As an accredited mobile baby car seat technician, I know how important car seat safety truly is. I’ve seen so many awful examples of how people install their child restraints — thankfully someone (usually Mum) sees sense and gets the installation checked out by a professional child restraint technician.
Unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the iceberg — many more car seats are installed incorrectly by parents trying to save a few dollars, rather than getting the child restraint fitted by an ACRI-experienced car seat expert. The risk is too great not to get it fitted correctly.
📋 Car seat safety information
As an experienced baby car seat expert, I take you through the process to ensure the harness is secure — showing you how to test the child restraint is tight enough, and how to adjust the harness so your child stays comfortable and can’t work their way out.
📅 Car seat safety tip — date of manufacture
Did you know every car seat made for the Australian market has an easily identifiable date of manufacture? Check it to see if your baby car seat is over 10 years old — a seat past this age shouldn’t be used.
📜 Car seat safety standards
2004
The Australian Standard specified age and weight for each seat type — once a child reached a certain age or weight, they could legally move to the next seat type.
2010
The standard changed to a height-based system — no age or weight imposed, just height markers to confirm the child was tall enough for that seat type.
19 September 2014
The 2013 standard was approved, introducing the G-type seat and approving Isofix for use in Australia.
🔤 Car seat types and guidelines
A quick reference for what each restraint type means
| Age group | Type of seat | Guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Infants/Toddlers | A1 | Rear-facing from birth to approximately 6 months |
| Infants/Toddlers | A2 | Rear-facing from birth to approximately 12 months |
| Infants/Toddlers | A4 | Rear-facing from birth to approximately 30 months, introduced in the 2013 standard. Most rear-facing seats from baby shops now offer extended rear-facing — cheaper seats are generally A2 |
| Infants/Toddlers | A/B | Rear-facing from birth to approximately 12 months, then forward-facing to approximately 4 years |
| Toddlers/Pre-schoolers | B | Forward-facing from 6 months to approximately 4 years |
| Toddlers/Pre-schoolers | G | Forward-facing from 6 months to approximately 8 years, introduced with the 2013 standard — e.g. Infa Evolve and Britax Maxi Guard |
| Infants/Toddlers | E | Booster seat from approximately 4 years to approximately 8 years |
| Infants/Toddlers | B/E | Forward-facing and booster seat from approximately 6 months to approximately 8 years — e.g. Infa Secure Luxi |
🔧 Installation
If you’re not sure of your ability to fit the baby car seat, please contact an experienced baby car seat installation expert. Even with Isofix on both car and seat, it can still be difficult to get a tight connection — and without Isofix on either, it’s going to be harder still to get a secure fit.
This is where an experienced installation expert from TravelSafe can help — call 0420 516 587.
What is Clicktight?
Clicktight is the next innovation helping parents get a secure installation — it uses just the seat belt, and you don’t need to be strong to get a good result.
❓ Frequently asked questions
How do I check if my car seat is too old? ＋
What are the different child restraint types? ＋
Are A4 seats available now? ＋
What changed in the 2013/2014 standard? ＋
What is Clicktight? ＋
Is Isofix always easier than seat belt installation? ＋
Mobile Baby Car Seat Installation
Not confident in your own installation? Book a fitting for expert, independent advice.