We haven’t yet seen any issues with car seat accessories causing problems at claim stage and therefore cannot envisage a scenario where a claim would not be covered.' Our car seat experts were concerned that installing a RiveMove may change the load distribution between the Isofix points, meaning they may no longer withstand a crash. As a result, the harness straps will be looser than they should be, which could expose your child to higher forces in a crash. If you are worried about your child being cold in the car, dress them in several thin layers. Some assistive technology needs to meet Australian or other standards. Standards may relate to materials, manufacturing and installation. Products that meet Australian or international standards will have written certification. To find out if a product meets Australian Standards ask the supplier to show you the certificate. For more information about standards also see However, they confirmed that this is not too much of an issue if your child is strapped into their car seat using the car’s adult seatbelt, as that will absorb most of the impact. But it does mean that you shouldn’t use this device if your car seat is only installed via the Isofix points and your child is strapped in using a harness.

Ways to keep your family living costs down, and kids of all ages happy Get our Family newsletter – it's free monthly We cover car seats under ‘Spare parts and Accessories’ for damage. While the accessories would not necessarily invalidate cover, we would always urge drivers to act responsibly and to put safety first. Also, in an accident, there's a real danger that the forces of a crash would cause the mirror to come loose and hit someone. If you want sunshades, try to choose ones made by car seat manufacturers, as they should have had some level of crash testing. It’s unlikely we would reject a claim based on car-seat accessories alone. That said, we would encourage parents to ensure their car seats are fitted properly to reduce the risk of injury.' NFU MutualSome manufacturers make cup-holders that clip on to the side of the seat, and some seats have cup-holders built in.

In some cases the use of accessories could be a source of contributory negligence if for instance, the driver becomes distracted and causes a collision, or if loose pieces obstruct the use of controls. Any resulting police penalty could have an impact on premium or the driver’s ability to renew.' Saga The use of child car seat accessories wouldn’t affect child seat cover, or invalidate the vehicle insurance in the event of a claim. However, the cost of the accessory itself wouldn’t be covered as it doesn’t form part of the original car seat.' LV An article on Motherlyrecounts the story of a mother who used third-party harness covers on her child’s car seat. The mother and her 2-month old baby were involved in a car accident and the material that was used to make the harness covers slid across the baby’s clothes, causing her to fly out of her car seat on impact. The baby, thankfully, is alive and well, and the mother now warns people about the dangers of buying accessories from third-party companies. It's useful to have a secure place for a child’s drink to go so that he or she can reach it, to save you pulling over or engaging in dangerous driving while trying to retrieve the bottle. We would advise using one recommended by the manufacturer.

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Our car seat testing experts were concerned that this could potentially increase dangerous amounts of pressure on the soft area of your child’s abdomen in the event of a crash. This is a device that’s mounted to the in-car Isofix anchor points to help you position your car seat so it’s closer to the car window, and it will allow more room in the central seat if needed. The manufacturer recommends only using it with group II/III car seats. Explain to your little one why it's important to wear a harness and how it keeps them safe. You can even make a 'doing up the harness or belt into a song' to try and make it as fun as possible. This is for the same reason that you shouldn’t dress your child in bulky winter coats. Although you may feel that you’ve done the harness up tightly, the soft padding of a coat will compress in an accident.

We also asked different insurance companies whether using car seat accessories might affect your chances of putting through a claim for a damaged car seat in the event of a crash. This is what some of them said. M&S BankThey’re designed to solve a range of different issues you might encounter while your child is sat in his or her car seat including: This product was approved to R44 regulations. However, when we carried out our own crash testing with it, we discovered that the product doesn't keep the shoulder part of the vehicle seatbelt low enough in a frontal collision. The horizontal belt also pulls up during a crash, meaning the seatbelt will pull across your child's delicate abdomen and potentially cause dangerous internal injuries. We believe that using the Smart Kid Belt would be no safer than transporting your child using just the vehicle seatbelts, something that is prohibited for children who are less than 1.35 metres.

Of course, a cup in the car could fly free in an accident and a cup-holder may not prevent this, so bear this in mind. If you’re interested in purchasing car seat strap covers for your child’s car seat, the safest way to do that is to buy them directly from the car seat manufacturer. Their products are heavily regulated, and nine times out of ten, the accessory you’re interested in would have been tested with every car seat that your manufacturer offers. So, you’ll be able to rest assured knowing that their accessories have been deemed safe to use according to the US and NHTSAsafety standards.

However, we'd strongly advise you to be careful what you go for. Car seats are crash-tested in the way they are designed to be used, and adding accessories such as chest clips or seat covers that aren't approved by the manufacturer could compromise the seat's safety and/or void the warranty. These mirrors are popular, but many safety experts feel they are a distraction, and we wouldn't recommend using them. Make sure any you choose are securely attached, especially as the suction pads could fall off or be pulled off by small children and become a choking hazard.