The same principle applies to all car seats and means that your child cannot create extra space if there is no extra space to begin with. Some children have shown us that, with only a minimum of slack in the belt system, they can get a hand between the buckle and their stomach and then, by moving it towards their head, they can get an elbow under the belts – but this requires a very flexible shoulder. These children display a tremendous desire to free themselves from their car seat. Child safety in the car and freedom of movement are not compatible in principle. To transport a child not only safely but also comfortably, a slight amount of slack in the belt system is needed. If the belt is pulled extremely tightly and the child is sitting calmly in the car seat, experience has taught us that all car seats are the same when it comes to 'climbing out of the car seat'. We see a similar pattern in children ages 1-4 years in car seats of various types and from various manufacturers. The belt system is a closed system that keeps the child in the same position continuously - during normal car trips as well as during a sudden stop or accident. This system is closed by securing the child when tightening the belts. If this is done properly, the belts cannot be loosened during use (if this does happen, we ask that you contact our Customer Care team).

Uneven belts may be caused by the incorrect guiding of the harness system. Check at the back of the car seat that the belts are not twisted and that the pull belt (that runs forward at the bottom of the shell) is in the middle of the system. Also check that the belt can move easily to and fro through the shoulder openings. For smooth movement, the belt buckle should be flapped forward completely. This belt buckle operates by releasing the belt tensioner. If the problem continues after you have checked this, consult your retailer.

Babies have a large and heavy head compared to the rest of their body. In addition, their neck muscles are not yet fully developed. If the baby is transported in a forward-facing position, his or her head will be thrown forward in the event of a head-on collision. This can cause serious neck injury and may even be fatal. By placing the baby in a rear-facing position, the forces exerted during the crash will be distributed across the baby’s entire back.

The child's head has to be totally protected and should not exceed the headrest.

This is subject to a lot of misunderstanding. This is generally said and written out of concern for babies and, in a nutshell, boils down to the fact that a baby car seat should not be used excessively. Children should not lie in a fixed position for too long unnecessarily. They must be given the opportunity to develop their motor system and arm, back and neck muscles. As manufacturers of the first car seat for babies in Europe, we have of course been including this in our instructions for many years. So do not place a baby in his or her seat for the entire day for reasons of convenience, but give him or her the opportunity to develop. This also applies to front pack carriers and all other products in which a baby sits, hangs or lies in a stationary position. However, this will not be a problem at all if you need to make a relatively long car journey or holiday trip once in a while. Our advice is as follows: stop once every 2 hours. After all, the baby must also eat and be cleaned on a regular basis.

The harness straps should be placed at the level of the shoulders, not coming from above nor below. The headrest should be adjusted in consequence, keeping the harness at the level of the shoulders.

In rearward facing, Opal has a unique recline position. This natural recline has been designed to offer best protection to the child in case of collision. It is then important to have this fixed position. For extra comfort, a new-born cushion is included to offer an optimal recline. Nevertheless, all cars are different, and the car seat may be positioned too upright if the vehicle seat has a deep angle. You may adjust the vehicle seat recline if possible or fill the seat hole without changing the car seat belt routing.

The support pillow provides your baby added comfort right after birth. We recommand you to use it from birth to approximatly 5,5kg. Once you found your baby too tight in the car seat, and exceeds 5,5kg, you can then remove the support pillow, and use the regular seat.

Opal has been tested to be used rearward facing until 13kg. With this large seat, you can easily adjust in width and height, you can install comfortably your baby until approximatly 15m, and even more if he weights less than 13kg. Of course, Opal can be used from birth, but is also perfect car seat to use right after a safety carrycot or an infant carrier, when the baby is not fitting anymore in these baby seats, but still need to be installed rearward facing for a longer time. Looking at the car seat regulation, you can install the baby from 9kg in forward facing, but we recommand to keep your baby until 13kg in rearward facing. A informative measuring scale is placed closed to the headrest to help you to know when it could be time to switch from rearward to forward facing position.

To change the position of Opal, you should remove the belt installation, press the switching button located on the car seat base, and simultaneously rotate the seat. You should then reinstall the seat in forward facing. The switching button should be in front of the selected position (here forward facing position). We invite you to look at the Opal instruction manual for a more details.

According to the car seat regulation, you can use Opal in forward facing position (group 1) from 9kg (around 9 months), but we strongly recommand you to keep your child rearward facing until 13kg (approximatly 15/18 months) to better protect the baby's fragile head and neck in case of accidents. To help you to know when your can switch from rearward facing to forward facing, you can use the informative measuring scale integrated closed to the headrest.

Babies have a large and relatively heavy head compared to the rest of their body. In addition, their neck muscles are not yet fully developed. If the baby is travelling in a forward-facing position, his or her head will be thrown forward in the event of a head-on collision. This can cause serious neck injury and may even be fatal. By placing the baby in a rear-facing position, the forces exerted during the crash will be distributed across the baby’s entire back. It is therefore safer to travel rearward facing for babies until at least 13kg (approximately 15/18 months).

This measuring scale is an informative label to help you to know when it could be time to switch from rearward facing to forward facing. In a daily basis, it's not easy to know the exact weight of your growing baby, and you may want to install quickly your child in forward facing because it's easier to see you child, but you should not placed a baby before at least 9kg, and ideally 13kg in forward facing. The goal of this label is clearly to avoid babies to be installed too early in forward facing position. By adjusting the headrest, you will see if the seat has still to be installed rearward facing (blue color) or can be installed forward facing (red color). Of course, it's an indicator, but you should always check if your child weights at least 9kg (ideally 13kg) before installating the seat in forward facing position.