How can the unique characteristics of a car seat be objectively assessed? To choose your child’s car seat you often rely on the opinions and experiences of the people you know or on reviews you find online. There are, however, organizations that can help you make this delicate decision. Their accurate assessment tests, which include crash tests, stress car seats in various ways until a final decision is reached, which comes as real consumer advice.

The most important among these impartial bodies is the ICRT (International Consumer Report & Testing), which combines 37 organizations in 33 countries worldwide.  Among them, the ADAC (German automobile club), TCS (Swiss Touring Club) and ÖAMTC (the Austrian equivalent) every year select a group of car seats that they test. The results are then published by the main consumer associations (e.g. Stitungwarentest in Germany, Altroconsumo in Italy, Que Choisir in France, Which? in the UK).

Primo Viaggio i-Size is the best car seat in its category

According to the ADAC 2019 tests, the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio i-Size (Base included), is the best car seat in its category, i.e. from birth to 18 months. Our Primo Viaggio i-Size car seat scored excellent results in the 2019 tests carried out by Stiftung Warentest, ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS.

How testing assigns the final grade

Tests are carried out according to 4 categories: Safety, Handling, Ergonomics and Pollutants. The 5 assessment grades are:

• Excellent (0,5 - 1,5)
• Highly recommended (1,6 - 2,5)
• Recommended (2,6 - 3,5)
• Recommended with reserve (3,6 - 4,5)
• Not recommended (4,6 - 5,5)

Quality standards are very high; the final grade is the average of the results in the 4 categories, considering that the Safety category has the greatest influence on the result.

ADAC assigns Highly Recommended to Primo Viaggio i-Size

The Primo Viaggio i-Size (Base included) car seat was assigned an overall grade of ‘1.6’, the best in the 0-18 month category, so its overall ranking, according to ADAC 2019, is ‘highly recommended’. Here are the details of each of the assessed criteria:

• Safety: VERY GOOD (1.4)
• Handling: GOOD (1.8)
• Ergonomics: GOOD (1.9)
• Pollutants: GOOD (2.2)

What you need to know about Primo Viaggio i-Size

Primo Viaggio i-Size is a product whose excellence is widely acknowledged, the best candidate for being your child’s first car seat. Here is what makes this car seat so special:

• Suitable for babies from 40 to 83 cm in length, 13 kg (15 months), according to the new ECE R 129 i-Size standard.
• 1 EPS - 2 EPP improved protection from the absorption of impact energy
• Adjustable Side Impact Protection (ASIP).
• Tri-Stage Cushion: adapts as the baby grows, guaranteeing comfort and safety.
• Pagoda hood: large extensible UPF 50+ hood with mesh for ventilation.
• i-Size base included.
• 3-point harness, adjustable headrest with 5 positions.
• Automatic attachment system on Peg Perego chassis.
• i-Size base can be re-used with the Viaggio FF 105 car seat.

Primo Viaggio i-Size is comfortable and welcoming for your child, and it is easy for you to install it in the car. It enables the child to travel rear-facing for longer (from birth until 83 cm in length and up to 13 Kg - 15 months), which according to statistics is the safest position.

With Viaggio FF105, it is the winning combination

And after Primo Viaggio i-Size, which car seat should you choose? You already have the i-Size base and you can use it with the Viaggio FF105 car seat, which complies with the new ECE R 129 i-Size standard, from 71 to 105 cm - up to 20 Kg (from 1 to 4 years approximately).

Viaggio FF105 obtained good results in ADAC’s 2019 tests, with a final score of 2 (’Highly recommended’). What does Viaggio FF105 have to offer? Here are its main features:

• Only for use with the i-Size Base.
• Adjustable Side Impact Protection (ASIP).
• EPS for absorbing shock from impact.
• Infinite Recline: reclining back-rest that can be locked into a number of positions.
• Headrest: easy to lock into 6 positions.
• Chest clip: keeps the straps in the right position.
• 5-point harness with soft shoulder pads.
• Kinetic pods: maximum side impact protection.
• Ergonomic movement reducing cushion
• Harness retainer: makes seating the child easier.

Peg Perego is proud to design and manufacture excellent products dedicated to the well-being and safety of children.

Learn about all the products - Car Seats and Car Accessories

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There are no Isofix bandaids, but…

“It’s a bandaid, for athletes, colourful or patterned”. This is one of the answers you might get if you ask someone what Isofix is. In actual fact it is relevant, in a way, because ‘Fix’ suggests something that fixes, that attaches. And this is precisely what Isofix technology does, fix the car seat to the vehicle body. It’s not “an industrial glue”, another opinion you might come across, but you do have a guarantee that once the car seat has been put in place, it becomes one with the car and remains in a safe, stable position even in curves or when driving on a rough road.

It’s a car seat base! And that’s not all

“Isofix is the name of the approved car seat base, the most modern kind”. It’s true, car seat bases were the first to introduce this safe technology. Our Viaggio Isofix System is composed of: Isofix Base 0+ 1 K, the Primo Viaggio SL car seat and the Viaggio1 Duo-Fix K car seat.

All latest generation car seats feature Isofix attachments capable of fixing them to special rings under the rear seats of vehicles registered since 2005.

The stability of Isofix bases can be further increased using a third anchorage point (a Top Tether belt or a supporting foot, called Support leg). Isofix is the name of the anchorage system, not a car seat technology.

It’s better for the health than many medicines

There are pills, bracelets and even chewing gum to prevent car sickness, but Isofix is not one of these; it’s not a medication. And yet some people think the name sounds like a medicine. But no pill can keep your child as safe in the car as this anchorage system.

It’s not just a matter of modern technology; there are other essential features:

1. It reduces the risks involved in incorrect installation of the car seat, an error that can frequently be committed with non-Isofix car seats.
2. It provides a very solid permanent connection between the car seat and the car body.
3. Test results leave no doubt: Isofix car seats are much safer.

It’s a ‘safety certificate’

Isofix is not “a company quality certificate”. Known as LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) in the United States and UAS (Universal Anchorage System) or Canfix in Canada, it is an international standard that has nothing to do with product quality and everything to do with safety. Many new parents have no idea what it’s all about and don’t fully understand the importance of having not only an Isofix car seat, but a vehicle set up for this anchorage system.

There are still a lot of old cars around and if you have a child in a car seat, it’s important to consider your child’s safety when you choose your car.

Don’t know what car seat to choose? Discover products made by Per Perego to keep your child safe in the car.

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Because driving in winter is a whole new ball game

As the weather changes and becomes colder, you should be aware that some of your car features - and even your driving style - should change. First of all, visibility is reduced. Mornings and evenings are darker, and in bad weather (rain, snow, fog, frost) driving safely can be more complicated. These are also times with higher traffic; times when you need to get behind the wheel to take your children to and from school, the nursery or their grandparents', not to mention getting to and from work.

Therefore, the first thing to do is drive more cautiously and reduce your average speed, with or without children on board. Next, you should use winter tyres, that is, tyres with a tread pattern suitable for wet or frozen roads. Alternatively, it is worth having snow chains on board. Your trusted mechanic will be able to suggest other frost protection measures, such as adding anti-freeze. In the boot, always keep some special accessories handy, such as a windscreen de-icer, gloves and boots.

How to travel with small children when it's cold outside

Ok, so you have read the previous section, and you now meet the basic conditions of safety for driving in winter. But what about the kids? While driving carefully and having the car properly equipped clearly increases their safety, there are a number of other issues that relate to them more closely. Before going out into the cold, you will dress your children up nice and warm. You have the lot: the winter clothes, the snowsuits, the gloves and woollen hats... After you've dressed them up to look like the Michelin man, it is time to place them on the car seat and buckle up. And of course, using the car seat has become a habit of yours, as well as a legal obligation...right?!?

Fastening the harness straps may not be as easy as you think. Or rather, you mightn't have too much trouble doing them up, but your child might not actually be buckled up safely. This is because puffy jackets can affect the safety of car seats, even going so far as making them dangerous. You'll have no trouble finding online videos of crash tests revealing the negative effect of winter jackets in the event of collision: they tend to make the child slip, and sometimes be thrown off the seat notwithstanding the buckled straps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIduv5liC_w

Source: The Car Seat Lady

Therefore, check there is no slack in the harness straps or, better still, do not place your child in the car seat wearing a puffy jacket. Cover him up some other way, say with a Car seat cover or a warm blanket, or turn up the heat in the car. The same goes for adults: do not drive with excessively bulky jackets, as you run the very same danger.

Another thing to remember, although not so important from a safety perspective, is that your child might feel uncomfortable or unwell if excessively covered up.

Travelling by car with children: the winter survival kit

Here is a list of accessories that will help you protect your child from the cold, in and out of the car, without sacrificing on comfort:

• If you are still unsure how best to take your baby on his first drive, in addition to the Primo Viaggio SL or Primo Viaggio i-Size car seat, you may want to think of using the brand new and elegant Navetta Elite and Navetta XL,  both approved for use in the car (only with the car kit, sold separately).

• Choose wellbeing and hygiene on the go with the Clima Cover Car Seat in Tencel, a soft, natural, heat-regulating fibre that maintains the ideal temperature for your baby, adjusting the humidity level in all seasons.

• When it rains, no need to worry... you can make your Primo Viaggio SL or Primo Viaggio i-Size car seat waterproof with the special Peg Perego Rain Cover. It fastens with ease and, when the sun reappears, you can fold it up and store in compactly in the bag provided.

• Long trips? What you need are practical accessories to increase your child's comfort. It can be very helpful to use the Cup Holder Car Seat: just hook it to the compatible Peg Perego car seats and use it to hold a drink, a baby bottle or a bottle of water. To pack away the car seat, you can use the handy Car Seat Travel Bag.

With this short guide, you are sure to find the right accessory or product for you. If instead you still need to get everything and baby is fast on its way, then you could consider a modular system that includes both the bassinet and the car seat, the two most essential tools you will need in those early days to travel by car with you brand new baby.

#MoreThanAJourney

Travelling means experiencing the pleasure of looking forward to a new experience, whether it’s watching a film at the cinema, going on a voyage or an important change in life like bringing a new baby home from the hospital.

And travelling is the enjoyment of returning home with plenty of new experiences to talk about, aware that no words can fully express what you have experienced.

We’ve always loved travelling.

Travel is what first took you to see what was outside the door of your home when you were a child, and then to see what’s outside the window of your car; as a teenager, it took you to discover distant lands and find your own place in the world; and now, as a parent, it allows you to take your own children along the same path, protecting and guiding them.

You know it’s not easy to travel with children. Going places with young children forces you to address a number of practical and organisational difficulties. It can become a true psychological barrier that you need to go beyond if you are to enjoy all the experiences of life.

To explore the world with your children in perfect serenity, you need the right equipment: safe, practical, comfortable solutions. Peg Perego has been with you ever since you were small and wanted to spend as much time as possible playing. And we continue our experience together with a complete line of travel systems designed to guarantee safety and comfort.

Good reasons: 9 new generation car seats.

Ready to travel with you as an indispensable aid to your trip! Here they are:

Car seats for all ages and categories, from birth to the age of twelve.

The first nest for baby to travel in:

• Navetta XL and Navetta Elite: supplied with a Car Kit with three point belts with shoulder pads (sold separately).

The first true car seat, facing the opposite direction to the direction of travel:

• Primo Viaggio SL: safe connection with a Belted Base and an Isofix Base 0+ 1 K (both sold separately).

Facing the road, now that the child is big enough to look out the window:

• Viaggio 0+1 Switchable: held in place with safety belts in either the direction of travel or the opposite direction.
• Viaggio1 Duo-Fix K: can be held in place with the safety belt or with the Isofix Base 0+ 1 K (sold separately).
• Viaggio1 Duo-Fix K TT: with built-in Isofix attachments and a Top Tether anchorage belt.

Long-lasting multi-group seats:

• Viaggio 1⋅2⋅3 Via: dual certification for use from one to twelve years, with built-in Isofix connectors and a Top Tether anchorage belt.
• Viaggio 2-3 Flex: maximum stability with a built-in Surefix base, it can be folded up and carried away like a suitcase.
• Viaggio 2-3 Surefix: two anchorage methods, with belts and with Surefix hooks.
• Viaggio 2-3 Shuttle: two anchorage methods, with belts and with Isofix hooks.

Thus equipped, you can travel safely with your children as a responsible parent and driver, not just a passenger.

#MoreThanAJourney, #ViaggiareèPegPerego,  because we’ve always loved travelling with children!