What should you, as a parent or carer, expect from a professional child restraint fitter?

Your appointment with a professional child restraint fitter will be interactive, so be prepared to learn! It is important that when your appointment is over, you are confident that your child’s restraint is installed correctly and that you are comfortable using it correctly.

To ensure that you have the best experience, we have put some tips together below:

• If you (or your partner) are expecting, schedule an appointment approximately 1 month prior to your due date. During busy times, child restraint fitting stations will require appointments to be booked in advance and sometimes the little ones decide to arrive early, so it is always best to be prepared!
• If your child has already been born, bring them with you as this will allow the fitter to adjust (and show you how to adjust) your restraint to fit your child correctly. If possible, have another adult with you who can look after your child for some of the time while you are learning.
• Bring your child restraint instruction manual along with you as well as your vehicle owners manual. Your vehicle owners manual will include important information like the location of the anchor points in your car.
• If you are unsure about anything, don’t be afraid to ask questions or to ask the fitter to go through something in more detail!
• Be prepared to learn! Child restraint fitters are there to help you understand how you can create a safer travel environment everyday.

After your appointment you should be able to answer ‘yes’ to the following questions:

• Do you feel confident about using your child restraint correctly?
• Were all of your questions answered?
• Were you given direction as to who you should contact or where you should go for further information or if you have any future questions?