Toddler Car Seats
A toddler is a child aged 12 months to 3 years. Children this age are safest travelling in a 5 or 6 point harness. Ideally if your child is over 12 months old and under 4 years old they should use a harnessed child seat.
Toddlers can use either a convertible car seat, or a combined booster seat. A convertible seat is one that can be used both rear and forward facing with an integral harness, and a combined booster is one that is used forward facing only using the integral harness and then turns into a booster seat for children 4 years and above.
If your child can still fit in their harnessed car seat, it is recommended that you keep using it. If you must use a booster seat due to your child's size, we recommend that you use it along with a child safety harness and adult seat belt together.
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Rear facing to, and beyond 12kgs
If your child is over 12 months of age but weighs less than 12kgs, you can continue to keep him/her rear facing. There is no law saying that children must be forward facing on their first birthday, however is it best for your child to be rear facing until they are at least 12kgs. Therefore going by weight not age.
Some seats rear face to 9kgs only, you should consider buying a new rear facing seat until your child is 12kgs for their own safety. If your seat allows rear facing for longer than 12kgs, continue using is this way until the child outgrows the rear facing limits of that restraint.
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It is recommended to keep your child rear facing until 12 months of age. It is a misconception that a child is safe to be forward facing from 6 months of age. Testing shows that children are in fact safer in an accident when they are rear facing. Your child does not know the difference between rear and forward facing just because they are over 12 months old.
There is nothing wrong with your child's feet touching the back seat, their legs are not likely to break during an accident because of contact with the back seat. They are less likely to get a broken neck in the event of a rear facing accident, so if their legs do break, it is much less work to repair a broken leg or two than it is to fix a broken neck.
If you are concerned that your child may become upset by not being able to see you remember that you can talk to your child. Some parents have even placed a photo of themselves on the back seat of the car for their infant to see. If you are worried that you cannot see your child you can purchase a rear view mirror to attach to your mirror that allows you to see your child.
Car seats have two weight limits attached, the minimum is the entry level weight and the maximum is the top level weight. For example a booster seat can be used from 14kgs, and your convertible/toddler car seat can be used until 18kgs. We recommend that you use the convertible/toddler seat to the top level/maximum weight before you progress to a booster, or any other car seat when your child is approaching the entry level limit.
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Once your child is 12kgs in weight you can turn them around, if your car seat rear faces for longer you may consider extended rear facing until the top level weight is met.
A child should remain in the convertible or forward facing harnessed car seat until they reach the maximum weight of the car seat. This weight limit is currently 18kgs. With the exception of the Evenflo Triumph Advance, which is until 22.5kgs. If your child outgrows their car seat before 18kgs, consider another brand, or using a booster seat with child harness. Do not move your child into a booster until around 4 years of age. Children need to be able to sit correctly in a booster seat to the seat to perform correctly in an accident.
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There are a few ways that your child may outgrow their car seat, the first and most important is by weight. Every car seat has a maximum weight, multi modal seats have more than one maximum weight, this means that there is a weight limit for the integral harness, and there is a limit for the seat itself, most often found on seats that convert into a booster seat.
Always check your seat and/or instruction booklet for the maximum weight limit for the harness, if your toddler exceeds this weight (currently 18kgs) you will need to move your child into a booster seat (with child harness is recommended).
The image above shows a young child who is too big for the car seat, while she may not be 18kgs, she has outgrown the seat by height. When the child's eyes/ears are level with the top sides of the seat, the child is too big for the seat. If your child's shoulders come above the top harness slots, they are also too big for the seat. The straps should not come more than 2.5cm (1 inch) below their shoulders, doing so could cause spinal compression during an accident. Forward facing children should always wear the belt at or above the shoulder, there is no exception to this rule.
Another way a child can outgrow their car seat is if the belts are no longer able to fit correctly over the child's body. Never use a harness that is only secured around their waist and between the legs, the belt must at all times come over the shoulders, over the hips and buckle between the legs, over the pelvic area.