Car Seat Safety

Transporting your precious cargo from A to B can feel daunting at first. With so much choice out there, how do you know which car seat to choose, and how can your trust it's up to the job?

Here at Ickle Bubba, we offer a range of car seats which comply with all relevant British and European safety standards. For more information on these and any concerns you may have around specific testing measures, we've pulled together a list of FAQs to help assure you of our product quality and safety.

Shop the range

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I be sure that your car seats are safe?

All of our car seats comply with the most up-to-date UK and EU safety and testing standards - ECE R129 or ECE R44. In addition, we have IOSH-accredited car seat experts within our product, sales and customer care teams who are trained on child seat safety. 

How do I know my Car Seat is fitted correctly?

You should always follow your car seat product user guide to ensure correct installation of your car seat. When it comes to ensuring your child fits comfortably in their car seat, every child is different and therefore while we design products to ensure they grow with your baby, sometimes a car seat just isn't the perfect fit for your child. For more advice on how to install an ISOFIX car seat visit our bloghereor for any other product advice, make sure to email uscontact@icklebubba.com

Why aren't your Car Seats tested to Swedish Plus testing?

This type of testing isn't relevant to our car seat products. This can only be carried out on Rearward facing only car seats that are for 105cm or 125cm.

Are your car seats ADAC approved?

ADAC is an auto insurance company (founded in Germany) that rigorously tests car seats, surpassing standard EU regulations. They conduct two rounds of testing each year - Spring and Autumn. They independently choose which car seats to test therefore Ickle Bubba have no influence over this. 

How do you ensure any issues concerning Car Seat quality are dealt with?

In the rare event that we receive a quality concern from customers, our customer care team work closely with our product team to ensure any complaints are dealt with and resolved promptly. We handle anything that may need escalation alongside our Primary Authority Partnership which provide us with assured advise on product quality and safety. 

Does my Car Seat have an expiration date?

There is no clearly defined expiration period for a child’s car seat within R44 or R129.

It is usually recommended to replace a car seat after 5 to 10 years from its production date (not purchase date). This is because materials like plastic and metal can degrade over time. The durability of a child car seat depends on many environmental factors, including prolonged exposure to strong UV rays in a car which can accelerate aging of plastic parts reducing its safe useable period.

All products have a printed production label like below that shows the month and year it was produced:

R44 R129 (i-Size)
Suitability measure by child's weight (kg) Suitability measure by child's height (cm)
Child can be forward facing from 9kg (approx. 9 months) Child must be rearward facing until 15 months old or 76cm tall
Front and rear impact testing and protection Front, rear and side impact testing and protection
Crash test dummies have 4 sensors Crash test dummies have 32 sensors
No product width restriction Product width restricted to increase the chance of being able to fit three seats across the back seat of the car
Products are categorised by groups (e.g. Group 0+, 1, 2, 3) Products are only categorised by use suitability (e.g. 40-87cm, 100-150cm)
Blue belt guides for rear facing seats, red belt guides for forward facing seats Green belt guides for all seats

What is the difference between R44 and R129 car seats?

Both are approved regulations (the "R" stands for regulation) that car seats can be sold under in the UK. R129 is also known as "i-Size" and is the newest regulation that includes side-impact testing, improved head and neck protection, and extended rearward facing. R44 is an older regulation, but still requires products to go through rigorous testing and safety standards. R44 is being phased out in the EU, but not in the UK. We offer car seats following both regulations to give our customers a wide range to choose from, for all budgets.

Shop the range

If you have any other questions that have not been answered here, we have a friendly team of product experts, including IOSH-accredited car seat experts, ready to help you. Contact us at contact@icklebubba.com