With the COVID-19 restrictions easing up, many Filipino families are now itching to leave their houses to appease their wanderlust — whether it’s to travel outside the city or simply to leave the premises of their four-walled fortress.

For those planning to hit the road with their kids, installing a child car seat is important. In this article, we’ll look into how you can work your way around a parent’s compounding conundrum, the child car seat.

Getting it right

Pretty much like cars, not all child car seats are made equal. They offer various features and are made with different appointments that will allow them to become a part of your car’s rear seats. That said, buying a car seat entails a little planning. You’ll have to check what connections your car offers and then buy a child car seat that’s compatible with that of your vehicle.

You’d also want to purchase a child car seat that suits your little one. The market has products that would cater to the needs of babies from one month onwards. And oh, bear in mind that tots from zero to 15 months should sit in a rear-facing child car seat while toddlers from 15 months onwards should sit in a front-facing child car seat.

Installing a non-Isofix child car seat

Most child car seats on the market latch on to the rear seats by way of the seatbelt. This means that these child car seats have several spaces where the second-row seatbelts can pass through and hold the child car seat.

Generally, you need to slide the seatbelt through the holes in the child seat, although some child car seats may require special procedures. In this case, consult the manual of the product to ensure proper installation.

Before you put your baby in, make sure that the seatbelt is properly buckled and that there are no loose connections.

Installing an Isofix child car seat

If your car has Isofix tethers, then you should purchase an Isofix child car seat.

Simply find the connections on the rear seat and attach the child car seat to latch itself onto the tethers.

As with non-Isofix child car seats, make sure that everything is properly connected before you put your baby in.

Photos from Recaro and Graco

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