Car seats and restraints

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 Car restraints

A car restraint needs to be organised before you leave the hospital with your baby, as it is illegal for any baby under the age of one to travel in a car without an approved restraint.

• Check that your child's restraint is suitable for her weight and height, and that it is properly secured.
• Use a car restraint that meets Australian Standards – all restraints now sold in Australia meet these standards.
• You can rent restraints from some local councils and maternity hospitals.
• Restraints are to be attached to the restraint anchorage points in your car. If you can’t locate the anchorage points, contact the roads department in your state.
• In some Australian states, there is no legal requirement that children under one need a restraint when travelling in a taxi (unless one is already fitted, in which case they must use it). This is not the case in New South Wales, however, where a restraint is required for children under one year old.
• Children over four are safest in a booster seat. Studies show that older children still get much more protection from the seatbelt if they use a booster seat.
• It pays to get an approved restraint fitting station to fit your child's restraint or to check that you’ve installed your baby capsule or infant seat correctly. If you have to move the restraint into another car, you need to be confident that you can fit it correctly on your own.

If you are unsure about any issue relating to restraints, please contact your state’s motoring or roads association.

Second-hand car restraints

• Avoid restraints that are more than 10 years old, as these may not comply with current standards. Do not use a restraint that has been in a car crash. Seriously think about whether you buy or accept a car seat if you don’t know its history.
• If you are given or plan to buy a second-hand car restraint, ask for the instruction manual that goes with it.
• There have been improvements made to baby capsule designs over the last 10 years. Modern capsules use a harness rather than a body band. If you do use a baby capsule that has a velcro body band, make sure it's free of lint and fits securely. Place any rugs over the velcro band, not under it.
• Consider hiring a child restraint instead of buying one. Contact your state's motoring or roads association for more information.

Airbags and child restraints

If your car has airbags in the back, install the rear-facing infant restraint in the middle, where the capsule cannot be hit by the airbags.

In NSW, it is illegal to put a child restraint in the front seat if there is a passenger airbag.

What to do as children grow

As your child grows, you will need to move the shoulder straps of her restraint to the next set of slots. Straps must come from just above the shoulders in a rear-facing restraint.  In a forward-facing child car seat the straps can be just above, level with or just below your child’s shoulders.

A baby usually moves from the infant restraint to the car seat when she has reached the weight limit, can sit up independently and can hold up her head throughout the journey.

It is safer for babies to travel facing towards the back of the car. If possible, keep your baby in this position until she reaches the weight limit.

Use the next level of car restraint once your child's eye level is past the top of the seat and her neck is no longer supported.

Children can use an adult seatbelt once they weigh more than 26 kg or they’ve outgrown the booster seat. If your child sits in the middle (a very safe place) where there is a lap-only seatbelt, it is a good idea for her to use a child harness to hold her head and torso back. If she complains that she is too big, remind her that lots of big children get hurt if their seatbelts do not fit well.

If your child is using an adult seatbelt, make sure the lap belt is tight across her hips, not belly, and that she does not wriggle her arms over the shoulder strap.

Children with physical impairments, medical conditions and other special needs may require a child restraint modified by an occupational therapist or physiotherapist. Legally, you need to carry a medical certificate in the car explaining why the child restraint has been modified.

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