SAFETY laws around children’s car seats are changing next month.

As of March 1, new European-wide rules will change how backless booster seats (booster cushions) are made.

Currently youngsters must use a child car seat until they are 12-years-old or 135cm (4ft 4inches) tall, whichever comes first, and afterwards change to wearing a seatbelt.

Once a baby reaches 15-months, parents can swap from a rear-facing car seat to a larger rear-facing seat, or a forward-facing one.

The rule of thumb has been to wait until they can lift their head up for at least half an hour at a time.

But under current laws, children as young as three-and-a-half-years-old can be put into a backless booster seat, which child safety experts have warned is risky and does not offer enough protection in a crash.

The upcoming rules mean manufacturers will be banned from producing new models of backless booster seats for children shorter than 125cm (4ft 1inch) or who weigh less than 22kg (3st 5lbs).

This is roughly the height and weight of a seven-year-old.

The Department for Transport’s new guidelines will not affect existing models of seats or cushions – but the change means products will be better suited to younger children.

Parents have been assured they do not need to change any existing seat but should familiarise themselves on the regulations.

So what does the law say?

• You can choose a child car seat based on either your child’s height or weight.

• Only EU-approved car seats can be used in the UK – check for a capital ‘E’ in a circle and ‘R129’ or ‘ECE R44’.

• The same rules apply for children with disabilities or medical needs, but they can use a disabled person’s seat or a child restraint designed for their needs.

• Children can travel without a car seat in a taxi and minibus but must be sat at the back with a seatbelt, if they are three or over. They can also travel without one on a coach.

• The same applies if a journey is unexpected, unnecessary, or short.

• If there is no room for a third child car seat in the back of a vehicle, the child must travel in the front with the correct child car seat.