nothing has slipped, loosened, or twisted over time.  

Tip: take photos of your newly installed car seat from a variety of angles as soon as the installer has finished and add them to a new album on your device. This way you can refer to the images quickly and easily when you need to install it yourself for the first time.  

How to tighten a car seat harness correctly  

For a harness to do its job correctly, it needs to fit well and be tightened properly. In a worst-case scenario, the harness needs to hold your child secure if the seat is completely upside-down, so you want it to be firm and well-fitted.  

To know if the harness is tight enough, you can do what is known as the ‘pinch test’.  

1. Put your little one in their seat and tighten the harness. 
2. Run your fingers vertically on one strap to try and pinch the strap. 
3. If there is any slack, you will be able to pinch some strap material between your fingers. 
4. If you cannot pinch any material together, you can be fairly confident the harness is tight enough. 

In a restraint that is rear-facing, to tighten the harness to get to this point you can reach to the back of the seat to find the splitter plate (the piece of metal that the straps attach to) and pull that down, which brings the straps firmly over your little one’s body. Then you can simply pull the harness adjustment strap to hold it in place.  

What is the correct height for harness straps on a child car seat?  

It’s important to ensure the harness height or a car seat is adjusted correctly for your child as they grow. Having the correct harness height ensures it distributes force on your child’s body and spine optimally, as well as making the seat comfier for your little one.  

The height of the harness will depend on whether the seat is rear-facing or forward-facing.  

For rear-facing seats: the harness straps must be at the harness height position that is level with, or slightly higher than, your child’s shoulders. They must never dip below your child’s shoulders.  

For forward-facing seats: harness straps should be at the harness height setting closest to your child’s shoulders. They can come from above or below your child’s shoulders, but not more than 2.5cm either way. 

For both types of seats: you will need to monitor the harness height regularly as little ones sometimes grow rapidly!  

Can children use lap-only belts? 

There are many risks associated with placing a child or young adult in a lap-only seat belt. This form of vehicle restraint offers little upper body protection and can cause significant injury if there is a collision. 

Injuries from these belts have been grouped into a category called “lap-belt syndrome” – a collection of abdominal, lumbar spine and spinal cord injuries, which tend to occur in people who are in a motor vehicle crash while wearing improperly fitted lap belts or three-point restraints (lap-sash belts) who have moved the sash part of the belt to sit behind their back. 

We recommend avoiding lap-only seatbelts for children of any age and investigating alternative safety restraint options instead. 

There are many different car seat accessories available to purchase. Some of them are intended to improve the fit or comfort of your child when using the car seat, some are designed for entertainment or visibility, and some are intended to protect your car.  

While it’s great to want to help your child be as safe as possible while driving, there are a few important things to keep in mind when considering car seat accessories.  

Tip: in an accident, anything not well-secured in your car may become a projectile. If you aren’t comfortable throwing something at your baby or child’s face, reconsider whether it’s essential to have while you’re driving.  

Universal car seat accessories which are considered safe when used properly 

There are some accessories which are generally accepted for use in most cars and with most car seats. These include:  

• Tether extenders – some vehicles have the tether anchor points located too far for the standard tether which comes with the car seat. In this case, you will need a tether extender. Tether extenders are universal and suit most seats and most vehicles.  
• Mirrors – mirrors are generally able to be used with most vehicles. It’s important that mirrors are fastened to the headrest securely to avoid them becoming a danger to your child, and it should be installed so that it is out of reach of your child.  
• Gated buckles or clamps – if you’re installing your car seat using the seat belt to anchor it securely, you may want to use a gated buckle or belt clamp. This helps prevent the belt from slipping and loosening over time, maintaining a tight, secure installation (though it’s still important to check the install regularly).   
• Sunshades – no one likes the sun in their eyes! Sunshades can generally be used in most vehicles to help keep the glare out of your little one’s face.  

Car seat accessories that should only be used after reading your car seat manual and understanding manufacturer guidelines  

Some accessories might be OK to use if the manufacturer of the seat has tested them and given them a thumbs up. These can include:  

• Vehicle seat protectors – this might be a special seat protector built for the purpose, or some manufacturers allow for a single layer of a towel to sit between the restraint and the seat of the car.  
• Infant head supports – some brands manufacture and sell dedicated infant head supports which are tested and cleared for use in their car restraints. Always check your manual before using these types of accessories.  

Car seat accessories to avoid  

There are other accessories that should never be used as they present an immediate or potential safety risk. While that risk may not be apparent, it’s enough when you consider that at best, the product may not have been tested with your specific model of car seat, so you cannot be sure what could happen with the setup in an accident.  

These types of products include aftermarket accessories like forehead supporters and loose rolled blankets to support an infant’s position.  

Tip: consider your child’s clothing carefully before strapping them into their seat. Are they wearing a headband that might slip down and become dangerous? Are they wearing a hood which pushes their head forward into an unsafe position for breathing? Are they wearing bulky clothes which may compress in an accident leaving their harness too loose? Is their skin covered by clothing to avoid rubbing from straps?  

If you can, we recommend purchasing new seats. Second-hand baby capsules may have hidden faults caused by impacts or accidents, incorrect washing of the covers or base, or poor storage methods between each use.   

We understand that sometimes using a second-hand child restraint is right for your family. In this case, it’s wise to proceed with caution and ask a few questions before using it for your child: 

1. Do you know the full history? Has the restraint been involved in an accident or stored for a length of time?  
2. Has it been visibly damaged or modified in anyway? 
3. Is it in line with current manufacturing standards, or does it meet previous versions of the standard? 
4. Is it complete with all the components in place, such as harnesses, top tether, and padding? 

Choosing the right car seat for your family  

We hope this guide has been helpful for you when considering which car seats might be right for your family and vehicle. If you have any questions, or you’re still stuck on which seat will work best for your child, we encourage you to visit your local store in person, or phone us to speak to our friendly team members who can help you narrow down exactly which brand and model might suit your needs.  

To shop car seats at Baby Bunting, you can view the range on our car seats category page.