Currently, child restraint systems do not provide good enough protection to the child's head although it is the most frequently injured region in motor vehicle crashes. Children need a safety device which accommodates their size, weight and differences from adult’s relative proportions and stages of their body development. Most of the modern vehicle safety systems are designed for adults and may lead to injuries among children. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the redesign of selected safety systems could reduce the risk of serious and fatal injuries to a child. The three‐year‐old child travelling in a forward‐facing child restraint systems in the rear seat of a passenger car was considered. A series of numerical simulations were carried out with the use of MADYMO v7.5.1 software. Scaled industrial characteristics of the airbag inflator and scaled characteristics of adult seat belt systems were used. During the simulations, fourteen injury criteria connected with the head, nedck and chest were controlled. In this study, the Q3 dummy model kinematic behaviour and the serious injury risk of each case were compared. This paper shows the potential of forward‐ facing child restraint systems combined with a special airbag and smart belt pretensioner to protect child occupants.