Installing a baby capsule is straight forward, as the Manufacturers have designed the Instruction book to make the installation as simple as possible.
NOTE this is article is just some general hints to installing a capsule as there are a number of different capsules out there and they differ significantly. Should you feel the installation is beyond you capabilities PLEASE contact your nearest accredited car seat fitter.
Hire a Baby Capsule
However what do you do; if you have hired the capsule from either the council. Firstly Some councils and hire shops may include the cost of the fitting into the baby carrier hire, TravelSafe Baby capsule hire will fit the capsule for you, In Addition Travel safe also show you how the baby capsule works.
When you are buying your capsule you may want to purchase a head snuggler, as the maxi cosi capsules only come with a donut pillow does not offer much support for the child.
Before proceeding any further with installing the baby capsule; Travelsafe will ensure the harness is in the lowest slot, if it is not then ask the baby shop/council to re-thread the harness for you. at the same time get them to install the head snuggler(most have press buttons so you can easily add them at a later time)
Capsule Base Installation
When Installing a baby capsule; the most critical part of the installation and you need to ensure there is no lateral movement of the base.
If you have a car with ALR (Automatic Locking Retraction) seat belts such as Japanese cars and american cars then you may not need a gated buckle / sometimes called a locking clip.
Travelsafe will always use a locking clip when the capsule does not have clicktight or isofix ensuring that the capsule is stable.
The purpose of the locking clip is to lock in the lateral tension so the baby capsule will not move in the case of a side impact.
Once you have determined whether you need to purchase a Gated buckle; you can start to install the capsule. Pull the seat-belt all the way out, but not as far to activate the automatic locking system.
Getting the Lateral Tension
When Installing a baby capsule, thread the Seat belt through the seat belt path as indicated on the base, press down with your hand in the base and pull the excess seat belt to the side, until you feel there is sufficient tension. It is advisable not to use ALR as it cannot get a fully secure installation when you insyall the baby capsule
For those that need a gated buckle/ locking clip hold the seat belt together with thumb and finger and then follow the instructions to install the gated buckle(instructions are normally supplied with the gated buckle).
Upper tether attachment
When installing a baby capsule the Last, but not least you need to attach the upper tether to the capsule, for baby capsules such as the Safe n Sound Unity capsule, there is a hoop at the back that the upper tether passes through. The other end of the upper tether needs to be connected to the Anchor point of the car. For other types of baby capsule, the upper tether may just need to be connected just to the anchor point.
If in doubt please contact an accredited child restraint fitter.
Recommended Baby Capsules
Thankfully the number of baby capsules on the market is limited , so it is not as confusing as selecting a baby car seat.
The Best Capsule on the market 2025 is the Britax Bpod Capsule; which uses Clicktight for the installation. Clicktight makes the installation much easier than Isofix.
Next is the Maxi Cosi Mico Plus, it has a number of benefits including an extended canopy, thermo fabric and an isofix installation with all its limitations.