Car Seat Installation

For your peace of mind, and for your child’s safety, our Baby Bunting Child Restraint Technicians and in-store team members have adopted the following installation principles:

• We believe that infants should be in a rear facing child restraint for as long as possible.

• We will not install a child restraint in forward facing mode until the child meets the first height marker AND is over 12 months old.

• If the child restraint has extended rear facing mode, the child restraint should be kept rear facing until the child has reached the highest rear facing height marker.

• We recommend that a child travel in a restraint with an internal harness for as long as possible, even if aged 4 years or older.

• A child must be at least 4 years AND meet the minimum height marker before using a booster.

• We recommend that a child stays in a booster until they are taller than 145cm even if they are 7 years or older.

• To ensure as safe a child restraint installation as possible, we recommend that the child be present at the time we install the child restraint.

We install all AS/NZ 1754 standard approved restraints, across all categories and manufacturers such as capsules, convertible car seats, 1-to-8-year car seats and boosters.We are unable to install a car seat if it is damaged, modified or over ten years old. Please check the manufacturers date if unsure.We can also fit car seats purchased from other retailers.

Each car seat takes 20 mins to install, our team will fit, advise, and educate the customer on the correct use of the restraint. Multiple appointments are required for two or more car seats.

Please be mindful to arrive on time or early for your appointment and have your vehicle in the designated installation area to maintain fairness and provide the same level of service to all customers.

SAFE use is a checklist of questions to go through before driving with your new car seat. If you're not sure, you can ask one of our professional installers at your local Baby Bunting store. 

Secure

1. Is the child seat installed firmly at all points of installation, confirming there is minimal movement at the base of the seat?
2. Is the seat belt threaded through the correct belt path OR, are the ISOFIX connectors engaged and the indicators showing green?
3. Is the top tether connection taut?

Adjust

1. Check the seat is correctly configured for every trip, especially if used by a different child to the last trip (including checking the points above)
2. Is the tether strap adjusted correctly? Only the slack needs to be removed so the belt is flat and straight across all points. Do not overtighten as this will hinder the installation and seat safety.
3. Is the height setting of the shoulder harness straps correct for your child? If should be level to the shoulder or only slightly above when your child is rearward facing, and level to shoulder, or slightly below once forward facing. Always check and adjust to stay within this guidance.
4. Is the harness across the collar bones and hips tight?
5. Did you hear the buckle tongues click into place in the buckle? Give them a little tug to make sure they don't pop out

Final Check, Every Trip

1. Have you checked that the child seat is firmly secured with minimal movement?
2. Have you checked that the harness is firmly adjusted and the child's chin is not on its chest?
3. Have you checked that the tether strap is taut, but not overly tight that a depression is being left on the backrest of your vehicle seat and the base of the child seat is not lifted.

The number of child car seats that you can install correctly in your car will depend on the below factors:

• make, model and size of your car
• type and brand of car seat you choose
• combination of car seats you need for your children
• other passengers in your car
• number of anchorage points in your car

The best way to find out how many car seats you can fit is to ask our knowledgeable and friendly Child Restraint Technicians.

Traveling rearward in a motor vehicle provides improved safety in the event of a collision, this is why Baby Bunting recommend an infant remain rear facing as long as possible, within the parameters of the seat manufacturers specifications.

This can be up to 30 months in most current models of convertible child safety seats. Baby Bunting installation principles state that a child needs to meet the minimum seat height requirement and be of 12 months of age before the child is placed in a forward-facing position.

It is important that the child be present at the installation appointment if the child safety seat is being converted to forward facing to determine appropriateness.

A child should have achieved a height of 145cm tall and meet the requirements of the five-step plan. The Australian or federal road rules allow children aged 7 years and over to travel in the front seat. However, research shows that the injury risk to children aged 12 and under significantly increases in the front seat compared to the back seat. Baby Bunting recommends that all children aged 12 years and younger sit in the back row of seats whenever possible.

Only one flat rate of $54 per appointment, which includes a gated buckle and leveling material if required. Depending on your vehicle, you may need additional accessories to facilitate the installation.

Every installation comes with a full report capturing the key aspects of the car seat installation.

All Baby Bunting installation technicians undergo extensive practical training to provide a professional car seat installation. Baby Bunting are committed to child vehicle safety, installing over 140,000 child safety seats last year.

Keep children in their forward-facing restraint with inbuilt harness until they reach the maximum size limit. Just because a child has turned 4 does not mean that they are ready to safely use a booster seat with an adult lap sash seatbelt.

Many seats can accommodate children up to eight years old, only move a child into a booster once they have exceeded the limit of the in-build harness safety seat.