Where are the chest clips?

A common question by parents is why Swedish rear facing car seats lack chest clips.  Aren’t chest slips necessary?  Are seats without chest clips secure and safe?

Swedish car seats are certified according the the European standard ECE R44 which is fairly strong, a bit stricter than the US standard FVMSS 213 to compare with something.  The European standard has no chest clips on purpose, it’s a safety feature.  The standard says one must be able to unbuckle a car seat with one hand in case of an emergency.

A chest clip is a  pre-crash positioner.  It’s function is to hold  harness in the right place before the accident.  It’s completely normal for a chest clip to break during a collision.  A simplified reason why chest clips exist is because many parents don’t tighten the harness properly.  It’s usually too loose which affect safety negatively in a collision.

Swedish car seats often have harness placed more narrow across the shoulders which means no chest clips are necessary (or allowed).  Can a chest clip be added to a Swedish rear facing seat?  There are third party chest clips available but one should always be careful with adding accessories which are not included with the car seat. Please make sure it’s appropriate for your type of seat before adding a chest clip.