A convertible car seat is a child seat that "converts" from rear facing for infants and small toddlers to forward facing for children. Britax convertible car seats can accommodate children from birth up to approx. 6 years of age.
We highly recommend you refer to your instruction manual within our website for more information
It is recommened that an infant be in a rear-facing restraint to at least 24 months of age, the child should then progress to a forward-facing restaint to at least 4 years of age.
We recommend that restraints over 10 years old be discarded. Britax currently does not offer a recycling program, but you may want to contact your local recycling facility to see if the seat can be recycled.
When you discard a car seat, be sure to cut off all the harness and top tether, cut the cover, remove, or black out the serial number and manufacture date, and write “trash, do not use” on the car seat shell.
Britax currently does not offer a recycling program, but you may want to contact your local baby store or recycling facility. Some retail stores offer a recycling facility.
Car seats are made with polypropylene which is the number “5” for recycling purposes. Please check with your local council for the best method
We would suggest you have the seat in the reclined position if you do not already have it this way. Dependent on how we fall asleep in an upright position there is a possibility of our heads dropping forward. What is good to note is that your child is still protected even if their head has dropped forward.
Please refer to your instruction manual on how to remove the buckle from the seat then wash the buckle in hot water and retry the buckle. If you continue to experience problems, please email our Customer ServiceTeam at nzoffice@britax.com.
It is best to open and hold the harness up by the buckle tongue holders rather than grabbing the harness to avoid twisting. Also, when you remove your child from the seat, you need to ensure the straps have no twists and again as you re-enter your child back into the seat.
The buckle needs to be accessible in the event of an accident, hence there are no devices/covers available to prevent access to the buckle.
Yes, if you need extra support for your newborn baby, you can purchase our Newborn Infant Insert. This Newborn Infant Insert nests neatly inside the car seat insert.
Booster seats differ from a harnessed car seat in that a booster seat, by definition, simply “boosts” the child up so that the vehicle seat belt is positioned correctly across the child’s hips and shoulder/middle of the chest. Booster seats rely on the vehicle seat belts to hold both the child and the booster seat in position.
Harnessed seats have an internal harness system that is used to restrain the child.
Many countries have laws for using child restraints and have different standards. Laws vary from country to country and even state to state. Countries with strong laws are European countries, USA, Canada, Japan and South Africa.
There will be no fittings in Taxis and most rental cars. In many developing countries there are no seat belts in which case a child restraint is of no use at all.
New Zealand accepts child restraints made in Australia to the joint Australian and New Zealand Standard and there is an understanding of the upper anchorage strap and vehicle fittings. Despite this it is worthwhile asking for a rental vehicle that is suitable for Australian Child restraints and it has an upper anchorage (tether strap) fitting in the vehicle.
Only car seats displaying the Australian or European saftey standard label are allowed to be brought into NZ by consmers. All other safety standards are not permitted by consumers and using these restaints without the NZ approval label is illegal. Thus there is the possiblity that you could be booked for a traffic violation or in the case of crash an insurance company many consider that the child restraint invalidates the insurance policy and you many be held liable for the dealth or inujury of your child.
The best child seat is one that fits your child, fits in your vehicle, and is easy for you to use each and every time. You will notice that some child seats are easier to use than others, while some will not fit into certain vehicles, and some types are less suited for the child's size and development.
Read all product labels and verify that the specifications of the child seat meet your current needs.
Britax car seats fit most vehicles. We encourage you to try installing the seat directly into your car at the retail site, because not all car seats are compatible with all vehicles. If you are considering a convertible (infant/child) car seat, try it in both the rear-facing and forward-facing positions.
Do not leave your child in the baby capsule/car seat for extended periods.
Car seats are designed to absorb crash forces through the shell of the seat and spread the remaining crash forces away from the child’s body. Rearward facing car seats offer the best protection in the event of frontal collisions – the most frequent type of accident on the roads.
Physics dictates that in the event of a frontal collision, it is safer for a child to travel in a rearward facing car seat as crash forces are directed to the back of the seat, while the remaining energy is spread evenly across the head, neck and upper body. In a frontal collision with a forward-facing seat the energy of the impact is distributed differently across the seat structure and restraint system – potentially resulting in more energy impacting on the child’s body.
After an accident in which a child car seat had been involved, the forces absorbed by the seat could lead to fine cracks in the structure which may not be visible to the eye. Therefore, we strongly recommend that the seat is replaced. Please contact our Customer Service Team for more advice at nzoffice@britax.com or refer to your Instructions Manual for more information
If a child is wearing a very thick coat, there is a risk that the harness or car seat belts cannot be tightened to sufficient tension. So, we would recommend in general that very thick coats are removed in the car.
