Choosing the right one: Which child seat for which age?

The car seat accompanies your child through a large part of his childhood as soon as he or she has outgrown the infant car seat. In order for it to be really safe, however, it must be optimally adapted to the age, height and weight of your child. In this article, you will learn which child seat is suitable for which age and when you should change to the next size.

Child seat regulation: Legal basis for the obligation to use child seats

For around 30 years, there has been an obligation in the Road Traffic Regulations to use so-called restraint devices. As a result, you must use a child seat for your child that is adapted to the respective body weight, as long as it has not either reached the age of 12 or is 1.50 meters tall. The EU directives ECE R44/03, ECE R44/04 and ECE R 129 are decisive for the permissibility of child seats.

The child seat classes: Which child seat for which age?

If you are wondering which child seat is suitable for which age, the following table gives you an overview:

Child seat class	Weight of the child	Child seat position
0	< 10 kg	transverse or rear-facing (infant car seat)
0+	< 13 kg	rear-facing (infant car seat)
I	9 – 25 kg	forward-facing (child seat) or rear-facing (rear-facing car seat)
II	15 – 25 kg	forward-facing (booster seat) or rear-facing (rear-facing seat)
III	22 – 36 kg	forward-facing (booster seat)

In addition, according to the EU directive ECE-R 129, there is the so-called i-Size seat, which you can use if the child is up to 105 centimetres tall . In it, your child travels rearwards or forwards.

When you can start using a child seat instead of the infant car seat depends primarily on the weight. You can use class I child seats as soon as your child has reached a weight of 9 kilograms. However, if your child is not yet too big for the infant car seat, it will still be the safest to ride in it, even with a body weight of more than 9 kilograms.

The child seat groups in stores: Which child seat for which age?

Fortunately, as a parent of a child, you don't have to buy a new seat for your child every few kilograms of body weight. Many manufacturers offer child seats that cover several classes through clever conversion or expansion options. This is how you can choose from these child seat groups:

Group 0/0+: You can use the infant car seat up to a body weight of 13 kilograms and an age of 15 months.
Group 0/1: This child seat group combines a baby seat and the first child seat. It can be used up to a weight of 18 kilograms and an age of up to three years.
Group 1: The follow-on seat follows the infant car seat and is used if the weight is between 9 and 18 kilograms or between the ages of nine months and three years.
Group 2/3: This seat follows the rear-facing or follow-on seat and can be used from 15 to 36 kilograms. He will therefore accompany your child until the end of the child seat obligation.
Group 1/2/3: Use this follow-up seat directly after the infant car seat. It covers the entire period until the end of the child seat requirement at the age of twelve.

As the driver of a car, you are responsible for properly securing children who are travelling with you. If the police find that the security is not in accordance with the regulations during a traffic check, you will be fined up to 35 euros. If you drive without any security, the fine is up to 70 euros. In addition, there is a point in Flensburg.

When does my child no longer need a child seat?

For the point in time from which your child is allowed to ride without a child seat, the Road Traffic Regulations set precise guidelines. If one of these requirements is met, the normal belt securing of the car is sufficient:

from the twelfth birthday
from reaching a height of 150 centimetres

If your child is still smaller than 150 centimetres at the age of twelve, you can continue to use a child seat or booster seat voluntarily. The waist belt leads past a favorable position below this height. In the worst case, this can lead to serious abdominal injuries in the event of an accident.

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