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Familib answers you!
How was the first car seat created?
In the 1930’s, in the United States, parents were wondering how to drive without being disturbed by their children. That’s why the first car seat for children was created!
It allowed children to have a booster seat to admire the landscape and parents to be focused on the road and on the driving of the car.
At the beginning, the first car seats were made with metal frames combined with wood and canvas, sometimes a small wheel was added to entertain the child.
Seatbelts and the maintaining straps were not on the agenda, we were not interested yet in the safety of the child!
Safety only appeared in the sixties!
In 1964, the Swedish engineer Bertil Aldman, specialized in road safety, launched the first car seat with the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo.
Inspired by research conducted by Nasa engineers, he discovered that during the entry into the atmosphere, astronauts were installed in the capsule with their backs to the force of acceleration. The back absorbs the shock, and the structure of the seat preserves the neck, the seat serving as a shield against the shocks!
This is how he created the first child seat with its back to the road.
Car seat regulations are evolving for increased safety.
The European brand Britax launched its first car seat for children in 1966: it already had a 5-point safety belt harness! The first car seat models were grouped in only two categories depending on the age of the child: from 6 months to 5 years and from 5 to 11 years.
In 1990 the legislation stipulated that all the passengers in a car must be fastened! A first regulation stipulates that the car seat, also called ‘child restraint system’, must be adapted to the child’s age.
Let’s not forget that car seats are required in the car for children up to 10 years old or up to 1.35 meters tall.
Car seats are divided into groups according to the weight of your child. To better understand we have made a quick summary of the groups.
Group 0: from birth to 10 kg or up to 70 centimeters.
Group 0+: from birth to 13 kg or up to 80 centimeters.
Group 1: from 9 to 18 kg or up to 1 meter.
Group 2: (from 15 to 25kg).
Group 3: (from 22 to 36kg) or up to 1.50 meters.
You can rent from Familib the car seat Joie Verso which is part of the group 0+/1/2/3 and it is suitable for children from birth to 36 kg.
Car seat fastening systems are becoming easier to use and more efficient!
Since their creation, car seats have been installed with car’s seatbelt, which according to the individual, did not always allow a very reliable installation!
A new European regulation requires car manufacturers to have an Isofix attachment system on all cars produced since 2011. The two Isofix hooks of the car are located at the junction of the backrest and the seat of the rear seat, they are attached directly to the frame of the car.
Most Isofix car seats can also be installed with the adult seat belt, without using the Isofix system. This allows the car seat to be used in an older vehicle without Isofix anchorage points.
Our Isofix baby car seats for rent are equipped with two Isofix straps located on the sides of the car seat, inside the plastic cover. The hooks of the straps are fixed on the two anchoring points of the car.
In the next few years, car seatbelt fastening system will give way to the Isofix fastening system.
In 50 years of existence, the car seat has evolved a lot to allow our children to have always a better safety and more comfort. Used correctly, the car seat saves lives!
Take care of yourself and your family.