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This is tricky as the laws differ from country to country. Our recommendation is to get in touch with the local automobile club to confirm what laws apply. For example, taxi drivers in Austria are exempt from the child safety obligation, but some companies still offer a child seat as a child-friendly service upon customer request. Check with the taxi company before your journey. In any case, we strongly advise you to use the correct car seat for your child at all times.
In the European Union, children must use a car seat that is approved to UN Regulation No. 44 (R44) or No. 129 (R129). No other car seats are legal to use, even if they have other approvals.
The European car seat regulations also mandate the usage of a car seat in a rear-facing position. As required by law, your baby must travel rear-facing until a minimum age of 15 months. Here is why travelling rear-facing is so important.
Are you interested in learning more about European Car Seat Laws? Check the following information on our blog .
In some countries, you can be penalized for not using the right one or, even worse, no restraint at all. The penalties differ from country to country, but this is only a small price to pay compared to the fatal implications of what could happen in an accident. Do not be tempted to transport a child without restraints e.g. because it is only a short journey. Studies have shown that most car accidents happen on those short journeys e.g. to school, work etc.
We are happy to help if you need any advice on how to deliver the message: hello@swandoo.com. Work with us on making the world a safer place for all children. We can’t do it without you!
Yes. The European car seat regulations also mandate the usage of a car seat in a rear-facing position.
As required by law, your baby must travel rear-facing until a minimum age of 15 months. Here is why travelling rear-facing is so important.
R129 regulation allows children to go forward-facing from 15 months onwards – we recommend keeping the baby rear-facing up to 4 years.
Want to know more? We’ve written a short blog on European car seat laws to guide you.
We advise against using a second-hand car seat. Unless you are certain you know its history. The seat could have been involved in an accident but the damage is not always visible to the naked eye.
If you have to use a second-hand car seat, make sure that it is from a family member or friend that you trust. Ask them for the original instructions manual. Also, check that it conforms with the current safety standards (R44-03/04 or R129) and inspect it thoroughly for any damage. Some retailers offer a health check. The same rules apply as with the purchase of a new car seat – make sure it is the right car seat for your child and that it is suitable for your car(s). Play it safe and book a proper car seat fitting with a specialist retailer.
Purchasing the right car seat for your child can be confusing and overwhelming. We would always suggest that you speak to your specialist retailer first to get sound professional advice.
We have put together some top tips for choosing a car seat:
✔️ Know your child’s weight and height measurements. Some car seats have weight limits and/or height limits.
✔️ Do not rush your child into the next stage car seat. A car seat that is too big can be just as ineffective in an accident as a seat that is too small.
✔️ For optimum safety, it is important to keep your child in the lowest group car seat for as long as possible.
✔️ According to experts, weight measurements are not always the most reliable indicator of when to move a child into the next stage car seat.
✔️ Check for car compatibility before you make a purchase. We would always suggest using a car fitting service through your specialist retailer to guarantee a safe fit.
✔️ Also consider compatibility with other cars that your child might be traveling in e.g. your partner, childminder, or grandparents.
Want to know more? Here are 9 tips for choosing a car seat.
Install your car seat in the rear of your car. Preferably behind the passenger seat. If you are traveling with multiple children, it is recommended that the youngest child is behind the driver or passenger seat as they are most vulnerable to accident impact.
Studies have shown that children traveling in the front side of the car are at much greater risk of injury. If you have to install your car seat in the front passenger seat, make sure you use the correct car seat for your child. Do not place rear facing car seats on front seats with activated airbags.
Make sure that you familiarise yourself with your car seat and how to loosen and tighten the harness straps before the first use. The general rule is for the harness to be as close to your child’s body as possible. Always do the pinch test to avoid slack.
Try pinching the harness with your thumb and index finger 🤏.
❌: Can you grasp some webbing? The harness is too loose. Please adjust and try again.
✔️: Are your fingers sliding without grasping any webbing? You are good to go! Notice: Avoid padded clothing as this can create slack and increase the level of forwarding movement of your child’s head in the event of a collision.
Every year, twice a year, in May and October, the leading independent organizations, ADAC (“Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club eV”, the largest automobile federation clubs of Germany and Europe), TCS (Touring Club Switzerland), and ÖAMTC publish their crash test results on a selection of new car seats sold in the European market.
The ADAC test is a composite test meaning that the test consists of more than one criteria. The main categories are Safety (50%), Operations (40%) and Ergonomics (10%). Read more about this independent crash testing on our blog.
All of our Swandoo products are tested according to the same test criteria and in the same test laboratory as the ADAC test – even before going into the market.
Our warranty covers all manufacturing and material defects (except soft parts), existing at the date of purchase or appearing within a set time from the purchase date.
UPGRADE TO A LIFETIME WARRANTY: You can extend your product warranty to a lifetime warranty for free simply by registering your product online within three months from the date of purchase. To do so, peel off the warranty sticker you find on your product and scan the QR-Code. You can also visit swandoo.com/register-product/
In the unlikely event that your car seat is involved in an accident, we offer a quick replacement service. If your car seat has been involved in a car accident, it is essential to have it examined because it may have suffered damage that is not visible to the naked eye which may jeopardize the safety performance.
Please refer to the following instructions to apply for a product replacement.
1. Give it a good clean and wash the fabric covers, but not the harness straps. Make sure you hoover up all the crumbs, and the buckle is free of any food or spills.
2. Once you have replaced all the covers and dry, wrap your seat in a blanket and cover it with either a plastic sheet or bubble wrap. Store it in a dark, dry, and cool place e.g., wardrobe or cupboard. Anywhere where it will not be exposed to significant differences in temperature.
The newborn pillow provides a superior lying position for when babies need it the most, especially during the early months, and must be used until your child has reached 60cm or 6kg.
Albert is an iSize Universal Isofix Class D certified product. It should fit on any seat in the vehicle if it has a 3 point seat belt. If you are planning to use Albert with the i-Size Base, please check our car-compatibility list.
Both Albert and Albert Lite include universal stroller adapters in the packaging. They have been developed and tested to fit in a wide range of strollers that can be found in the following list: swandoo.com/support/stroller-compatibility-list/
When in doubt, we would recommend using your nearest retailer to see how to install Albert correctly and how Albert would fit with your desired strollers. We are continuously reviewing, and updating our official compatibility list. should your model not be included in the list, please get in touch with us: hello@swandoo.com
Your Swandoo retailer is most likely to carry a stock of adapters. If not found at your closest retailer, please contact us directly and we will do our best to help! hello@swandoo.com
Albert is a double test winner and was the best product of the year in the product category both with and without the i-Size base! The ADAC test score speaks for itself: Albert received an overall score of 1,5 just for safety when considering factors such as the shallow risk of injury in a frontal crash, low risk of injury in a side crash, right seat belt path, ease of installation, and the stability in the vehicle. www.adac.de/swandoo-albert/
The i-Size base for Albert offers an effortless, fast, and fail-proof installation of the car seat.
All of our car seat fabrics are machine washable at 30°. Please refer to the user manual or the washing tag for the correct care instructions. We do not recommend drying any fabric items in a tumble dryer as this could cause the fabric to shrink.
We use pleasant and high-quality fabrics that are suitable for washing machine cleaning. The outer material is 84% polyester and 16% spandex. For the padding, we use 100% polyurethane.
We advise our parents to dress their child in thin yet warm clothing for the winter days. If your baby uses a thick jacket or coat, you may leave the harness too loose and incorrectly fast the harness. To keep your baby warm and protected, we recommend covering him or her with a blanket on top. Please do so only AFTER fastening the harness correctly.
All of our car seat fabrics are machine washable at 30°. Please refer to the user manual or the washing tag for the correct care instructions. We do not recommend drying any fabric items in a tumble dryer as this could cause the fabric to shrink.
HOW TO REMOVE THE FABRICS FOR WASHING
1. If in use, remove the newborn pillow and open the back pocket to remove the padding.
2. Remove the crotch strap from the fabric and the four harness covers by simply opening them.
3. Now the best part…Loosen the whole cover by simply lifting it from the edges. Pay attention to the side impact buddy socket and the recline trigger. Remove the covers by simply pulling it up. Ta-daaaaa! Simple, right?
HOW TO REPOSITION THE FABRICS
Find the fabric installation tool under the left side behind the headrest. Tuck the fabric edge into the right position. Put the covers back the same way they were. You can follow the previous steps in reverse order to make sure everything is in place.
WASHING INSTRUCTIONS
Hand-wash recommended (max. 30°C). Use mild detergents. Do not iron, dry clean, bleach, or tumble dry. Keep away from pets and direct heat. Do not use bleach, abrasive, upholstery, or aggressive cleaning agents. Clean the plastic parts and the integrated harness system with mild detergent and warm water. Do not use lubricants. The fabric covers are a safety feature, and the child seat should never be used without them.
Your Swandoo retailer is most likely to carry a stock of fabric covers. If this is not the case, please contact us! We’re here to help: hello@swandoo.com
Marie’s headrest can be adjusted into 11 positions to fit the needs of your growing child. To adjust the headrest position while your baby is in the child seat:
1. Pull the headrest strap adjuster.
2. Move the headrest, then slide it upward or downward. Adjust the headrest until the Eye Level Indicator matches the eye level of your baby. Pay attention to the harness position when adjusting the headrest.
Notice: Marie’s headrest contains magnets that can influence electronic apparatus such as pacemakers.
Keep an eye on the “Eye Level Indicator” (pun intended). Adjust the headrest until the Eye Level Indicator matches the eye level of your baby. This simple visual guide will help you position the headrest for the highest level of safety and comfort.
Marie offers four recline positions for rear-facing and 4 for forward-facing. Follow these instructions to adjust your car seat to your preferred recline position:
1. Press the recline trigger to adjust to the desired position.
2. Wait for the “click” that confirms the correct placement of the child seat.
3. Always check and be sure that the seat is correctly adjusted before start driving.
Warning: Newborns and infants (up to around 1 year of age) who cannot sit by themselves should always travel rearward-facing in the flattest recline position. Do not adjust the seat position while driving.
Marie has a unique 360° rotation, enabling you to comfortably face your child when placing it into or removing it from the seat. Follow these instructions to rotate your car seat:
1. Slide the top safety lock and then push the rotation button.
2. Rotate Marie to your preferred position.
3. After the child is in the car seat and the harness secured, rotate the seat back in place until you hear a „click“.
4. Check that the seat is locked correctly and that the safety indicator is green.
Follow these instructions to install Marie in your car correctly.
1. If needed, place the two ISOFIX guides on both ISOFIX anchor points between the seat and the seatback. Fold-out the support leg.
2. Extend the ISOFIX connectors by pulling the ISOFIX connector, sliding it to the end.
3. Insert both connectors into the ISOFIX anchor points until you hear a “Click”.
4. Check that the ISOFIX safety indicators have turned green on both sides.
5. Place both hands on the child seat and push it against the vehicle firmly. Note: Avoid the use of excessive force when installing Marie in your car. Extreme pressure could create internal damages invisible to the naked eye.
6. Push the support leg’s adjustment button and slide the leg downwards until it reaches the floor of the vehicle. Push the leg firmly on the ground until the indicators turn green. Warning: Do not use this child seat with the vehicle seat belt.
To make things easy, start by turning the seat into the boarding position.
1. Press the red button of the buckle to open it.
2. Press the button at the harness adjuster and pull the harness from both sides to make enough room for the child.
3. Stick the shoulder pads to the magnetic latch on the bottom side surfaces of the headrest.
4. If your baby is below 60 cm height (6 kg) insert the included newborn pillow.
5. Place your little darling in the seat.
6. Overlap the two top buckle parts and insert them until you hear a “click”.
7. Important! Pull the harness adjuster strap to secure the child tightly.
The seat must also rotate under the weight of a large child and may feel a bit wobbly without a child in it. This does not lower Marie’s safety performance and poses no danger to your child. The seat needs the wobble to allow the seat to rotate freely in any situation, but does not affect the structure or stability of the seat.
Charlie is certified under the R129 i-Size regulation. The booster seat can be used for children up to 150 cm in height and up to 55 kg in weight. Find out more details about European car seat laws on our blog.
Charlie can only be installed forward-facing. However, it’s possible to use the booster seat on vehicle seats that can be turned into a rear-facing position, eg. in buses or SUVs.
If you are looking for a rear-facing child seat for smaller children, we recommend you have a look at our rotating car seat, Marie.
Yes! Charlie will be available in all Swandoo colours. However, due to current worldwide supply issues, we are unable to precisely predict when the rest of the colour range will be launched.
Charlie has not yet been tested by the European consumer testing institutes. Every new product has to be first launched into the market before it will be picked for testing.
If you would like to find out more how the independent testing works, please have a look here.
Up to 135 cm, Charlie measures 43 cm in width. Beyond the 135 cm mark, the side wings expand automatically to 51 cm in width, allowing for increased internal space and comfort.
The magic starts with our talented design and product development team based in Vienna, Austria. Leading to our family owned manufacturing plant based in Suzhou (near Shanghai) China.
We manufacture all plastic parts and assemble the entire seat in-house. This is how we ensure that all our products meet the highest possible standards. We have also recently opened our global sales office in Munich, Germany where our team is on the task of making our products available for all families around the world. If our products are not available in your country, be assured that we are working on it. 😉
We drew inspiration from Swans, who are monogamous, very elegant and caring animals. Swans also happen to be excellent parents to their cygnets (baby swans), who travel on the back of their parents, protected by their raised wings – in the same way as parents use car seats to protect their little ones.
For now, we are focussing on our range of car seats but we plan to become a family products brand with a range of products so stay tuned: www.swandoo.com
In line with everything we do, we also pay a lot of attention to the shops that we work with to ensure that you get the best experience with our products from start to finish.
To find your nearest retailer go to our website: swandoo.com/wheretofindus/ where you will find our latest list of specialist retailers and selected online shops that sell our products. If you cannot find a shop near you please send us your details and we will make sure to keep you updated: hello@swandoo.com
We welcome proposals from like-minded people, who are excited about our brand and products. Send us your details if you want to help promote our exciting new brand. Our marketing team will be in touch: hello@swandoo.com
Is your question not listed above? Contact us!
