Play: How to fit a child with the infant inlayNewborn
How to fit a child with the infant inlay
The inlay is for the smallest babies. Getting the harness height right with it in place is the step most people get wrong the first time.
Car Seat Centre
Car seats, the Australian way
A capsule is the one piece of baby equipment with a law behind it. This page explains what the Australian standard means for the capsule you buy, how to fit the Mesa so it does its job, which prams it clicks onto, and when your baby has outgrown it. Written for Australian cars, Australian rules and the Australian Mesa.
Nothing here replaces the manual or a professional fitting. It should make both easier to follow.
What the Australian standard means
Australia has its own child restraint standard, AS/NZS 1754, and a restraint must be approved to it to be sold or used here. That is why the Mesa sold in Australia is a distinct Australian version, and why a capsule bought overseas cannot legally be used in an Australian car, however similar it looks.
The Australian Mesa is approved as a Type A2 rearward-facing infant restraint. It is low birthweight tested and approved, with a custom-fit insert for premature and small babies, and it is CASA approved for use on aircraft.
Rearward facing, for as long as the seat allows
The road rules set the minimum: rearward facing until at least six months. Every Australian safety body recommends going well beyond the minimum, because a rearward-facing seat supports the head, neck and spine in a frontal crash in a way a forward-facing seat cannot. With the Mesa the question never arises: it is rearward facing only, from birth to the weight or height limit.
Which capsule
Mesa is the UPPAbaby infant car capsule. It clicks straight onto a Vista or Cruz frame with no adapters, and onto Minu, Minu Duo, Ridge and Kona with the matching adapter set. That means a sleeping baby moves from car to pram without being unbuckled.
| Suits | Birth (2.0 kg) to 15 kg, approximately birth to 12 months |
|---|---|
| Carrier weight | 4.7 kg without canopy and insert |
| Base weight | 4.1 kg |
| Installation | Base with ISOFIX, or base with the vehicle seatbelt and built-in lock-off. Load leg to the floor either way. |
| Approval | Type A2/0. Low birthweight tested and approved. CASA approved for aircraft use. |
Fitting it, properly
Six short films, made for the Australian Mesa. Press play and the video loads here.
Play: How to fit a child with the infant inlay
Play: How to fit a child without the infant inlayGrowing
How to fit a child without the infant inlay
When to take the inlay out, and where the harness should sit once it is gone.
Play: How to fit a premature babyFrom 2.0 kg
How to fit a premature baby
Mesa is low birthweight tested and approved from 2.0 kg, with a custom-fit infant insert. This is how that insert is used.
Play: Base installation with ISOFIXInstall
Base installation with ISOFIX
The quicker of the two installs. Watch for the indicators turning green on both connectors, and for the load leg angle.
Play: Base installation with a vehicle seatbeltInstall
Base installation with a vehicle seatbelt
For cars without ISOFIX points. The built-in lock-off is the part that makes this secure, and the part people skip.
Play: Car to pram, and pram to carEvery day
Car to pram, and pram to car
The whole point of a travel system: lifting the capsule out and clicking it onto the frame without waking anyone.
Three things worth checking every time
Harness height. For a rearward-facing capsule the straps come from at or just below the shoulders. Too high is the most common error, and the inlay changes where the shoulders sit.
The pinch test. Once buckled you should not be able to pinch a horizontal fold of webbing at the collarbone. If you can, tighten it.
No bulky clothing. A padded jacket or a blanket under the harness leaves slack in a crash. Buckle in, then put the blanket over the top.
If you would rather have it checked, an authorised child restraint fitter in your state can fit and check any approved seat, usually for a small fee, and many councils and hospitals run free checking days. Bring the capsule, the base and the car.
On the pram
Which frames the Mesa attaches to, and what each one needs.
| Vista V3 | Fits directly, nothing to buy. |
|---|---|
| Cruz V3 | Fits directly, nothing to buy. |
| Kona | Fits directly, nothing to buy. |
| Minu V3 | Needs the Minu V3 Mesa adapter ($49.95). |
| Minu Duo | Needs the Minu Duo Mesa adapters ($64.95). Holds ONE capsule, on the parent's left. The canopy must come off, and the adapters must be removed before folding. |
| Ridge V2 | Needs the Ridge Mesa/Bassinet adapters ($44.95). The capsule and any UPPAbaby bassinet from 2015 use the same pair, and the pram still folds with them fitted. |
Third-party capsules (Maxi-Cosi Mico AP / Mico Plus, Maxi-Cosi Citi, Maxi-Cosi Mico 12 and Mico 12LX (manufactured after 20 April 2022), Nuna PIPA and the others on the adapters page) fit some frames with the car seat adapter.
| Vista V3 | Needs the Vista / Alta / Cruz car seat upper adapter ($76.95). |
|---|---|
| Cruz V3 | Needs the Vista / Alta / Cruz car seat upper adapter ($76.95). The same upper adapter covers Vista, Alta and Cruz. |
| Kona | Needs the Kona car seat adapters. Maxi-Cosi, Nuna and Joie, per the Kona fact sheet. SKU and price not yet set. |
| Minu V3 | Not compatible. The Minu V3 takes the UPPAbaby Mesa only, with the Minu V3 Mesa adapter. No other brand of capsule fits any Minu. |
| Minu Duo | Not compatible. No other brand of capsule fits any Minu. The Mesa is the only capsule, on the parent's left. |
| Ridge V2 | Needs the Ridge car seat adapter ($64.95). |
Select models only. If your capsule is not on this list, it is not supported, even if it looks similar.
When to move up
Babies outgrow a capsule by height before weight. Move to the next seat when the top of the head is level with the top of the shell, or at the weight limit, whichever comes first. Do not wait for the first birthday if the head is already there, and do not turn a baby forward facing early because they seem to want the view.
The next seat is usually a convertible restraint that starts rearward facing and later turns forward, sold by the car seat specialists rather than by us. Choose one with the longest rearward-facing limit you can, for the same reason the Mesa only faces backwards.
The pram carries on regardless: the toddler seat on a Vista, Cruz or Kona takes over from the capsule, and the Minu, Minu Duo and Ridge seats run to the same limits.
Accidents, travel and the things a warranty does not cover
Crash Exchange ProgramCapsule or base in a vehicle during an accident? Lodge within 30 days and it is replaced.
TravelSafeRegister before you fly and airline damage is covered, which no warranty does.
Register the MesaTwo minutes. Makes any claim, exchange or recall notice quicker.
WarrantyThree years on defects, on top of your consumer guarantees.
Questions parents ask
Is the Mesa approved for use in Australia?
Yes. Every child restraint sold in Australia must meet AS/NZS 1754, the Australian and New Zealand standard, and the Mesa sold here is the Australian version, approved as a Type A2 rearward-facing infant restraint. It is not the US or European Mesa; those are not legal to use in Australia.
How long can my baby stay in the Mesa?
From Birth (2.0 kg) to 15 kg, which is approximately birth to 12 months. Move up when your baby reaches the weight limit, or when the top of their head is level with the top of the shell, whichever comes first. Height matters more than birthdays.
Does my baby have to face backwards?
Under the Australian road rules a child under six months must travel in an approved rearward-facing restraint, and from six months to four years may stay rearward facing or move to a forward-facing seat with an inbuilt harness. Rearward facing protects the head and neck best, so the advice from every Australian safety body is to keep a baby rearward facing for as long as the seat allows, not to turn them at six months. The Mesa is rearward facing only.
ISOFIX or the seatbelt, which is safer?
Neither is safer when fitted correctly; both are tested to the same standard. ISOFIX is quicker and harder to get wrong, and the base shows green indicators when both connectors are locked. The seatbelt install works in any car and relies on the built-in lock-off, which is the step people skip. Whichever you use, the load leg must sit firmly on the floor.
Can I use the Mesa without the base?
The Australian Mesa is designed to be used with its base, which is what carries the ISOFIX connectors and the load leg. Check the Australian manual for the approved installation methods before you fit it any other way.
Can the Mesa go on a plane?
Yes. CASA approved for aircraft use, so it can be used in an aircraft seat on airlines that permit child restraints. Check with the airline when you book, and register the capsule under TravelSafe before you fly.
My car was in an accident. Is the capsule still safe?
Treat it as not safe. A restraint that was in a vehicle during a collision may have damage you cannot see. UPPAbaby Australia runs a Crash Exchange Program for exactly this: lodge the details within 30 days and the capsule or base is replaced. Do not sell or pass on a capsule that has been in an accident.
Do I need adapters for the pram?
On a Vista or Cruz the Mesa clicks straight onto the frame. Minu V3, Minu Duo, Ridge and Kona each have a matching adapter set. Third-party capsules from Maxi-Cosi, Nuna and Joie fit some frames with the car seat adapter, and never fit a Minu.
What is the difference between a capsule and a convertible car seat?
A capsule is a rearward-facing carrier that lifts out of the car and onto the pram, made for roughly the first year. A convertible seat stays in the car and grows with the child, rearward then forward facing, often to four years or beyond. Most Australian families use a capsule first, for the travel-system convenience in the newborn months, then move to a convertible seat.
Not sure about a fitting?
Ask before you drive
Send a photograph of the base in the car and we will tell you if something looks wrong. For a hands-on check, use an authorised fitter in your state.