Safe jrney

Fnumber of changes to car seat regulations in the EU, with no R44 CRS seats able to be sold after that date. In Great Britain (currently excluding Northern Ireland due to post-Brexit trade arrangements) it will still be legal to sell R44 CRS seats and at present, the government has no plans to stop the sale of them. You can read more about this in the BPA’s feature on page 18+19. However many UK manufacturers are moving in line with the EU and moving to R129, or iSize, whereby the classification is based on height, rather than weight, and isn’t categorised by groups. I-Size also has a rearfacing regulation until 15 months and the seats can only be used for ISOFIX. There are also further side impact tests added to the rear and front testing, along with increased sensors with a Q dummy.

Extended rearward facing: There is an increased focus on designing seats with extended rearward facing options. Axkid offers only rearward facing seats. A spokesperson for the company comments: “The main reason why a rear-facing car seat is safer is due to the support it gives the child’s head and neck in the event of a collision. In frontal crash tests, it has been shown that the forces affecting the neck are up to five times greater when the child is sitting forwardfacing compared to a rear-facing car seat.

“A rear-facing car seat’s biggest advantage is that it supports the child’s entire back, neck and head, distributing the crash forces over a larger area and therefore significantly reduces the forces acting on the sensitive neck.

“Our goal at Axkid is that all children travel rear-facing for as long as possible, for their own safety. As of today, the general recommendations in Sweden say that children should ride rear facing up to the minimum age of four. Our recommendation is therefore to choose a rear-facing car seat that has the highest maximum limits. Further, we recommend a car seat that adapts for your growing child, offering a high comfort that enables your child to sit in the car seat comfortably for as long as possible.”

Aside from the increased safety features, many manufacturers are also offering a range of additions which are designed to make life more comfortable for babies, while also being easier for parents.

Lie flat: Joie’s new Calmi R129 car cot allows babies to lie completely flat, thus enabling them to be in their safest, 180° position. An insert keeps newborns properly positioned at all times, supporting their necks and spines, while increased side protection is offered by positioning the baby’s head at the safest point in the vehicle.

Maxi-Cosi’s Jade also adheres to the R129 standard while keeping babies in a 180° sleeping position, helping to aid a healthy development for babies, especially on long-trips.

Easier installation: The popularity of swivel car seats continues with the likes of Joie i-Gemini and Ickle Bubba Radius enabling parents to get children in and out of the car more easily. However there is also a move towards the seats themselves being easier to install.

Nuna recently launched pipa urbn. UK brand manager Steve Smith, explains: “The pipa urbn is a game changer – the world’s first baseless infant carrier with a built-in ISOFIX system, enabling it to be easily installed into taxis and cars in seconds. Weighing in at an ultralight 3.3 kg, the pipa urbn is super-portable and features a one-handed vehicle and pushchair release for effortless transfers. This is the perfect solution for parents with more than one car, those who share childcare responsibilities or families on the move looking for a safe and simple travel solution.”

Sustainability: As with all areas of manufacturing, sustainability is a key concern for car seat suppliers. Many are choosing more eco-friendly materials, such as the Maxi-Cosi Pro Eco, while others are tackling packaging and the manufacturing process.

Silver Cross recently unveiled its Eco collection, a range of its best-selling car seats, now featuring fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles, which comes in FSC certified packaging. Hamish McPhillips, Silver

Cross’ head of car safety, says: “Sustainability is at the forefront for all product development at Silver Cross. We are focused on reducing the environmental impact across our range whilst offering the safest, most comfortable, easy to use products. Our latest car seat collection uses recycled fabrics together with super soft bamboo, combining the best in comfort with sustainable production.

“All the packaging used is FSC approved, On top of this, we are the only brand to offer a recycling solution for our car seats once they have come to the end of their usable life, ensuring all materials are recycled with nothing ending up in landfill.”

Pwhich has increased in frequency over recent years.

For 2023, Cosatto has continued its artistic collaboration with Paloma Faith. Paloma has over a million followers on social media.

"Paloma is not afraid to be herself and stand up for what she believes in,” says Vicky Morley, Cosatto creative and marketing director. “This is also a sentiment echoed in our brand at Cosatto. We are kindred spiritsthis is what drew us to her.

“Working with influencers and celebrities has always been key to our marketing strategy. In a world where social media is a direct way to speak to your audience in real-time, it is important to collaborate with the correct personalities. It also delivers a phenomenal number of sales.”

My Babiie also works with several personalities. Maria Kuria comments: “My Babiie are notorious for ranges with celebrities such as Billie and Samantha Faiers, and Dani Dyer. By collaborating with them and designing products not just with their style input but functionality, it allows My Babiie to create oneof-a-kind products that have been made for mums, by mums. It also allows My Babiie to expand their audience as the celebrities use the products and promote to their followers.”

Brands are also using innovative strategies to work with celebs to boost awareness and demand. iCandy partnered with Molly-Mae Hague, who promoted the launch of Peach 7 in Biscotti before it was available to the public.

“iCandy is delighted to be collaborating with

Molly-Mae,” joint ceo, Bradley Appel, comments. “Molly is a wonderful ambassador for iCandy and her genuine love and enthusiasm for the pushchair has been evident since day one.

“When it comes to working with influencers, authenticity and a true affinity with the brand is vital to us at iCandy. We feel very passionate about who we work with and ultimately, we wish to create meaningful content to share with our loyal customer base.

“The response to our collaboration with Molly-Mae on the new Peach 7 in Biscotti so far has been incredible, with pre-orders exceeding our expectations.”

Occasionally manufacturers get lucky and A-listers choose their brand and Baby Central marketing manager, Amy Sellers, enthuses: “Celebrity and influencer collaborations have been vital to success of WonderFold in the states. They have helped enormously to build brand awareness, as we are a new brand, creating a new industry trend. Influencers and celebs are trend drivers and willing to try new products to help create the trend, which helps open the market.”