Not only are they legally required, they could prevent serious injury or death in the event of a vehicle crash or heavy braking.

When you have chosen the most appropriate child restraint for you, you must ensure it is installed correctly.

These are five mistakes you must avoid with your child restraint:

1. Twisted or overtightened straps

   Ensure there are no twists in the tether strap before hooking it up and make sure the strap isn’t so tight that it causes pressure on the car seat.

2. Incorrect anchor point

   Make sure the tether strap is hooked up to the correct anchor point. This is positioned and weight-rated to protect your child in a crash. Do not accidentally hook the child restraint into luggage points.

    

3. Incorrectly positioned harness straps

   Heighten the harness straps as your child gets taller. The ideal position is to have the straps between the bottom of the earlobe and the shoulder line.

4. When to forward face your seat

   Newborns must spend at least their first six months in a capsule or rear-facing child restraint. Facing your child forward is all based on age and height but we recommend leaving your child rear-facing for as long as size allows as this is the safest option.

5. Never swaddle a baby in a car seat

   Do not swaddle a child before placing into a capsule or child seat as this could cause them to slip out or to move into a dangerous position in an impact.