Car safety

If there is one single item that is essential for all babies, it is a car seat. Even if you don’t own a car, you will need a seat for when you are travelling in other people’s cars. You will need it from day one - in fact, some hospitals won’t allow you to leave the premises until you have got a car seat to transport your most precious cargo safely home.

Having bought it - use it. This may sound obvious, patronising even, but the horrifying fact is that although people buy car seats for their babies and children, some still don’t bother to use them on every car journey.

Some parents think they can get round buying a car seat by using a carrycot or Moses basket secured with a seat belt on the back seat. You should NEVER put a baby in a Moses basket on the back seat and you shouldn’t put a carrycot on the back seat unless it is specially designed for use in the car.

You can now buy carrycots with internal harnesses and dedicated fixing kits which are safe to use in the car; they are usually part of a travel system. However, if you do, remember that you will still need to invest in a car seat as soon as your baby is able to sit up.

• Buy a car seat to suit your baby’s weight, not age. As soon as your baby’s weight exceeds the limit, move on to the next stage
• Not all car seats fit all cars; check that the model you have chosen will fit your car. Get professional advice if you are at all unsure
• Buy a car seat because it has safety features that improve fit and protection, not because it has attractive fabric choices or good value accessories