Buying a baby seat

If you've recently experienced the joy of getting the news of a baby on the way, you don't need us to add to the list of things you've been told are about to change. We won't mention the constant vague nappy smell in the house, the rapidly dissolving social life and the joy of being told that there's a big patch of baby sick on your shoulder halfway through your annual day out. We won't mention those things at all. We can mention the car issue though, which brings us onto baby seat time...

So let's assume you've already traded in the Dodge Viper for something more sensible. Now you've got to buy a car seat. Difficult decision - partly because you'll naturally want to be sure your delicate newborn is getting the safest choice, but also because, like all things baby-related, everyone has an opinion. Well, here's ours - and this writer has recently bought two new baby seats, by the way.

Buying:

1. Newborn babies should always be in a rear-facing car seat, called 'group 0'.
2. There are loads of options available and a range of prices. You'll have to buy before the baby arrives so you can take your new son or daughter home from the hospital (quite important, that). As such, read up on comparison and consumer websites regarding models within your budget and what other users think of them.
3. Around £100 will buy you a good seat, although you can pay a lot more. Spend what you like, but don't be fooled into thinking a more expensive seat is necessarily safer.
4. If your car is 'ISOFIX' compatible (check the manual), you can use that system - it's more expensive, but considered safer and certainly very convenient. We'll explain how it works later.
5. Never buy a baby seat if it's not clear that it has passed the United Nations safety tests (codes ECE R44.03 or R44.04). The seat itself, the packaging and/or the instructions should make this clear. Look for the British kitemark too.
6. Never buy a used baby seat from a stranger. Any baby seat that's been involved in a crash, no matter how minor, should be replaced, even if the seat looks fine; sometimes impact damage can be hidden, but still weaken the structure of the chair. For this reason, only buy a second-hand baby seat from someone you absolutely trust, and replace your own if you're involved in any sort of collision.
7. If possible, try the seat in your car before you buy it, making sure you can fit it correctly and remove it without difficulty.

Using:

1. Rear-facing new baby seats are generally designed to be both secure and easy to fit, because the baby has to be moved in and out of the car, while still in the seat, without too much disturbance. Practise a good few times before the baby arrives.
2. If you don't have ISOFIX, the seat should still fit securely, with very little movement in any direction and without rubbing too much against the belt buckle - sometimes called 'buckle crush'.
3. Buckle crush can cause the seatbelt to unlock during an impact because of the extra pressure on the latch mechanism.
4. Only fit a child seat to the middle part of the rear bench if there's a three-point belt there - although it should ideally be behind the driver or passenger.
5. If you have ISOFIX and you've bought the mount to fit to the ISOFIX points in the car, follow the manufacturer's instructions and, as always, try attaching and removing the seat a few times before baby comes home. Most new cars have ISOFIX, but you need to buy a seat that fits your particular car - it's not a universal system in that sense.
6. Don't modify the baby seat, your car seat or the seatbelts to make car and baby seat 'compatible'.
7. Babies can't switch to a front-facing seat until they weigh at least 9kg (20lbs) and can sit up by themselves, or the top of their head rests above the top of the seat.

(Yes we know it's a left hand drive car but it's a good picture though!