Five Things to Know When Buying a Car Seat

Five Things to Know When Buying a Car Seat

Children are especially vulnerable to injury in crashes and because they are so much smaller and have different body shapes, they need more protection to keep them safe in the car. First up it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure any child travelling in their vehicle is correctly secured and the law which came into effect in 2013 means that this is now imperative until the child is seven years’ old.

The Rules and Approved Child Restraints

Secondly under the NZTA Car Safety Seat Regulations “As the driver, you must make sure that any child under seven years of age is properly restrained by an approved child restraint that is appropriate for the age and size of the child. They must not travel in the car if you can't put them in an approved child restraint. The vehicle's safety belt on its own is not an approved child restraint.”

Thirdly approved child restraints include:

  • Infant restraints for young babies (often called baby capsules)
  • Restraints for older babies, toddlers and preschool children (often called car seats)
  • Booster seats for preschool and school-aged children
  • Child safety harnesses (used with or without a booster seat) for preschool and school-aged children.”

The Right Seat for Your Baby’s Size, Fitted Correctly

The team at Babies.co.nz know the most important piece of baby gear any parent to be will ever buy is a car seat. If you haven’t bought one before then you need to know what is suitable for your child and the minimum safety standards. Fourth on the list is always look for the accreditation standard’ that reads:

  • Australian Standard (AS/NZS1754)
  • European Standard (ECE44)
  • United States Standards (FMVSS213)

Even if you buy a quality controlled approved car seat you also need to ensure that it is fifth and finally, fitted correctly. The experienced team at babies.co.nz are happy to help advice you on the best seat for your needs and the correct installation techniques. Staff at babies.co.nz know all about the wide range of car seats in stock and can help you make the right choice for your needs, budget and ultimately your baby.

The essential factors to consider are the weight and size of the child as that will dictate the ideal car seat design. Age isn’t always the best indicator of which model to buy so let the experts guide you through the three basic types of car seats you will need to choose from.

  • Infant Capsule car seats face the rear of the car and have a 13kg weight limit.
  • The Convertible/Combination (or infant-toddler) car seats function as both rear-facing infant seats and forward-facing seats. It is safest to leave your baby rear-facing as long as possible.
  • Booster Car Seats are designed for children who no longer fit in a convertible car seat and who are too small to correctly fit an adult seat belt.

The Right Equipment

Getting all the equipment and fitting it correctly is quite a task so to make buying all those new buggies, beds and seats simpler and check out the product information and prices on babies.co.nz website. Compare the prices and the options online before you purchase all from the comfort of your home. The team at babies.co.nz are only an email or a call away if you need expert advice and you save time and money by being a savvy shopper.

If you have experienced buying a car seat and want to share your tips and tricks with other parents then please post your comments below. We want to make preparing for your new baby as easy as possible and there is so much to learn, who better to hear from than those who have been there before.

Checklist:

  • The driver must make sure all children (seven and under) are secured correctly
  • The seat or restraints must be to approved NZTA standards
  • Approved child restraints include:
  • You need to ensure the seat or restraints are fitted correctly.

Babies.co.nz helping families get there safely

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Your Tommee Tippee Bottle Questions Answered

Choosing the right bottle for your baby takes more thought than most people expect. Below we've answered the questions Kiwi parents ask us most often about Tommee Tippee. If you need more help, our team at Babies.co.nz is always happy to assist — call us on 09 274 3099 or visit our Auckland showroom in East Tamaki.

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Both use the same wide, breast-shaped teat design — the difference is in how they handle air reduction. Closer to Nature has a built-in anti-colic valve in the teat that reduces air ingestion during feeds. Advanced Anti-Colic goes further, with a heat-sensing tube at the bottom of the bottle that actively vents air out of the milk before it reaches your baby. For most babies, Closer to Nature is plenty. For babies with more significant colic, wind, or reflux, Advanced Anti-Colic is the better choice.

Yes — the Closer to Nature range is one of the most recommended bottles for combination feeding. The wide, breast-shaped teat encourages the same broad latch breastfed babies use at the breast, reducing the risk of nipple confusion. Always start with a slow flow teat for a breastfed baby regardless of age, and introduce the bottle around three to four weeks once breastfeeding is well established.

For many parents, yes. The Natural Start glass bottle is made from premium borosilicate glass — odour-free, heat resistant, and very easy to sterilise. It's particularly practical in the newborn period when you're sterilising frequently and mostly feeding at home. The main trade-offs are weight and the risk of breakage. Many parents use glass at home and plastic when out and about.

Start with slow flow for all newborns — whether breastfed or formula fed. Move up to variable flow when your baby shows signs of frustration, takes too long to finish feeds, or falls asleep before finishing. Fast flow suits confident, efficient feeders from around six months. Always let your baby's cues guide the decision rather than age alone.

Yes — both ranges include anti-colic features. Closer to Nature has a built-in anti-colic valve that reduces air ingestion. Advanced Anti-Colic takes this further with an active venting system that removes air bubbles from the milk during the feed. For babies with significant colic, the Advanced Anti-Colic bottle is the stronger solution. For a more powerful anti-colic system, Dr Brown's bottles use a fully internal vent system that is clinically proven to reduce colic.

The Perfect Prep Machine makes a fresh, perfectly mixed, body-temperature formula bottle in under two minutes — safely. It delivers a shot of hot water (over 70°C) to kill bacteria in the formula powder, then tops the bottle up to the correct volume with filtered water at room temperature. The result is a safe, correctly mixed bottle at the ideal feeding temperature, every time. The Day and Night version adds a quiet pump and soft night light for night feeds. It requires replacement filters every three months — available at Babies.co.nz.

As a guide: 2–3 bottles for occasional bottle feeding of a breastfed baby; 4–6 for combination feeding; 6–8 for exclusive formula feeding. The Closer to Nature 260ml 3-pack is the most practical starting point as it gives you enough bottles for a full day without constant washing.

Yes — all Closer to Nature, Advanced Anti-Colic, and Natural Start glass bottles and teats are dishwasher safe on the top rack. Replace teats every two to three months or sooner if you notice any thinning, stickiness, or discolouration.

Shop the full Tommee Tippee range online at Babies.co.nz with nationwide delivery, or visit our Auckland showroom in East Tamaki. We stock bottles, teats, the Perfect Prep Machine, sterilisers, breast pumps, and the full Tommee Tippee range. Price Match available and 5% back in Rewards on every purchase.

Both are excellent, widely trusted brands. Tommee Tippee's Closer to Nature teat is slightly softer and more flexible, which some babies find easier to latch onto. Philips AVENT's Natural Response teat uses a unique J-shape that releases milk only when your baby actively drinks — a more precise mimicry of breastfeeding. AVENT also offers more granular teat flow options (six levels vs Tommee Tippee's three). If you're combination feeding and want the most breast-like bottle experience, AVENT Natural Response is worth comparing. If you want a trusted, simple bottle with strong anti-colic performance, Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature is hard to beat. Read our full Philips AVENT buying guide →

The key difference is anti-colic power. Dr Brown's internal vent system is clinically proven to reduce colic and is the stronger solution for babies with significant wind or reflux. Tommee Tippee's anti-colic valve (Closer to Nature) and heat-sensing tube (Advanced Anti-Colic) are effective for most babies but less comprehensive than Dr Brown's approach. On the other hand, Tommee Tippee is simpler to clean — fewer parts, no internal vent tube to wash — and the breast-shaped teat is widely regarded as one of the best for combination feeding. Read our full Dr Brown's buying guide →

Most paediatric guidance recommends transitioning from a bottle to a cup around 12 months. Tommee Tippee makes this easy with their integrated cup and sippy range. The transition from bottle to sippy cup is smoother when you stay within the same brand — the familiar Tommee Tippee feel and quality helps babies accept the change more readily.