It is required by law that you place baby in a correctly fitted infant restraint that meets the Australian standard AS/NZS 1754 for every trip in the car.
- Transport accidents are among the leading cause of accidental death for children and
- Child restraints supplied on the Australian market have key safety features that reduce the associated risks of injury to/death of a child while travelling in a motor vehicle.
Never leave your baby unattended in the car – not even for a short time.
Each child restraint must:
- be correctly installed
- have the Standards Australia mark
- suit your child’s weight and size
Once the car journey is over it is very important that you remove baby from the car seat or capsule, even if this means waking baby, because it is not safe for baby to spend long periods in car seats, capsules or infant seats.
Research has shown that:
- babies left in a sitting position for a long period of time may be placed at increased risk for sudden infant death.
- car or baby seats may cause baby’s neck to flex forward which may block baby’s airway not allowing airflow
- falls from car seats used outside of the car as infant carriers are common, often involve children unbuckled in their car seats and represent a significant source of head injury for baby. Never leave baby in carriers on shopping carts, counters, or other high locations
Last modified: 22/2/23