The Ultimate Guide to Infant Car Seats: Advice for Parents

The Ultimate Guide to Infant Car Seats: Advice for Parents

Ensuring Safety and Comfort for Your Little One

Bringing your newborn home for the first time is a moment to cherish. Ensuring their safety on the road starts with choosing the right car seat. Here’s how to pick the best one for your baby Infant car seats are designed to protect your baby from birth until they reach a certain size. This guide gives you all the essential information you need to make a smart choice for your child's safety and comfort.

What is an infant capsule?

An infant capsule (also known as a baby capsule or infant car seat) is a specialized car seat designed for newborns and infants to provide safe and secure transportation in a vehicle. Infant capsules are a crucial piece of baby gear for parents who travel by car, as they are built specifically to cater to the unique safety and comfort needs of young babies.

A baby capsule is a type of rearward-facing car seat (faces the rear of the car, so your baby’s looking out the back of the window). Rear-Facing is the safest way for an infant to travel in a car. In Rear-Facing position, the infant’s head, neck and spine are better protected in the event of an accident. The infant capsule design ensures that the baby is reclined, providing proper support for their delicate body.

Infant capsules are made up of two parts: a base that stays permanently fixed in your vehicle and a detachable carrier with a built-in harness, which securely clicks in and out of the base for ease of use.

Some capsules can be used without the base, but for safety, stability, and ease of use, it is recommended to use a base. Depending on the model, baby capsules can accommodate babies until they are:

  • Age based, birth up to 12 months, or
  • Until they exceed a certain weight limit, typically 9-13Kgs of weight, or
  • 81cm in height.

Please note that this may vary depending on your capsule and the safety standards the product complies with. Always refer to the manufacturer manual.

What to look for when buying a baby capsule

What the Law requires: Under New Zealand law, all children under the age of 7 years (or 148cm tall) must use an approved car seat that’s appropriate for their age and size. 

Ease of Installation: Proper installation is crucial for safety. Infant Capsules usually come with a base that stays permanently installed in the car. The base can be secured using the car’s seat belt or lap belt or ISOFIX system. Look for features like ISOFIX systems, bubble indicators, and level lines that help ensure the seat is installed correctly.

Comfort and Convenience: Choose a car seat with good padding and an adjustable harness to keep your baby comfortable as they grow. Features like machine-washable covers, removable inserts, no rethread harness and canopy shades add convenience.

Portability: Infant capsules have one main advantage over car seats, that is their portability. They are lightweight and can be easily removed from the car and carried as a baby carrier. Many of the models available at babies.co.nz are compatible with stroller travel system. Look for lightweight designs with ergonomic handles.

Safety Standards: Infant capsules are subjected to rigorous safety tests and should meet safety standards such as ECE R44/04 or i-Size (R129) from Europe, AS/NZS1754 for Australia/New Zealand standards and FMVSS 213 with an S Sticker from the United States. All three standards are accepted in New Zealand and sold at babies.co.nz

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Baby Capsule

Incorrect Installation: Improper installation can compromise safety. Use installation features like ISOFIX and ensure the car seat is at the correct angle to prevent your baby’s head from falling forward.

Loose Harness Straps: Harness straps should be tight enough to secure your baby but not too tight to cause discomfort. Ensure the chest clip (available in US-Seats only) is positioned correctly.

Using Expired Car Seats: Car seats have expiration dates due to material wear and tear. Always check the expiration date and avoid using seats past this limit.

Purchasing Second-Hand Car Seats: Used car seats can be risky due to possible previous accidents, missing parts, or recalls. If you must use a second-hand seat, make sure you know its history and that all parts are intact.

Maintenance and Care

Regular Inspections: Check the car seat regularly for wear and tear, especially the harness and buckles. Replace any worn parts as needed.

Cleaning: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning. Most car seats have removable, machine-washable covers. Avoid harsh chemicals that could damage the seat.

Storage: Store the car seat in a cool, dry place when not in use. Keep it out of direct sunlight to prevent the plastic and fabric from weakening.

Your baby's safety is worth every effort. Take the time to choose the right car seat and ensure it’s correctly installed. Visit Babies.co.nz to explore our range and find the perfect option for your family.

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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.