No. Child seats should be installed using only one installation method – either the vehicle’s seat belt and top tether (if anchor is available) or ISOFIX + top tether. Parents should always refer to the child restraint user guide with any questions. 

Please view our Inflatable Seatbelt Policy which provides details of fitment with all Britax car seats. 

Installed correctly, both methods of installation are equally safe. Parents should use their child restraint user guide and vehicle owner’s manual to determine the best way to install their child restraint for their vehicle and for their child. 

The process of seating and removing your child along with the motion from your vehicle moving can shake your child seat loose over time. It is very important that you check the fit often and reinstall your child seat periodically. 

In hot, sunny weather, check the fabric and buckle before placing your child in the seat.  When parking in the sun for long periods of time, cover the child seat with a towel or blanket. 

No.  It is impossible to do this. 

After your car seat / baby capsule (infant carrier) / convertible seat is securely installed rear-facing, you may move the front vehicle seat back JUST until contact is made with the child restraint car seat. 

The safest place for your child in any vehicle is in the back seat. The center of the rear seat is preferable to outboard positions, as long as you can achieve a tight installation, because it is the furthest from a side impact. 

Air bags are designed for an adult’s mass and may not provide an appropriate impact environment for children, So: 

• Where there are side Air bags / curtains fitted, a child should not sleep with their head against the side of the car. 

• Rearward facing restraints should never be used where there is a forward mounted air bag. 

• Keep children away from air bag systems. 

• Side / curtain airbags should not affect forward facing seats however you should refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual for further recommendations. 

Check with vehicle manufacturers’ agent regarding deactivation of an air bag system if necessary. Follow all advice listed in your vehicle’s owner manual. 

The use of a top tether can reduce the distance that your child’s head moves forward in the event of a crash (also called head excursion), thereby minimising the risk of injury. 

The contour of the vehicle seat will affect the amount of contact between the seat back and the anti-rebound bar. Once a firm installation is achieved, there may be space, and this is acceptable if the seat is installed correctly. 

Inflatable rear seatbelts were first introduced in the USA in 2010 on the Ford Explorer. Since then, Ford have introduced
these seatbelts in other Ford models in the USA including; the Ford Fusion, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ and, in 2015, the
Ford F-Series.

Ford has introduced their latest Mondeo vehicle in Australia and New Zealand with inflatable seatbelts on the two outboard rear seating positions. This seatbelt works by inflating a tubular airbag built into the seatbelt webbing, using a compressed gas. The inflation is initiated using sensors that can detect a car crash occurring.

Potential fitment issues with some child restraints are:

• Gated 3 bar slides or locking clips cannot be fitted to the sash belt of an inflatable seat belt.
• Child safety harness cannot be used because the gated 3 bar slides cannot be used to create a de-facto lap belt.
• The additional thickness of the sash belt means that the lock-offs and seat belt guides fitted to some child restraints cannot be used.
• The seat belt routing used to install some child restraints means that an inflatable seat belt may interact with the child in the seat or with the seat hardware in an unfavourable manner.In these situations Britax
• Australia does not recommend the use of these restraints with the inflatable seat belt.

NOTE - If the centre seating position of the vehicle is not equipped with an inflatable seatbelt device and the child seat is fitted in this position, then the above considerations do not apply. The Mondeo is also fitted with ISOFIX low anchorages on the rear outboard seating positions. Thus there are options for fitting child restraints without the use of the inflatable seatbelts. Prior to purchasing your child restraint, please check that it is suitable for your vehicle. The following is intended to advise which Britax manufactured child restraints are suitable for usewith the inflatable seatbelts in the Ford Mondeo.

COMMENTS ON SPECIFIC TYPES OF CHILD RESTRAINTS:

At this point in time, Britax Australia only recommends the use of booster seats in combination with the inflatable seat belt.

• Where the sash belt cannot be fitted through the booster seat sash guide, Britax does not recommend the use of the inflatable seat belt with the booster seat.
• Where the sash belt can be fitted through the sash guide and the inflatable section of the belt interacts with the belt guide, Britax does not recommend the use of the inflatable seat belt with the booster seat.
   

Britax does not recommend the use of any of its other accessory products with the inflatable seat belt. Including the Child Safety Harness.

For Isofix compatible child restraints, Britax recommends the use of the vehicle Isofix anchors to install these restraints in these vehicles.

For all other non-Isofix child restraints, Britax recommends fitting the child restraint in the centre seating position providing that this position is not equipped with an inflatable seat belt.

IMPORTANT:

• Refer to vehicle manual for more information regarding inflatable seat belts and other vehicle manufacturers warnings and instructions.
• Always install your child restraint exactly as shown in the child restraint user manual.
• Please contact Britax Customer Service for any questions with regard to the use of Britax Child Restraints.

PLEASE NOTE:
Britax regularly reviews its policies to ensure the safest possible outcome for our customers. This means that policies can be subject to change.