This content comes from @What is worth buying APP, and the views only represent the author's own |Author: Tianjian Xu Zhe
1. How to choose a child seat
Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children and adolescents aged 5-29 years worldwide and the second leading cause of injury death among children in mainland China. Studies have shown that the correct use of child restraint systems, such as child safety seats, is the most effective means of protecting children's safety in the car, and can reduce the mortality rate of child occupants by at least 60%. With the increasingly complex road environment, the continuous growth of car ownership, and the more frequent travel of children in cars, children's car safety has attracted more and more attention from the whole society. The newly revised Law on the Protection of Minors, which came into effect on June 1, 2021, requires guardians to "take measures to prevent minors from being harmed by traffic accidents, such as equipping them with child safety seats and educating minors to obey traffic rules."
Tests have shown that child seats can provide protection for children in a variety of crash situations, in frontal collisions, child seats can effectively restrain children's bodies, prevent children from flying out, or displacement too much and collision with objects in the car such as front seats; in rear-end collision conditions, child seats will protect children's fragile neck and spine; in side collisions, child seats will protect the most vulnerable heads, and its side wing and side impact guards can effectively avoid collisions between heads and car doors, windows, and even thrown out of the window.
At present, there are a variety of child safety seats (child restraint systems) on the market, so what aspects should be considered when choosing a child seat?
1. Look for the 3C logo
From September 1, 2014, child safety seat products have been officially included in the scope of 3C national compulsory certification, that is to say, child seats sold in China must go through 3C certification tests and pass 3C certification, and 3C logos will be affixed on the seats. 3C certification assesses the safety of child seats from many aspects, and the certification test includes 4 aspects, dynamic crash test under various working conditions, static test (including structure, strength, corrosion, temperature, etc.), combustion characteristics and limit requirements for migratory elements (toxicity test), and the safety of seats that have not passed the 3C certification test is not guaranteed. Therefore, when purchasing a child seat, you must look for the 3C logo, and you can also check it on the official website according to the 3C certification number.
Parents may find that there are other logos on the seat when purchasing, such as ECE R44 and ECE R129 logo, which is the logo of EU certification, which is the certification that child seats need to be exported to the EU.
3C logo
EU certification mark
2. Starting from weight and height, age is used as a reference
When purchasing a child seat, you must start from the child's weight and height, age is only used as a reference, choose the right child seat, because the child seat is designed according to the child's weight and height, when the child's weight and height are not suitable for the current child seat to be replaced in time.
At present, domestic child seats are divided into 5 groups, 0 group, 0+ group, group I, group II and group III, which correspond to children of different weights. In the general infant period (0-15 months), the weight is less than 13kg, the height is less than 87cm, you can use the rear-facing carrycot, in the early childhood period (9 months to 4 years), the weight is 9-18kg, the height is 75-105cm, you can use the forward-backward convertible child seat, and in the school period (3-12 years old), the weight is 15-36kg, the height is more than 100cm, you can use the booster chair or booster cushion.
Classification of child seats
3. The baby should ride backwards
For small babies, it is important to choose a child seat that can be installed rearwardly, and the baby's physiological structure is different from that of adults, such as loose ligaments, immature cervical vertebrae, and relatively heavy head. Newborns' heads weigh 50% of their body weight, 9-month-old babies weigh 25% of their body weight, and adults weigh only 6% of their body weight. When installed backwards, the backrest and headrest of the child seat can better support and support the baby's head, neck and lumbar spine, and play a role in cushioning and protection. Therefore, the national standard stipulates that children under 9 months of age must be installed backwards, and the new national standard that is being revised stipulates that children under 15 months of age must use rear-facing installation, of course, if the child can sit down and the legroom is sufficient, it is recommended to use the rear-facing installation for as long as possible.
4. The installation method of child seat and child restraint method should be considered
The installation method of the child seat and the child restraint method are also important factors in the purchase. The former is suitable for infants and toddlers weighing 15kg and 105cm tall (about 3-4 years old) or less, and the latter is generally suitable for schoolchildren weighing 15kg and 100cm tall (about 3-4 years old) or more.
For infants and toddlers under 15kg, the installation methods of child seats are mainly divided into seat belt fixation and ISOFIX fixation, and ISOFIX is generally used with support legs or pull-up straps. Both of these installation methods are optional, relatively speaking, the ISOFIX method is very advantageous in terms of installation, such as simple and convenient installation and installation in place and display, we check whether the display in place is green every time, which greatly reduces the misuse of the child seat, and the ISOFIX child seat is easier to add some additional functions, such as 360° rotation and so on. And the seat belt installation needs to install and tighten the seat belt according to the wearing path of the child seat, there is no installation in place indication, and for the seat with complex wearing path is easy to cause wrong installation, after each stroke, the seat belt may be loose, and the next time it needs to be readjusted. For children over 15 kg, if a booster chair or booster cushion is used, the main installation method is the vehicle's three-point seat belt, and some are used with ISOFIX lower fixing points or support legs or pull-up straps.
5. Combination of other factors
Finally, there are some other factors to consider when purchasing, such as the compatibility of the child seat with the vehicle, if the rear seat is an integrated headrest, and you want to choose an ISOFIX seat, it is recommended to choose a support leg instead of a pull-up strap, because the best path for the pull-up strap is under the headrest, and it is easy to slip off above or on the side of the headrest. Another example is the comfort of a child seat, you can take your child to feel it, and choose the shape and color that your child likes.
2. How to properly install and use a child seat
Even if a child seat is purchased and used, some parents have misconceptions about the following misuses:
- Missing: support legs, pull-up belts and other devices;
- Misuse: Wrong path of seat belt, wrong installation direction, etc.;
- Unsuitable: shoulder strap position, seat and child's weight are not suitable, etc.;
- Not in place: the support leg and pull-up strap are not adjusted in place, etc.;
- Seat belts or restraint belts are slack, wrinkled, etc.;
Only when used correctly can a child seat be fully effective and protect your child's safety. So how to properly install and use a child seat? Here are five things to keep in mind:
- Read the pre-loading instructions carefully and proceed step by step;
- Confirm and inspect after installation to prevent misuse and omission;
- Every time before the baby rides, a new routine check-up;
- According to the baby's weight, the seat should be replaced in time;
- Never use accident chairs, second-hand seats to stay away;
1. Read the pre-installation instructions carefully and step by step
First of all, be sure to read the instructions and labels carefully before installing a child seat. There are various types of installation methods for child seats, and the design concept and functional characteristics of each seat are different, so it is necessary to read the instructions and install them step by step according to the installation steps, especially for the path of the seat belt, which must be installed on the basis of full understanding, and can not be ambiguous and arbitrary.
2. Confirm and inspect after installation to prevent misuse and omission
After the installation is completed, it is necessary to check and confirm the instructions and labels to prevent the misuse and omission of the installation method or accessories. For example, when installing seat belts, some seats need to use mechanisms such as seat belt locking clips, so don't miss them. If there are red and green signs in place, be sure to check, such as the ISOFIX connection in place display, the pull-up strap and support leg in place, the split base and body installation in place, and the five-point seat belt buckle inserted in place to show whether they are all green.
3. Every time the baby takes the car, it is necessary to have a routine new check
Before each child rides, check whether the seat is fixed, including whether the ISOFIX connection is in place, whether the support leg upper strap is installed in place, whether the seat belt is loose and wrinkled, etc., to avoid potential safety hazards.
4. According to the baby's weight, the seat should be replaced in time
Child seats are designed according to the weight and height of children, and children of different weights need to take different types of child seats to provide suitable and effective protection. Children under the age of 12 should use a child seat in the car.
When your child is born in infancy, you can use an infant car seat or a rear-facing child seat that protects your child's soft lumbar spine and neck. When the child is a little older, when he or she reaches the toddler stage, it can be replaced with a forward-facing seat that restrains the child with a five-point seat belt. When the child is older and reaches the schoolage stage, change to a booster chair and use an adult seat belt to restrain the child.
5. Never use accident chairs and second-hand seats to stay away
If a child seat has been involved in an accident, it must not be used again, because we cannot see whether its internal structure is damaged or not. For second-hand seats, first of all, we can't tell whether it has had an accident, and secondly, the general packaging or original instructions of second-hand seats are likely to be incomplete, and parents have no guidance, which is likely to lead to wrong installation. All things related to the safety of children cannot be sloppy and lucky!
Tips:
1. Under 9 months of age must be rear-facing installation, if the child can sit down and the legroom is sufficient, it is recommended to use the rear-facing installation for as long as possible.
2. Don't put any sundries on the safety seat, and don't dress your child too thickly.
3. When children are riding in the schooling stage, do not let the seat belt strangle the child's neck and abdomen.
4. The position of the five-point seat belt shoulder strap: when installed in the forward direction, it is level with the shoulder or slightly higher than the shoulder, and when it is installed in the rear direction, it is slightly lower than the shoulder.
Positive installation
Rear-facing installation
5. Five-point seat belt tightness: not too loose, generally to be able to insert two fingers.
6. Whether it is an adult seat belt or a five-point seat belt, it needs to be sorted out and smooth, and there can be no slack or wrinkles.
If you have a cute baby, if you often have to take her out in the car to explore this unknown world, make sure to let her ride in the child seat correctly!