FAQ

Q. A second hand child seat – can it be used without hesitation?

A. Remember the best seat is one that fits your child, your car and is easy to install. To find the perfect fit for your child, different criteria are crucial. These include:

A Age & Weight
B Vehicle type
C Installation of car seat
D Legislation
E User behaviour
F Design & Material

First of all, the age and weight of your child is critical. To make it possible to narrow the selection considerably - child safety seats are divided in to the same age groups throughout Europe which are broken down accordingly: Group 0 for babies up to 10 kg (birth to 6 months) Group 0 + for babies up to 13 kg (birth to 12/15 months) Group 1 for children from 9-18 kg (~9 months to 4 years) Group 2-3 for children from 15-36 kg (~4 to 12 years) Group 0 + and 1 for babies and children up to 18 kg (~Birth to 4 years) Group 1-2-3 for toddlers and older children from 9-36 kg (~9 months to 12 years)

B. Vehicle type

Your child’s safety during the trip also depends on the particular type of vehicle. We recommend you purchase your child seat from your local Baby Store, this will not only ensure you get the best seat for your car but also aid you with the installation. Take your car when buying the seat and ask trained staff to demonstrate the fitting procedure. Ensure the car seat is approved with the car – the staff should be  able to tell you, however you can also see the approved vehicle list on our web site. Choose ISOFIX or three/two-point lap belt secured carseats depending on your vehicle

C. Installation of Car Seat

Please ask trained staff at your local Baby Store to demonstrate the fitting procedure. You can also follow the user guide instructions as well as the installation videos on our web site.

D. Legislation

All car seats must display an ECE R44/04 or ECE R44/03 certification label to indicate they comply with standard safety requirements.

Do not buy seats without the ECE 44/03, or 04 seal. Seats with the ECE 44 01 or 02 standard are prohibited since April 2008.

Do not purchase 2^nd hand seats where you are not 100% sure of their strength and can be assured that they have not been in any accidents, or that vital parts may be missing.

E. User behaviour

Generally, we recommend the use of a group-specific seat that is tailored to your child's needs in its particular phase of life. These seats also offer additional comfort and practicality.
Group 0 + & 1 and Group 1-2-3 where seats are used for children of different ages (combination seats) could be the ideal choice as they grow with your child, spanning over a larger age range..

F. Design & Material

Q. When should I change the seat?

A. For safety reasons, you should keep your child in each stage for as long as possible – until they reach the weight limit or the head reaches the top of the seat. This is especially important for babies as rearward facing seats offer the safest way of travelling. The general rule of thumb of moving your child to the next group is:

• Move from  group 0 + infant carrier when your child exceeds the weight limit and can sit up unaided, or if their head is higher than the top of the infant carrier

• Move from a Group 1 seat when the upper edge of the shell is roughly at eye level of the child or your child exceed the weight limit.

• Do not move too early to a Group 2-3, because these seats are wider to accommodate larger children. Also a younger child's shoulders are too narrow to hold to the safety belt securely. A small child can therefore easily slip out from under the belt, especially when he falls asleep during the journey.

Q. How does the ISOFIX seat differ in case of a frontal or side impact compared to a belted system?

A. In a frontal or side impact, ISOFIX reduces the force applied on the child, thus minimizing the risk of injury.

In a frontal collision, the foot prop and/or the Top Tether minimizes the forward tipping movement of the seat. With our patented Pivot Link System, the energy of the collision is also conducted away from the child safety seat and into the car seat. In addition, the fixed ISOFIX connection ensures that the child safety seat is just as quickly slowed down in the case of an accident as the car itself is. This all reduces the strain placed on the cervical spine as well as the risk of head injury.

If by contrast a child safety seat is secured with a three-point belt, the deceleration first takes effect when the belt has been stretched taut, thus somewhat later. This increases the force applied on the child.

Another important effect of the ISOFIX connection is that the sideways movement of the child safety seat is minimized in case of an accident.

Q. What are the advantages of ISOFIX?

A. 

1. Simplified installation of the seat in the vehicle

2. Fewer possibilities of operator errors. Only approx. 30% of the child safety seats that are secured through use of the vehicle safety belt are correctly installed. Whereas 96% are correctly installed when using the ISOFIX system.*

3. The more secure the connection between child safety seat and vehicle body, the better the restraint effect on the child in the safety seat during an accident. This is because there is less force applied on the child due to the controlled reduction of energy.

4. Some ISOFIX seats (Britax Römer DUO) can also be secured in vehicles without ISOFIX anchorage points through use of the safety belt (see approval list!).

5. Seat is also secured when driving without a child.

For these reasons, child safety seats with ISOFIX supports perform better in crash tests in general than otherwise identical seats with conventional belt supports. The system is therefore generally recommended by traffic safety experts and accident researchers.

(* Source: The German Insurance Institute GDV, Group 1 )

Q. Britax Römer ISOFIX-system with pivot link – what is it and why is it better?

A. This unique patented system was developed by Britax and is used in all ISOFIX Group 1 seats. It takes advantage of the ISOFIX anchorage points while simultaneously reducing much of the forward rotation of the seat using the pivot link, thus channelling a large part of the energy downwards into the car seat.

This means that in the first phase of a collision, the movement of the child that is directed forward is markedly absorbed and reduced by means of the seat being initially pressed into the car seat. In the second phase, the forward movement of the child safety seat is slowed down.  All in all, this causes the pivot link to reduce the strain placed on the child’s body and the cervical spine in particular. This reduces the risk of head injury through, for example, collision with the front seat.

Q. ISOFIX vs. ISOFIT?

A. ISOFIX and ISOFIT are child safety seats that are attached to the vehicle body with connectors. With our ISOFIX seats, the child is secured through use of the integrated 5-point belt system; with ISOFIT through use of the 3-point belt. An additional distinguishing feature is the classification of the child safety seat. The ISOFIX description is used for Groups 0+ and 1, and the ISOFIT description for Group 2-3.

Q. What is Top Tether??

A. Top Tether is an extra belt that is pulled over the back rest and secured to an anchorage point in the car with a hook and then tightened. This anchorage point is usually directly behind the back seat of the car, but sometimes also further in the back in the trunk or on the roof. The Top Tether is included with the child safety seat. There are no standard lengths, but the belt can be flexibly adjusted.

Q. Legal provisions (Highway code)

A. The Highway Code is very clear when it comes to transporting children in cars. Since 8 April, 2008 each child who is less than 1.35 meters or younger than 12 must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system which has been successfully tested according to ECE 44/03 or 44/04.

Note: It is enough if one of the two criteria has been met. If a child's already has his 12th Birthday behind him, but is still less than 1.35 meters, by law the child does not have to use a child car seat. The same applies if your child is only 11 years old, but already larger than 1.35 meters.

However, it is strongly recommended that children who are smaller than 1.35 meters are secured in any case with a child seat, regardless of age, as only then a correct seat belt height can be guaranteed.

Children less than 1.35 meters and over 12, but heavier than 36  kg: A child seat requirement continues, exemptions can only be given by the authorities.

It is prohibited to place a child in a rear facing seat in the front passenger seat of the car, if the car is equipped with active front seat airbags.

Q. What is the ECE standard?

A. ECE regulations describe a set of internationally agreed standard technical requirements for vehicles, parts and equipment of motor vehicles.

Extracts from the EC-standard
European experts have set five groups for child restraint systems, the classification is made according to the weight of the child:

The following criteria are part of the current ECE Standard and have to be met to obtain the approval for the child car seat:

Q. Can a second hand child seat be used safely?

A. That depends on the state and the history of the seat. If you have bought the car seat and know its history, in principle there is nothing against any further use, if it corresponds to the currently valid safety. It is problematic if you do not know the history of the seat. A child seat should only be bought used if you can ensure an accident-free history, the user is present and it has the ECE R 44/03 or ECE R 44/04 (look for the orange ECE approval).

Q. Forward or rearward-facing child seats?

A. According to European countries the ECE 44 standard requires all children up to 9 kg must be rearward facing to protect the sensitive head and back of the baby in the event of an accident. We at Britax go one step further and recommend that the baby should be rearward facing up to 13 kg.
The regulation ECE 44 specifies a rear facing position until the child weighs 10 kg (Group 0) or 13 kg (Group 0+). We recommend keeping a rear facing position as long as possible - until the child weighs 13 kg or until the child’s head is above the infant carrier seat structure. This position can be kept for older children, up to 18 kg (approximately 4 years) by using special rear facing seats. Such seats require installation by trained personnel; they need additional straps for securing the seats to the car, and may not fit into some cars as they generally take up more space in the car. For further information, please contact our customer service team.

Q. Warranty Info

A. For our products we provide a 2-year warranty against manufacturing or material defects. The warranty period is effective from the day of purchase. As proof we ask that you fill out the Warranty Card and retain it for the whole term of the warranty period, together with the Transfer Check signed by you and your sales receipt.

Please contact your retailer directly in the event of warranty claim. He or she will give you the advice and support you need.

Our warranty does not cover usual wear and tear on the cover of the seat.

Q. My baby is sweating heavily in his seat, is there a cover for the infant carrier?

A. Whether in the cot or in the infant carrier, parents time and again are concerned that their baby – particularly when asleep – perspires, although the outside temperature is moderate and its clothing and linen are suitable. However, perspiration is not always due to environmental conditions or clothing, but an indication that baby’s own body is not sufficiently developed to adjust. Britax Römer offers two different solutions to this. We have standard summer cover made from 100% cotton towelling fabric that is designed to fit your specific car seat and will increase your babies comfort in hot conditions.  We have also developed a Keep Cool cover in conjunction with OUTLAST. This material is thermo regulated; it absorbs sweat and provides a breathable material for their baby soft skin.

Q. How do I care for my Britax pushchair correctly?

A. Axes and wheels can be simply smeared with silicone spray. No fat or oil should be used, because this causes mud to collect. Textiles should not be cleaned chemically, with bleach or other aggressive substances. The hood and seat cover can be cleaned simply with a warm sponge and tepid soap solution. Foot-muffs and the windbreak can be cleaned according to the sewed in label.

Q. Is it possible to order single spare covers?

A. Yes. But please note that the cover is a component of the design approval. Therefore, an original cover must be used. Britax Römer original-spare covers are available in the specialised trade.