Child Seat Advice

[SooperDan]

lenats31 said:

RocketScience said:

I've given up on the MaxiCosi Cabriofix as I want to ensure it has been approved for use in a 2012 Passat.

The other chair that will fit my Oyster Stroller is a Britax SHR II with ISOFix base.

The Britax website said it fits in the Passat.

Have you tested the Britax SHR II? Any good?

Thanks

That´s another very good quality and safe infant carrier.

I second that.

Out of curiosity are you using a base with the infant carrier?

[E24man]

What narrow-ish booster seats are there for a 5 yo plus to sit in? I have Recaro's, sports seats and bucket back seats across most of my cars and the present (hastily bought) booster won't sit down into the available width at all well. Any recommendations please?

[RocketScience]

SooperDan said:

lenats31 said:

RocketScience said:

I've given up on the MaxiCosi Cabriofix as I want to ensure it has been approved for use in a 2012 Passat.

The other chair that will fit my Oyster Stroller is a Britax SHR II with ISOFix base.

The Britax website said it fits in the Passat.

Have you tested the Britax SHR II? Any good?

Thanks

That´s another very good quality and safe infant carrier.

I second that.

Out of curiosity are you using a base with the infant carrier?

Just to finish this off - I got a Britax SHRII in cow print and I also got a Britax Isofix base. Also, the SHR II fits directly onto the Oyster push chair without the need for the height adapters specified on the oyster website. The set-up feels very sturdy unlike when I tried strapping seats in using the seatbelt!

[lenats31]

RocketScience said:

Just to finish this off - I got a Britax SHRII in cow print and I also got a Britax Isofix base. Also, the SHR II fits directly onto the Oyster push chair without the need for the height adapters specified on the oyster website. The set-up feels very sturdy unlike when I tried strapping seats in using the seatbelt!

Sounds good

[lenats31]

E24man said:

What narrow-ish booster seats are there for a 5 yo plus to sit in? I have Recaro's, sports seats and bucket back seats across most of my cars and the present (hastily bought) booster won't sit down into the available width at all well. Any recommendations please?

it depends on what cars you own really. Each highend booster seat will come with a car list, which states which cars it will fit into. Most of these will be online on the manufactorer´s website too. I would not trust the Maxi Cosi car lists tough. They seem very outdated.

[SooperDan]

RocketScience said:

SooperDan said:

lenats31 said:

RocketScience said:

I've given up on the MaxiCosi Cabriofix as I want to ensure it has been approved for use in a 2012 Passat.

The other chair that will fit my Oyster Stroller is a Britax SHR II with ISOFix base.

The Britax website said it fits in the Passat.

Have you tested the Britax SHR II? Any good?

Thanks

That´s another very good quality and safe infant carrier.

I second that.

Out of curiosity are you using a base with the infant carrier?

Just to finish this off - I got a Britax SHRII in cow print and I also got a Britax Isofix base. Also, the SHR II fits directly onto the Oyster push chair without the need for the height adapters specified on the oyster website. The set-up feels very sturdy unlike when I tried strapping seats in using the seatbelt!

I would make sure that the base and carrier sits flat when it's installed. Volkswagen rear seats are often quite steep causing the base to sit too upright, which in turn makes the possibility of baby's head lurching forward more likely.
Britax provide wedges to place underneath bases to level them out in such circumstances. I would have a look to make sure it sits at a flat enough angle just as a precautionary measure, or if in doubt pop down to a specialist

[SooperDan]

lenats31 said:

E24man said:

What narrow-ish booster seats are there for a 5 yo plus to sit in? I have Recaro's, sports seats and bucket back seats across most of my cars and the present (hastily bought) booster won't sit down into the available width at all well. Any recommendations please?

it depends on what cars you own really. Each highend booster seat will come with a car list, which states which cars it will fit into. Most of these will be online on the manufactorer´s website too. I would not trust the Maxi Cosi car lists tough. They seem very outdated.

I'll second that about the Maxi-Cosi fit finder.

I would give a Maxi-Cosi Fero or Rodifix a go though. They're fairly narrow at the flush sides but get wider at the sides. Also the Britax Adventure/Hi-Liner does sort of the same thing.

[E24man]

SooperDan said:

lenats31 said:

E24man said:

What narrow-ish booster seats are there for a 5 yo plus to sit in? I have Recaro's, sports seats and bucket back seats across most of my cars and the present (hastily bought) booster won't sit down into the available width at all well. Any recommendations please?

it depends on what cars you own really. Each highend booster seat will come with a car list, which states which cars it will fit into. Most of these will be online on the manufactorer´s website too. I would not trust the Maxi Cosi car lists tough. They seem very outdated.

I'll second that about the Maxi-Cosi fit finder.

I would give a Maxi-Cosi Fero or Rodifix a go though. They're fairly narrow at the flush sides but get wider at the sides. Also the Britax Adventure/Hi-Liner does sort of the same thing.

Not sure how far back the fit-finder lists will go; the cars are on my profile.

1982 BMW 635CSi with front Recaro's and rear bucket seats
1985 BMW M635CSi with front sports and rear bucket seats
1995 and 2001 5 series estates with front sport seats

Edit. I just checked the online fit finder and none of my cars are listed.

Edit 2. The available width in the bucket seats (between the bolsters) is 28cm and they are 8cm deep from the bolsters.

[lenats31]

E24man said:

Not sure how far back the fit-finder lists will go; the cars are on my profile.

1982 BMW 635CSi with front Recaro's and rear bucket seats
1985 BMW M635CSi with front sports and rear bucket seats
1995 and 2001 5 series estates with front sport seats

Edit. I just checked the online fit finder and none of my cars are listed.

Edit 2. The available width in the bucket seats (between the bolsters) is 28cm and they are 8cm deep from the bolsters.

The seats might not have been tested in these old models as you write.

I have sent your car info to Klippan, which is a car seat company based in Finland. they have a long standing experience having produced child car seats since 1965. They have a seat which is narrow called the Triofix. Obviously you wouldn´t want to use the isofix base with it. It can be used without it.

if they give the green light to use it in your cars then that is good news. The bad news is that if you buy it, you´ll have to buy the base unit with it and it is a little more exspensive than other boosters because it can be used from 9 kg onward.

In the meantime you can take a look at it at www.securatot.co.uk

Cybex Solution 2x is suitable for the X5
http://cybex-online.com/gb/carseats/solutionx2fix....

Edited by lenats31 on Monday 22 July 09:49

[ADJimbo]

I need help from the resident experts if possible.

My daughter is currently in a Recaro Young Expert Plus but is now 19kg so needs to move up to a booster type affair.

We are looking seriously at a Recaro Monza Nova Seatfix to see her through the next few years.

Is this a good seat from a safety perspective?

[Adrian E]

ADJimbo said:

I need help from the resident experts if possible.

My daughter is currently in a Recaro Young Expert Plus but is now 19kg so needs to move up to a booster type affair.

We are looking seriously at a Recaro Monza Nova Seatfix to see her through the next few years.

Is this a good seat from a safety perspective?

This got mentioned a few pages back in terms of difficulty finding test info for high back boosters. There's some on the ADAC site which if you use Google Chrome it will translate automatically for you.

Not sure how the Recaro does in the tests - we considered it but ended up with the BeSafe iZi Up X3 Fix after looking at different options with a view to perceived quality, impact performance and cost. It's about £170

Links in a previous post of mine on page 38 of this thread

[lenats31]

still no reply from Klippan. Could be summer holiday

[bodgerx]

http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_levitt_on_child_ca...

[Hub]

Reading this thread with interest, particularly in respect of the Maxi Cosi compatibility list not being up to date. Could this be a reason why it says a Cabriofix will fit a 2009 pre facelift Skoda Octavia but not a 2010 facelift model?! Some cars say they haven't tested, but this just says no! I can't think there would be any seat differences?

[meggysaurus]

2003 megane 1.4 dynamique (how's that for specifics ) I've currently got a silvercross rear facing car seat for my newborn daughter but feel its not right for the car, can you recommend something more suitable? Thanks

[SooperDan]

meggysaurus said:

2003 megane 1.4 dynamique (how's that for specifics ) I've currently got a silvercross rear facing car seat for my newborn daughter but feel its not right for the car, can you recommend something more suitable? Thanks

Hi,can I ask why you feel it's unsuitable?

[therealpigdog]

Any recomendations for a seat for a 1yr old in an Isuzu Rodeo Double Cab (2012, but not the new D-Max). Our little one is going to have to give up her Max-Cossi Pebble (brilliant btw) to her brother who is due to arrive soon, and so we need to get her a new seat.

We had a look at the seats in Mothercare at the weekend and quite liked the Britax Xtensifix (actually, we quite liked all the Britax range, but that was the one they were pushing) - but the fitter there had doubts about its suitability because when it is used as a Group 2 seat it has to use the belt rather than the isofix, and she was concerned that the belt buckle rode too high. She was going to get in touch with Britax for their thoughts, but Mrs TRPD suggested I also ask here given the wealth of knowledge (thanks by the way - your help is very much appreciated).

Following the advice from this thread, we'd prefer to stick to Britax or Maxi-Cosi as they seem to be the safest seats - don't mind forward or rear facing (obviously if rear-facing is safer, then prefer that though), and want to use the isofix (and top tether) seeing as it is fitted so makes sense to use it.

Obviously I don't want to spend money unnecessarily, but cost really isn't an important factor given that it is my daughter's safety at stake. I'm not overly bothered about having to change the seat when she hits 4yrs old as I understand (from previous posts on here) that the seats that go up to 12yrs old (such as the Xtensifix) are a bit jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none.

Thanks for all the help.

P.S. Wholly recomend the Pebble for either an A6 Avant or Isuzu Rodeo (being the cars we have used it in most) - the family fix base makes life incredibly easy.

[lenats31]

therealpigdog said:

Any recomendations for a seat for a 1yr old in an Isuzu Rodeo Double Cab (2012, but not the new D-Max). Our little one is going to have to give up her Max-Cossi Pebble (brilliant btw) to her brother who is due to arrive soon, and so we need to get her a new seat.

We had a look at the seats in Mothercare at the weekend and quite liked the Britax Xtensifix (actually, we quite liked all the Britax range, but that was the one they were pushing) - but the fitter there had doubts about its suitability because when it is used as a Group 2 seat it has to use the belt rather than the isofix, and she was concerned that the belt buckle rode too high. She was going to get in touch with Britax for their thoughts, but Mrs TRPD suggested I also ask here given the wealth of knowledge (thanks by the way - your help is very much appreciated).

Following the advice from this thread, we'd prefer to stick to Britax or Maxi-Cosi as they seem to be the safest seats - don't mind forward or rear facing (obviously if rear-facing is safer, then prefer that though), and want to use the isofix (and top tether) seeing as it is fitted so makes sense to use it.

Obviously I don't want to spend money unnecessarily, but cost really isn't an important factor given that it is my daughter's safety at stake. I'm not overly bothered about having to change the seat when she hits 4yrs old as I understand (from previous posts on here) that the seats that go up to 12yrs old (such as the Xtensifix) are a bit jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none.

Thanks for all the help.

P.S. Wholly recomend the Pebble for either an A6 Avant or Isuzu Rodeo (being the cars we have used it in most) - the family fix base makes life incredibly easy.

Britax advise not to install the seats where the seatbelt buckle in the car makes contact with the seatbelt tunnel in the car seat.it often prevents a solid installation of the car seat, so that the seat is too loose. If you do manage to get the buckle into the beltpath in the seat, then it will be the buckle and not the seatbelt webbing that holds the car seat in place - might cause the buckle to shatter. This is one of the mistakes that can be avoided with isofix.

Thumbs up to the sales assistant for checking up on the installation with Britax, so your child can ride safely in the car.

Some of the the seats that cover several groups are better suited for one group rarther than the other groups. There is allways a risk that parents will upgrade their children to the next stage too soon. it does matter where the seatbelt lies on the child´s body in booster seats. So some chidlren are still too small for them despite their weight which might be perfect for booster mode.

In the case of the Extensafix. There is a 25 kg weight limit on the seat with the 5-point harness in use. i have not yet seen this seat, but I do firmly believe that the sitting area is somewhat taller than the other 18 kg seats from Britax. I believe it is about the same height as the Two Way Elite. So chances that you wont have to upgrade too soon is quite high. The Two Way Elite will accommondate children past 18 kg. i have seen that plenty of times - incl. my own son.

Other group 123 seats have the 18 kg weight limit for the harness or impact cushion.

From memory the A6 has been to visit me a while ago. The A4 sure has - several times.

[lenats31]

therealpigdog said:

Any recomendations for a seat for a 1yr old in an Isuzu Rodeo Double Cab (2012, but not the new D-Max). Our little one is going to have to give up her Max-Cossi Pebble (brilliant btw) to her brother who is due to arrive soon, and so we need to get her a new seat.

We had a look at the seats in Mothercare at the weekend and quite liked the Britax Xtensifix (actually, we quite liked all the Britax range, but that was the one they were pushing) - but the fitter there had doubts about its suitability because when it is used as a Group 2 seat it has to use the belt rather than the isofix, and she was concerned that the belt buckle rode too high. She was going to get in touch with Britax for their thoughts, but Mrs TRPD suggested I also ask here given the wealth of knowledge (thanks by the way - your help is very much appreciated).

Following the advice from this thread, we'd prefer to stick to Britax or Maxi-Cosi as they seem to be the safest seats - don't mind forward or rear facing (obviously if rear-facing is safer, then prefer that though), and want to use the isofix (and top tether) seeing as it is fitted so makes sense to use it.

Obviously I don't want to spend money unnecessarily, but cost really isn't an important factor given that it is my daughter's safety at stake. I'm not overly bothered about having to change the seat when she hits 4yrs old as I understand (from previous posts on here) that the seats that go up to 12yrs old (such as the Xtensifix) are a bit jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none.

Thanks for all the help.

P.S. Wholly recomend the Pebble for either an A6 Avant or Isuzu Rodeo (being the cars we have used it in most) - the family fix base makes life incredibly easy.

Maxi Cosi make the Milofix which is rearward and forwardfacing to 18 kg. I don´t know anything else about it.

Britax make the Max-Fix and Dualfix

Maxfix is rearward only
Dualfix is rearward and forward facing. It has swirvel function, so you can switch from rearward to forward, forward to rearward and sideways to forward or rearwardfacing in a matter of seconds. It looks short. But I have seen a 3 year-old 107 cm tall girl in it, and the seat was not outgrown yet. The girl still had one or two more harness slots to go. harness height is the same as Max-Fix.

Both Britax seats are compact seats - so don´t need much room front to back really. The children find comfort with their legs crossed, hanging over the sides etc. So don´t worry about that. Let the child decide when rearward is no longer comfortable. It´s one of the myths that keep parents from keeping them rearfacing for as long as they should. Ideally that would be until the child turns 4 minimum.

[lenats31]

bodgerx said:

http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_levitt_on_child_ca...

Please do not listen to it and accept it as good advice. These two guys have no idea at all - or at least they had no idea at all.
They ran into trouble as a result of this.

If car seats except booster seats stop being sold I can guarantee you that we are going to see a MAJOR increase in injuries and deaths among children in cars. That´s not a maybe those numbers will rise vastly. They WILL rise vastly. Unacceptable.