Learn about the benefits of i-Size car seats, designed for enhanced child safety and comfort. Learn how i-Size compliance ensures top protection on the road.
Author Kat GemmellTo explain more about what i-Size is, its compatibility and enhanced safety features, The Edit caught up with Silver Cross’ Car Safety Technologist, Kat Gemmell.
“i-Size” is part of the car seat regulation “R129”. This regulation covers everything on a car seat, from safety testing right through to the height of the harness and how much force is needed to pop the buckle open. A car seat cannot be sold in the UK or EU without being approved to ‘R129’ ((although car seats from the earlier R44.04 regulation are still allowed in the UK).
R129 requires children to travel rearward facing to a minimum of 15 months of age and 76cm in height. R129 car seats have minimum and maximum height limits, so parents know more easily what child seat their little one can use.
There are two ways a car seat can be approved under R129 – either as ‘i-Size’ or ‘Specific Vehicle ISOFIX’. The safety of ‘i-Size’ or ‘specific vehicle’ is the same, the main difference is in the size of the seat.
It isn’t just child car seats that can be approved as ‘i-Size’. Vehicles can also have their ISOFIX approved as ‘i-Size’ – you can check if your car ISOFIX has this by consulting your vehicle handbook. You can also check your car ISOFIX for the i-Size logo, which will be on or near the ISOFIX point.
The main differences between R129 i-Size car seats, and R129 Specific Vehicle car seats are:
R129 car seats are safer than car seats approved to the old regulation R44.04. R129 car seats are now tested for side impact protection, which was not a requirement in the old regulation.
R129 car seats have also extended the requirement for children to travel rearward facing. Under the old regulation, children could turn forward at 9kg in weight – this could be as young as 6 months for some babies. R129 requires children to rear face until they’re at least 15 months, regardless of their weight. This is an improvement – although little ones are safer travelling rear facing for as long as possible.
We have two car seats that will allow rear facing up to approx. 4 years old – Approach Plus 360 with its revolutionary DualRecline, and Motion 2 All Size 360 that will offer 12 years of safety.
There are a few things to consider when you’re choosing a car seat for your little one:
Most i-Size car seats will last until your child is 18kg or 105cm tall – this will accommodate average size children until they are 4 years old.
If your little one is big for their age, they are likely to outgrow the harness before they are 4 years old. If your little one is small for their age, they will be older before they outgrow the harness.
The height limits on i-Size seats are intended to make it easier for parents and carers to know when their child has outgrown their seat. You can either measure your child against a wall or use the height range in their clothing as a guide.
The easiest way to think about child car seat stages, is by separating them into three categories:
Baby: Newborn to 15 months
Toddler: 15 months to 4 years
Child: 4 years to 12 years
Child car seats can either be a single stage, such as our baby seat Glide Plus 360, a multi-stage (combining two stages) such as Approach Plus 360, or all-stage, such as Motion 2 All Size 360. There are benefits and considerations to each option.
Once you have narrowed down what stage i-Size car seat you want, you can compare additional features.
Look for seats with padded side wings to cocoon your child in an impact.
When looking for a car seat for a toddler, consider the maximum harness weight limit. Although i-Size seats have stated height limits, the harness weight limit is also essential – it cannot be exceeded. If your child is big for their age, look for seats with a higher harness weight limit so they don’t outgrow the seat by weight before height.
A seat that rotates is much easier for getting your child in and out of the car. It also allows you full visibility and access to the 5-point harness, ensuring it is done up safely.
If your little one naps in the car, make sure your seat has a recline option. This is especially important if you want to keep your little one rear facing for longer – the slope of your vehicle seat can cause your child’s head to flop forward. Although this isn’t dangerous for children who can hold their head up, it doesn’t look very comfortable. Approach Plus 360 is designed with a unique rear facing inner recline to help little ones have the most comfortable nap.
Some seats are all in one unit, such as Motion 2 All Size 360. Others have the option to remove the seat from the base, such as Glide and Approach Plus 360 when used with Base Plus 360. Having a seat that removes from the base can be useful if you swap the seat between cars often. You can opt for two bases – one in each car – and swap the seat over.
If a child car seat is i-Size, it will have the ‘i-Size’ logo on the seat. This is usually on the installation label and is a regulatory requirement. The type of approval will also be detailed on the orange approval label on the child seat – it will clearly state if the car seat is approved as i-Size or specific vehicle. The child seat instruction manual will also state if the car seat is i-Size.
Don’t forget that your car ISOFIX can also be i-Size approved! This makes it automatically compatible with i-Size child car seats. If your car ISOFIX has the i-Size logo, it is i-Size approved!
If you cannot see the logo, check your vehicle handbook child safety section, this will detail if your ISOFIX is i-Size or ‘standard’ ISOFIX. It’s no problem if you have standard ISOFIX – you can still use an R129 i-Size car seat!
i-Size car seats are designed to make car seats easier to understand, fit and use. With stated height and harness weight limits, it is easier to know when your child has outgrown their car seat. All i-Size car seats offer side impact protection, along with improved compatibility in cars.
Kat Gemmell recently joined our car safety team and has over a decade of experience supporting parents to choose, fit and use their child car seats safely. She has worked for a national child seat campaign, provided product training for child seat manufacturers, and ran online information websites to support parents in making a truly informed choice.
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