Car seats are a big expense for families with twins, triplets or more - each child needs their own seat and they will need moving into new seats as they grow.

DMB Car Seats logo Twins Trust is very pleased to have worked with Deborah Baulch from DMB Car Seats to put together this information and help you make an informed choice that is right for your family's needs.

 

Types of car seats for children

A child should only ever need three car seats over their 12 years of car travel:

  • An infant carrier 
  • A next stage child seat
  • A high-backed booster

 

Triplets sit in rear-facing car seats

 

Considerations when choosing car seats

As with all car seats, not all seats are suitable for all children or cars. What may fit one multiple may not be the most suitable seat for the other - it-s important to treat each child's safety in the car individually and buy what is suitable for them.

It's imperative that you read the manual that comes with the car seat. The manual will tell you the limits of the seat and how it can be installed. This will include what position the handle needs to be in when the seat is in the car, what inserts are to be removed and when.

Car seats have a warranty and an expiry. Most seats in the UK will come with a two year warranty as standard. However, most can only be used for ten years before they start to degrade.

If you lose the manual for your seat, the orange sticker on the base of the seat will inform you of the make, model, height and weight limits and its crash testing standard.  

All seats have a manufacturing date on them, so you will be able to check how many years use you have left on the seat. With this in mind, we wouldn't recommend that you buy second hand car seats unless you can ensure: 

  • The seat is not expired.
  • The seat has been stored properly and contains no mould or mildew.
  • No harsh chemicals have been used on the fabrics or harness.
  • The seat hasn't been dropped or involved in a minor collision.
  • All manuals, boxes, original inserts are available.

We only recommend accepting seats from trusted family members or very close friends who would also have your children's safety as their priority.

You may be tempted by group seats. These are seats that market themselves as suitable from birth to 12 years. We wouldn't recommend these seats as they are unable to protect the changing bone structure throughout baby-toddler-child development. However, they can be good seats for travel, occasional use, or as spares for grandparent's cars, for example, as they are more affordable and lightweight given they don't require an Isofix (International Standards Organisation Fix).

Isofix was brought out to make installations more user friendly. It is fixings attached to the baby car seat as well as the seat in the car. However, it can only hold a maximum weight of 33kg which is the seat and child combined. The seatbelt can hold 450kg. An Isofix can still be installed incorrectly and, as such, are no safer than a correctly installed seatbelt seat.

 

Getting support with your decision

There are a lot of car seat safety experts and retailers throughout the UK. Many offer multiples discount and will help you choose the correct car seats for your little ones, your car and your budget. Several retailers will also help with installation and fitting so that you can feel confident in using the seat you have chosen.

Don't be afraid to ask for money towards car seats for your children's birthdays and Christmas. These items are a necessary purchase and will last a long time if purchased correctly. 

 

Twin girls smile whilst sitting in car seats

 

Choosing the right car for your multiples and their car seats

When you have more than one child, choosing the right car is up there with choosing the most suitable buggy and car seats.

Ideally, the car will be adaptable to a growing family and last a long time, as it's not something a lot of us can afford to change regularly.

  • Is the boot big enough for a double/triple buggy, changing bag, shopping? It's imperative that the parcel shelf can close over to prevent everything becoming a projectile in an accident.
  • Can you comfortably fit two or three car seats across the back with room for passengers up front?
  • Does the car have under floor storage compartments? A number of seven seaters have these and they will need to be filled or reinforced if you plan to use seats with support legs.
  • Does the car allow for a car seat of any kind to be used in the middle? Check your manual as some don't allow any seats at all, some won't allow a support leg and some will only allow a high backed booster.
  • Can you manually disable the airbag in the front? If you have a five seater car and need to fit three children in, it's usually safer and easier to have a baby in front with the airbag disabled and have another adult in the back.
  • Does your car allow for the survival gap when seats are installed in the back? 55cm is required for all forward facing car seats in the back row (a survival distance is not required for rear facing seats). This is measured from the back of the car seat to the closest point of the seat in front.
  • 4x4 and SUVs are deceiving and don't tend to provide the most cabin space, especially if you have tall drivers and passengers.
  • Can you remove the passenger headrests in the vehicle? This is important for any forward facing car seat, even more so when you get to the high backed booster stage, as it prevents the seat fitting safely as the child grows. 
  • Does the car have Isofix and top tether points? Many seats that harness forward facing, without a support leg, will need a top tether anchor point to be used along with an Isofix. Your car MUST have both of these in order to use the car seat safely. 
  • To safely get three car seats across a majority of cars, seatbelt installed car seats will give you a lot more space and manoeuvrability than Isofix seats.

 

Choosing the right seat at the right age

When choosing an infant carrier, you want to go for one that has high height and weight limits, allowing you to make full use of the seats you've purchased and giving you time to save for the next stage seats. As multiple babies tend to be on the smaller side, an infant carrier with excellent newborn inserts is a must. Car seats that you get with a buggy don't tend to be the best for little babies and most will not give you a safe fit for a newborn. You want to ensure the baby will be fully supported and have good adaptable inserts to keep them safe as they grow and avoids the chin resting on the chest, which can lead to positional asphyxia.

The latest infant carriers will have both a height and weight limit and some of the longest lasting will have limits of 13kg and 87cm. 

Another consideration for us multiple parents is the weight of the infant carriers as we may have to carry two at once. The lighter the infant carrier the better. The infant carrier is one of the safest seats the babies will ever be in. It's important you max them out to their height and weight limits, however depending on how the child grows, they can be out of these seats anywhere between one and two years old.

Time limits in a baby car seat

The Lullaby Trust state that a newborn, up to six weeks, should not be in a car seat for more than 30 minutes at a time without a break. This means that after 30 minutes the babies have to be fully removed from their seat for at least 15 minutes to stretch out. Then they can go back in for another 30 minutes, with another 15 minute break thereafter etc. If your multiples were born prematurely then this should be taken from their corrected age not their actual age.

This time limit is put in place to prevent positional asphyxia, which can result from the baby being in a scooped 'C' shape in the infant carrier, restricting their breathing.

After six weeks and up until they have good head control and are sitting independently, 90 minutes is recommended before a 30 minute break. After six months the maximum travel time is 2-3 hours. If you are pushing to the three hour mark, ensure you have at least 45 minutes out of the car to stretch out and have a snack. It's also recommended that adults don’t travel for more than three hours without a break too!

Never use the car seat to take the babies for walks. Car seats are for cars and babies should be in them for as little time as possible. The time limits in the car seats start as soon as the baby goes in, not just the time in the car.

Car seats that have the 'lie flat' function, do not lie flat. They position the baby at 157 degrees, which can allow for a little longer in the seat, but it does not take the place of a proper carry cot on a pushchair.

The Law

The latest law is R129 which states that all car seats must have both a height and a weight limit and undergo side impact testing as standard. It is also the law to rear face children to the minimum of 15 months old, regardless of height or weight.

Clothing

Infant carriers are very insulated and as such babies can get very warm in them. When dressing a baby for an infant carrier, thin layers are all that are needed, for example a vest, babygrow, thin cardigan or blanket over the seat once harness is tightened.

We don't recommend the babies wear anything with a hood, snowsuits, pram suits, waterproof suits whilst in their car seat. All of these impact the harness and reduces a safe and secure fit.

Avoid hats and headbands in the car for little ones as they can be a suffocation risk if they were to slide down.

Once the baby is getting close to reaching the limits of the seat, it's time to start searching for the next stage seat.

The babies should get regular check-ups from the Health Visitor and their height and weights will be recorded in their red books. This is key when choosing the next stage of car seat. If the child is following above the 60th percentile for height or weight, they are unlikely to reach the minimum safe booster age of 4.5 in your standard 18kg/105cm car seat. In this case, they will need a 25/36kg 125cm rear facing harnessed seat to ensure they remain safely harnessed until they’re ready for a high backed booster.

Why rear facing?

It's over five times more dangerous to forward face in a harness and why all well crash tested brands now recommend rear facing to the minimum age of 4.

It has been proven to have a  97% injury reducing effect in the event of a frontal and side impact (the most common types of crashes), as opposed to only 60% if forward facing in a harness. This is because when a child is restrained by a harness in a forward facing seat, the body is held in place, but the fragile head, neck and spine continue to travel forward with a force equivalent to 220kg. In a rear facing seat the child is pushed back into the car seat, protecting their head, neck and spine, and as such, the forces generated are less than 60kg.

Many people worry about a child's legs when rear facing, however they will not get solid knee caps until they are over 4 years old, and their pelvis will not be solid until they are over 6 years old. As such, children are very flexible and will sit in all kinds of positions to get comfortable. Rear facing, their legs have somewhere to rest and are not dangling, causing pins and needles or restless legs.

Clothing

When it comes to toddler seats and high backed boosters, it's important to remove all jackets, even thin waterproof ones, as again they severely effect the harness and seatbelt fit. If your children enjoy dressing up, please remove all bulky costumes before getting in the car seat, as again this will impact a safe harness and belt fit.

For older children wearing hoodies, be aware not to let the hood bunch up behind their neck as it can make the ride very uncomfortable for them and push their heads forward.

If you're not sure if an item is too thick for the car seat, it's always best to err on the side of caution and remove it. You can always place it over the top once they're safely strapped in.

Once the toddler seat is outgrown, the next stage seat is a high backed booster up to 150cm. The best high backed booster is one that will fit your child and car well. You want to make sure the child has enough growing room and head support, as they will be using it for a number of years. Extra features like recline, wing expansion, crotch piece, chest pad are all fabulous features to help protect them even more in a collision.

As the high backed boosters grow with the child, you will need to make sure you can remove the car headrest so that the child seat can sit flush at the back and not be pushed forward. You also want to ensure the seatbelt can retract freely through the belt positioning guides, and that the seatbelt provides a safe and secure fit for the child in the seat. The key things to look for with a high backed booster are a good belt position across the thighs, not the tummy, and a smooth belt path across the chest, avoiding the neck area.

The Law

It states that a child can use the seatbelt to be restrained from 15kg/100cm, however this can be as young as 2.5-3 years old which is not remotely safe. It also states that a child no longer needs to use a car seat once they are age 12 or 135cm. However, the adult seatbelt does not start until 150cm, therefore all new car seats are designed to be used to this limit regardless of the law.

Clothing

When it comes to toddler seats and high backed boosters, it's important to remove all jackets, even thin waterproof ones, as again they severely effect the harness and seatbelt fit. If your children enjoy dressing up, please remove all bulky costumes before getting in the car seat, as again this will impact a safe harness and belt fit.

For older children wearing hoodies, be aware not to let the hood bunch up behind their neck as it can make the ride uncomfortable for them and push their heads forward.

If you're not sure if an item is too thick for the car seat, it's always best to err on the side of caution and remove it. You can always place it over the top once they're safely strapped in.