Child Seat Advice

[phil1979]

boobles said:

phil1979 said:

Hello Boobles

A quick question if I may...

Our little one is due any day now. I already have an Easyfix base attached via Isofix in my Alfa GT, for use with the Maxicosi Cabriofix seat. All good.

We are getting a second car, and her folks have offered us their Ford Fusion (jacked us Fiesta thingy) for next to nothing, with few miles, which would be ideal as a shopping car / vomit comet.

As all the pram etc is bought, can you advise on what base would fit the Fusion, and how it would attach (belts or isofix), so that we can use the Cabriofix seat as planned? The Fusion is a 2003 5-door.

Cheers
Phil.

Hi,

According to the MaxiCosi website, the seat in question is not compatible with the Isofix base in this vehicle.
It would appear that you can only use it with just the seat (no base) & 3pt adult belt only.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&am...

Thanks Boobles.
Phil.

[boobles]

Also try here if you are prepared to buy a second seat.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&am...

[rhinochopig]

Interesting article in the in-gear supplement in the Times on Sunday about rear facing child-seats.

The conclusion was that the child should be carried rear facing for as long as possible - the stats quoted were in a FFS the risk of "serious neck injury in a frontal collision" [I'm guessing over travelling in the car's seat] was 50-60% and in a RFS it was 90%.

[boobles]

To be fair, we have know for some time that rear facing is safer for smaller children.

This is why our Scandinavian neighours have their children rear facing until the age of 6.

[special0ffer]

Hi,

I am looking for a FF 9kg-18kg seat for a MK3 golf gti.

Going to halfords later today, but based on my experience on buying the cabriofix for the car, none of the shops I went to were any good (chains and independants)! All tried the seat and all others and concluded my seat belt was to short and would not go round any seat. I went home thought about it and googled went back out to car and found it was on the highest shoulder setting, so moved it down and that gave enough belt to go round the seat. Now surely this is not uncommon, but NO ONE checked and all said sorry no seat fits.
SO before I go want some sensible advice

I am looking at the Maxi Cosi Tobi the thing with the older car that I am concerned about is buckle crunch as the seat buckles sit higher out than a new car, I could get an easy fix base due to this. Is your buckle allowed to touch the seat/frame at all? I am not 100% sure on what "buckle crunch" is defined as.

Tks

[braddo]

rhinochopig said:

Interesting article in the in-gear supplement in the Times on Sunday about rear facing child-seats.

The conclusion was that the child should be carried rear facing for as long as possible - the stats quoted were in a FFS the risk of "serious neck injury in a frontal collision" [I'm guessing over travelling in the car's seat] was 50-60% and in a RFS it was 90%.

Are your stats the wrong way around (you're suggesting 90% probability of injury in a rear facing seat?)?

[boobles]

special0ffer said:

Hi,

I am looking for a FF 9kg-18kg seat for a MK3 golf gti.

Going to halfords later today, but based on my experience on buying the cabriofix for the car, none of the shops I went to were any good (chains and independants)! All tried the seat and all others and concluded my seat belt was to short and would not go round any seat. I went home thought about it and googled went back out to car and found it was on the highest shoulder setting, so moved it down and that gave enough belt to go round the seat. Now surely this is not uncommon, but NO ONE checked and all said sorry no seat fits.
SO before I go want some sensible advice

I am looking at the Maxi Cosi Tobi the thing with the older car that I am concerned about is buckle crunch as the seat buckles sit higher out than a new car, I could get an easy fix base due to this. Is your buckle allowed to touch the seat/frame at all? I am not 100% sure on what "buckle crunch" is defined as.

Tks

Hi,

Really suprised they didn't check you're seat belt height to rule that out.

No part of the buckle must be touching any part of the child seat or base, it must be secured with the webbing only. Buckle crunch is a massive no no.

[Zarkingfardwarks]

Hi boobles....I need to pick your brain.
Our wee boy is 7 months old, not quite 8Kg yet (he is a skinny chap - between 25 and 50th percentile for weight) but he is long - in the 98th percentile for height.
To date we have been using a Jane Matrix which has worked very well in our cars. However, he is too long for it he has to have his legs folded in, if we fold it into "regular seat" shape, just as with our Maxi Cosi cabrio fix, his legs just dangle out.
Have you any recommendations - we really like the lie flat (good for sleeping!) nature of the Jane but he isn't fat enough! we been given a Mamas and Papas seat but its for 9Kg plus?

thanks!

[boobles]

Zarkingfardwarks said:

Hi boobles....I need to pick your brain.
Our wee boy is 7 months old, not quite 8Kg yet (he is a skinny chap - between 25 and 50th percentile for weight) but he is long - in the 98th percentile for height.
To date we have been using a Jane Matrix which has worked very well in our cars. However, he is too long for it he has to have his legs folded in, if we fold it into "regular seat" shape, just as with our Maxi Cosi cabrio fix, his legs just dangle out.
Have you any recommendations - we really like the lie flat (good for sleeping!) nature of the Jane but he isn't fat enough! we been given a Mamas and Papas seat but its for 9Kg plus?

thanks!

I can fully understand you're problem but it's vital that he stays rear facing until he is over 21 lbs in weight, or can sit up un-aided & support the weight of his neck. I appreciate that his legs look "uncomfy" but unless he cries every single time you put him in the seat, it's unlikely that he is uncomfy & it probably looks alot worse than it actually is. Britax do a fabulous "layflat" seat which has won numourous awards for it's safety etc. Might be worth taking a look here.

http://www.britax.co.uk/car-seats/full-lay-flat-sy...

[Zod]

boobles said:

15kg is only a guidline or 4yrs of age. If she is way below 15kg then you must keep her in a harnessed seat until she is ready.

Just weighed my two year old (25 months) yesterday and he tipped the scale at 14.8 kg. He's staying in the harnessed Group II seats until he exceeds 18 kg. His big brother is in Group 3 seats, 21 kg, hits five on Tuesday and he's staying in proper seats, rather than on a booster cushion for a very long time. Their nearly four month old sister will stay in a rear-facing Group 0 seat for as long as possible.

The great thing is that they never complain about being strapped in. The only time we've ever driven off without securing the four year old he screamed for us to stop and strap him in.

[boobles]

Zod said:

boobles said:

15kg is only a guidline or 4yrs of age. If she is way below 15kg then you must keep her in a harnessed seat until she is ready.

Just weighed my two year old (25 months) yesterday and he tipped the scale at 14.8 kg. He's staying in the harnessed Group II seats until he exceeds 18 kg. His big brother is in Group 3 seats, 21 kg, hits five on Tuesday and he's staying in proper seats, rather than on a booster cushion for a very long time. Their nearly four month old sister will stay in a rear-facing Group 0 seat for as long as possible.

The great thing is that they never complain about being strapped in. The only time we've ever driven off without securing the four year old he screamed for us to stop and strap him in.

Fantastic news. I love it when I hear about children telling the parents off for not strapping them in! Well done to you're four year old.

[Kawasicki]

Hello Boobles

Thanks for all the advice.

I currently have two kids (there is another on the way!), my son is two and 13kg, my daughter is 4 and 17kg. I change lease cars regularly, so I need seats that are a secure fit in many different cars. I currently use 2 Maxi Cosi Priori XP seats. I think they are great, mainly for three reasons.

a. The kids never moan!
b. The belt tensioner really secures the seat in place.
c. The recline mechanism means the kids are well supported (their heads don't flop forward) as they sleep.

So, what can I do for my daughter, she will soon outgrow the seat, and most boosters seem rubbish in comparison.

Thanks!

[boobles]

Kawasicki said:

Hello Boobles

Thanks for all the advice.

I currently have two kids (there is another on the way!), my son is two and 13kg, my daughter is 4 and 17kg. I change lease cars regularly, so I need seats that are a secure fit in many different cars. I currently use 2 Maxi Cosi Priori XP seats. I think they are great, mainly for three reasons.

a. The kids never moan!
b. The belt tensioner really secures the seat in place.
c. The recline mechanism means the kids are well supported (their heads don't flop forward) as they sleep.

So, what can I do for my daughter, she will soon outgrow the seat, and most boosters seem rubbish in comparison.

Thanks!

Hi,


Booster seats may seem rubbsh & just like a lump of plastic but they are vital in positioning the lap belt in the right position on the child. Booster seats have minimum protection but they are crucial in sitting children higher up which eliminates what we call "gut penetration" & reduces internal injuries to the child. I would recommend a "high back booster" these have backs to them which adust as the child gets bigger & they offer the same protection as a standard booster seat but they also offer side impact protection & are generally more comfy for the child to sit on.

Halfords have easter deals on at the mo as do other child seats stockists, so perhaps worth having a look.

[voicey]

Hi Boobles,

Can you recommend a seat for me? Our daughter is 8 months old and about 9kg. She is currently using a Mamas and Papas Primo Viaggio on an isofix base in the back of an '06 Honda Civic. We think it is time for her to graduate into a larger seat.

We'd like something that will go in the back of the Honda (so isofix) but I would also like to be able to put her in the front seat of my Ferrari 360 on occasion. The 360 doesn't have an airbag switch so it would have to be forward facing in that instance. In the Honda am I right in thinking she should be rear facing as long as possible?

Can you make a recommendation or point me in the right direction as to what I should be looking at? If the seat will last a couple of years then cost isn't too much of a worry.

Cheers,

Voicey.

[boobles]

voicey said:

Hi Boobles,

Can you recommend a seat for me? Our daughter is 8 months old and about 9kg. She is currently using a Mamas and Papas Primo Viaggio on an isofix base in the back of an '06 Honda Civic. We think it is time for her to graduate into a larger seat.

We'd like something that will go in the back of the Honda (so isofix) but I would also like to be able to put her in the front seat of my Ferrari 360 on occasion. The 360 doesn't have an airbag switch so it would have to be forward facing in that instance. In the Honda am I right in thinking she should be rear facing as long as possible?

Can you make a recommendation or point me in the right direction as to what I should be looking at? If the seat will last a couple of years then cost isn't too much of a worry.

Cheers,

Voicey.

Hi Voicey,

The Honda is an easy one but finding something to also fit the 360 may be difficult whilst she is this age.
Try either of these two sites. I have already typed in your car details etc, so just open the links.

The problem with finding something to fit the 360 is due to the shape of the car seats but I will look into it, but I feal you may struggle whilst she is so young. I know once children become approx 4, such seats as "high back boosters" tend to fit sports/super cars.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&am...

Just realized that you will have to type car details etc into the link below.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&am...

Edited by boobles on Thursday 16th June 10:18

[Zod]

If you put a child in a high-back booster in the front seat, set as far back as it will go, is that safe enough, despite the presence of an unswitchable airbag?

[boobles]

Zod said:

If you put a child in a high-back booster in the front seat, set as far back as it will go, is that safe enough, despite the presence of an unswitchable airbag?

So long as the "high back booster" is as far away from the airbag as possible as you say, then yes.

[battenburg2009]

boobles said:

Zod said:

If you put a child in a high-back booster in the front seat, set as far back as it will go, is that safe enough, despite the presence of an unswitchable airbag?

So long as the "high back booster" is as far away from the airbag as possible as you say, then yes.

bad advice imho

[boobles]

Why? ^^^^^

[voicey]

boobles said:

Hi Voicey,

The Honda is an easy one but finding something to also fit the 360 may be difficult whilst she is this age.
Try either of these two sites. I have already typed in your car details etc, so just open the links.

The problem with finding something to fit the 360 is due to the shape of the car seats but I will look into it, but I feal you may struggle whilst she is so young. I know once children become approx 4, such seats as "high back boosters" tend to fit sports/super cars.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&am...

Just realized that you will have to type car details etc into the link below.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&am...

Edited by boobles on Thursday 16th June 10:18

Thanks Boobles - I'll take a look at the links. As you say the Honda isn't an issue - perhaps I'd be better off taking the 360 to a shop and trying a few out. Which retailer would you recommend?