The road is a dangerous place. And in a country known for safety, it’s suprising to hear how many of our little ones are not travelling safely. A well-fitting, properly installed car seat is the only way to keep your child safe in the car and the only way to give you the peace of mind of knowing you are doing the best thing for your little one.
Whether you drive your own car or use taxis and ride shares from time to time, the law states that your child must be adequately restrained. Even short, familiar routes carry real risk. Your newborn can ride safely in a capsule or modular rear-facing car seat, and they’ll stay rear-facing till at least two years of age. After that, you can consider turning them around to face forward. Then from about four to six years old, they can graduate into a high back booster seat.
Have a scroll below, but if you feel you don’t know where to begin, read through our car seat buying guide and come back armed with a wealth of knowledge that’ll help you with your decision.
Travel safer with Booster Seats
For a seat belt to work correctly, it needs to cross the chest, sit in the middle of the shoulder and not touch the neck. When your child is buckled up, if the sash is not in this position, they need a booster seat to be safe in the car. Usually, booster seats are required for anyone below 1.35 metres tall. Although they offer less protection than a car seat, they are much safer than a poorly fitting seat belt when your child outgrows their forward-facing or convertible seat.
Booster seats are the next step after forward-facing car seats and ensure that your bigger child is still riding safely. High back booster seats not only ensure the car’s seat belt is correctly positioned but also offer additional side impact protection. Plus, if your bub has an inquisitive nature and wants to get a better view of the journey ahead, then a booster seat gives them the vantage point to keep stimulated along the way.
And just a reminder, no car seat should be used in the front seat. Children under 12 years old must ride in the back. The legal minimum is ten years old, but international safety experts recommend keeping children in the back seat until 12. It’s just not safe for them to sit in the front, no matter how much they might want to!
Choosing a car seat in the UAE
The UAE law states that everyone travelling in a car must wear a seat belt. Children below four years old must be secured with an appropriate restraint - that means a capsule, baby car seat or booster seat. The law aside, parents in the UAE are super safety conscious and do everything they can to keep their children as safe as possible. But choosing a car seat goes beyond safety ratings. After all, no matter how safe a car seat is, it’s only effective if it fits with your lifestyle so that you use it whenever you travel.
A newborn car seat, also known as a capsule, is the most popular choice for the first year of car travel. Many capsules can connect to a stroller or stroller base using the right car seat accessories. Maxi-Cosi is a brand we particularly love for their stroller compatibility - not having to buckle and unbuckle your little one when moving from car to pavement makes things so much easier. These bucket-esque car seats are simple to take in and out of both private cars and taxis.
After a capsule, your little one will move to a rear-facing car seat. In the UAE, most families rely on private cars, which gives you more choice in rear facing seats. You can happily move your little one from their capsule to the last car seat they will need. The car seat that will last them well into childhood, with our fantastic selection of convertible car seats that change and grow with your child.