When you have multiples, there is so much to do and worry about. Take the worry out of installing your car seats for twins and more and get a professional to do it. That way, you know your precious cargo is safe.
Installing car seats, and offering advice is so much more than just putting the car seat in the car. It’s assessing the needs of each family and working out which products will best suit their needs. Not to mention demonstrating how to use and adjust each car seat. It’s so important that parents and caregivers know how to use their car seats correctly, and adjust them as their children grow.
Twinfo recently interviewed Michele from Child Safety Solutions Australia to find out more.
What qualifications do you need to have to become an authorised restraint fitter?
I have an accreditation in the correct selection and installation of child car restraints. Insurance is very important to have as well. Most importantly, experience and customer service skills play a huge part in being able to help customers in the best way possible.
Why should parents get their car seats for twins and more professionally installed?
It’s a great idea for parents to have their car seats professionally installed- Even if it’s just the first time.
A good installer will talk you through how to correctly use the car seats. They should show you how to make adjustments, how to check that it’s still correctly installed, how to tell when it’s been outgrown and so much more.
Car seat installation is so much more than having your car seat installed in your car. It’s definitely not a ‘set and forget’ situation. Those car seats will need frequent adjusting (especially in the first few weeks when your babies are growing fast), and it’s important that parents and caregivers know how to correctly fit each child to their car seat.
When getting your car seats for twins and more installed, you should leave knowing you’ve
Why should parents of multiples consider hiring capsules and other baby equipment?
Capsules can be quite expensive to buy, and really only offer a limited period of usage. Baby capsules can be incredibly convenient to use in the early days (especially with multiples) – not to mention, some models offer a much better harness fit for premature or low birth weight babies.
It really can be cost prohibitive when you’re needing to buy a few of them. By choosing to hire your baby capsules, professional installation is included for no extra cost, and there is a multiples discount available as well.
As for holiday hire, we often have customers send through a message at the end of their hire thanking us for the service, or saying they wished they had chosen to hire a certain item with their other items.
Long story short – Holiday
What age do you recommend people keep their child rear facing? Why is this?
It is recommended to keep children rearward facing for as long as possible, or until they reach the height marker on their convertible car seat (ideally aiming for a minimum of two years).
It is definitely worth investing in
I would definitely recommend trying different car seats in your car before purchase- Make sure the inbuilt
Whilst the option to rearward face for longer is relatively recent in Australia, countries like Sweden have been rearward facing their children up to 4 years, since the 1960’s. They have the lowest rate of injuries and deaths as a result of collisions. There is plenty of science there to prove that rearward facing is safer, unfortunately our laws are the bare minimum, are a bit slow to reflect this.
Fitting three car seats across one row of seats can be challenging. Have you got any advice to parents who might need three seats across the back of a small car?
Fitting three across is one of the biggest car seat challenges that parents and caregivers face. I would recommend starting by trying the slimmest car seats in your car. This may potentially mean replacing any existing car seats you may own, however, it is often more budget friendly to replace your car seats to fit your car, than replace your car to fit the car seats.
Most cars can fit three across the back – Even compact hatchbacks! It really comes down to trying a few options in your car to see what will work in your car, and suit the needs of your family.
Whilst SUV’s are a popular choice for families, not all models have very roomy back seats (some are actually smaller than a hatchback). It’s also important to keep an eye on the amount of space between the back seat and the back of the front seat. You’ll need to make use of this space with your rearward facing car seats and baby capsules – Especially with multiples
Choosing a pram and capsule
It is definitely worth choosing your pram first, then work out which capsules will fit. When choosing a pram, think about how it will grow with your children and the needs of your family after the newborn phase. You’ll be using that pram for the next few years, so make sure it’s one that you really love using, and will grow with your children.
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Is anyone else having trouble opening/ downloading the capsule compatibility chart? I get a ‘404 error’ each time.
Sorry Steph. It looks like this no longer exists on their website. Ive deleted it. Thanks for letting me know.