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Car seat buyer's guide

Dos and dont's for buying a car seat

• Get your car seat fit professionally checked before buying
• Use big stores like Halfords, Babies R US, Mothercare, or John Lewis, all of which have staff trained to fit a car seat properly. Check the store has a car park outside. Many smaller independent nursery stores also offer a trained car seat fit service too.
• If possible, it's best to choose your car seat first, then find a compatible pushchair
• Check the fit of the car seat every few weeks, and retighten the seat belt if it's become slack
• Slide your first two fingers under the shoulder harness every few weeks to check the fit against your growing baby
• Never buy a second-hand car seat - it could have been damaged in a car accident and therefore be unsafe
• Once fitted correctly, your car seat should hardly move at all - if it's loose then it's not safe
• Don't move your baby up to the next stage too soon. It's your child's weight that determines the seat size, not his age.