Child Seat Advice

[anonymous-user]

This is one of those threads where real experts have given so much time and advice to others- thank you.

The harness is out, and it's at the moment like a booster seat, using the car seatbelt, with the head side impact protection piece attached, and in it's highest setting. He is about 1m 25cm or so, and his shoulders do not sit under the head side impact bits at all. How it is rated to 12 years of age I simply don't know. What would you recommend? Is there a recaro booster that's well thought of?

Again, many thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge.

[boobles]

Always happy to help when & where possible.

I would always suggest contacting the manufacturer direct if you have any concerns about your child out growing a seat way to early.
Age though at the end of the day is just a guideline as child seat manufacturers know that children come in all different shapes & sizes & this is why the weight of the child is also very important... I would also suggest never modifying any child seat unless stated in the user guide as this could be bad news for the child in the event of an accident! This is one area that I would absolutely 100% read the user guide even if you think you know what you are doing... I still read them even after 22 years experience working in the field..

[Adrian E]

The built in harnesses on multi-stage seats are only rated for use as with a Group 1 seat (up to 18kg) and the manual ought to expressly state this - using it beyond that means you're outside the tested rating of the seat.

My son is over 6.5 now and is still in this:



and has plenty of room to grow with it (he's 123cm the last time I checked)

The nice thing with these is that as they grow there's a wing nut type arrangement on the back, with a ratchet, which adjusts the overall height of the seat but also moves the centre section relative to the base as well as the head rest in relation to the middle. The side wings also expand as you go up.

[Torquey]

Also just started using a Recaro Zero.1 for my 10 month old baby.

I went with this because:
The Nuna got a bad review from ADAC
The Maxi cosi only went up to ~2 year old.
The Britax is probably the next best option but I've always wanted a Recaro seat since going in a mates Escort RS turbo 20 years ago.


The only bad points I can mention are:
It weighs a ton.
The 5 point harness is more fiddly than the previous 3 point harness we had.
The head rest is quite bulky. The baby doesn't seem to mind i though.

Other than that I'm very happy with it.

Edited by Torquey on Monday 12th December 16:29

[Fuzzarr]

Hi guys,

I am starting to look into child seats as I have my first child on the way. My main thoughts at the moment are around Isofix vs non-Isofix. Neither of our cars have Isofix points but there is scope for changing the cars if there is a compelling case for Isofix over belt-secured seats.

The cars are a 2000(W) Seat Toledo and a 2007(07) Fiat Panda. I also need to see whether other cars in the family have Isofix or not in case that influences the decision.

It would obviously be much easier to avoid Isofix altogether. This week I am going to start checking out the various options but if anyone has any tips on the main things to consider - or if there are some stand-out seats suitable for my situation - I would really appreciate your thoughts.

[boobles]

Fuzzarr said:

Hi guys,

I am starting to look into child seats as I have my first child on the way. My main thoughts at the moment are around Isofix vs non-Isofix. Neither of our cars have Isofix points but there is scope for changing the cars if there is a compelling case for Isofix over belt-secured seats.

The cars are a 2000(W) Seat Toledo and a 2007(07) Fiat Panda. I also need to see whether other cars in the family have Isofix or not in case that influences the decision.

It would obviously be much easier to avoid Isofix altogether. This week I am going to start checking out the various options but if anyone has any tips on the main things to consider - or if there are some stand-out seats suitable for my situation - I would really appreciate your thoughts.

The main thing to remember is - not all child seats fit into all cars so if you are hoping to fit the same child seat into multiple cars, this could be a problem. Isofix is great for convenience but again not all isofix seats will fit in multiple cars just because they have the connectors already in the vehicles.

[phil_cardiff]

My son is turned 3 in October and is about 16kg and 100cm tall. Should I change him to a group 2/3 seat and which one is recommended if so?

Thanks.

[Adrian E]

Fuzzarr said:

stuff

Just to add to Boobles advice:

For an infant carrier, ignoring the benefits or otherwise of Isofix, it's worth looking at options with a base that remains in the car. Manufacturers vary in how they do this, some using different bases for Isofix and non-Isofix, but others offering belted or Isofix base restraint in the same product.

If you plop an infant carrier without a base in the car and restrain only with the adult belt I think you'll be quite surprised by how much movement you get laterally. Seats with a base that the infant carrier clips on to are often equipped with a foot prop down into the footwell and only rely on the adult seatbelt to hold the base as tightly into the seat base as you can manage. Setups like that are almost as effective as Isofix, but with slightly reduced convenience, if you need to move the base. If the base stays put it becomes as straightforward as fitting to an Isofix base.

I'm aware Maxicosi offer the Cabriofix with a dual purpose base, so I'd start there as a comparison. There are many different options but try them in the cars you intend to use the most.

Adrian

[_Neal_]

boobles said:

Fuzzarr said:

Hi guys,

I am starting to look into child seats as I have my first child on the way. My main thoughts at the moment are around Isofix vs non-Isofix. Neither of our cars have Isofix points but there is scope for changing the cars if there is a compelling case for Isofix over belt-secured seats.

The cars are a 2000(W) Seat Toledo and a 2007(07) Fiat Panda. I also need to see whether other cars in the family have Isofix or not in case that influences the decision.

It would obviously be much easier to avoid Isofix altogether. This week I am going to start checking out the various options but if anyone has any tips on the main things to consider - or if there are some stand-out seats suitable for my situation - I would really appreciate your thoughts.

The main thing to remember is - not all child seats fit into all cars so if you are hoping to fit the same child seat into multiple cars, this could be a problem. Isofix is great for convenience but again not all isofix seats will fit in multiple cars just because they have the connectors already in the vehicles.

Definitely this. Isofix is for convenience/consistency/certainty of fitting.

Personally for new baby, multiple cars, I'd look at a base that stays in your cars, but which is attached via the seatbelt rather than Isofix, and which your rear-facing seat then attaches to. One of those for each car, job done.

Combo we used/still do use, with the same requirements as you, albeit one car, is an Easybase and a Cabriofix seat, both by Maxi Cosi - recommended.

[Craikeybaby]

Another vote for the Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix, with whichever base goes in your car. We only went for a base in the main car, but have used the seat in other cars without the belt. It is extra hassle, but the bases are more expensive than the seat.

The Cabrio Fix is a fair bit lighter than other seats, which is helpful when the baby is getting bigger and you need to carry it to/from the car.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Hi folks,

Just started a new thread because I couldn't find this one! I'll cut and paste what I wrote:

In a different thread I said:

Hi all,

Just had a bit of a search as there was a massive child seat thread a few years back with some guy who tests them contributing. Can't find it of course!

Just moved our daughter up from a group 1 seat (Maxi Cosi Tobi) to a group 2/3 Maxi Cosi Rodi AirProtect as she was too tall (4 years old).

I've got a non ISOFIX one for my e36 cab.

Fits OK, but the head restraint gets in the way and forces the top of the seat forwards. I put the head restraint as high as possible and it just fits under it, but due to my daughter's height the seat needs to be on a taller setting, so the head restraint still gets in the way.

I have removed the head restraint completely so the seat fits OK, but there is a plastic bar attached to some elastic that is supposed to go behind the legs of the head restraint - I assume this is to stop the seat flying around when there is nobody in it as I can't see a bit of elastic performing a serious role in the event of an accident.



So my question: Am I safe to use the seat like this? I intend to keep the seatbelt done up even when the seat is unoccupied. There's a fair bit of movement from the seat as obviously the seatbelt is not too tight.

I know it's a bit tight in the back of my car, but I can't see most cars being any difference, as the headrest is always angled forward which will meet the top of the car seat.

The manual is useless - just a few noddy pictures with no text.

I can't see there being any compromise when there is somebody in the seat, only when unoccupied.

What I may do is bend some metal rod to fit in the two holes in the seat in a loop - low enough not to get in the way of the seat or the rollover hoop mechanism, but will give me something to attached the elastic restraining thingy to...

[boobles]

NiceCupOfTea said:

[skip_1]

Possibly aimed mainly at Boobles.

The Britax Kidfix ii XP sict. According to the fitting list will fit a Kia Ceed (newest model) but not a Hyundai I30 which has the same rear seats. Do you know if there a genuine reason for this or an oversight?

If we tried fitting at a shop are we looking for a flat fit to the seat base and the back flat against the seat rest?


In addition does anyone have any experience of the Joie Trillion LX which has top ratings in a £40 group 2/3 seat? Just seems a little too good for a cheap seat!

[NiceCupOfTea]

boobles said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

Wotcha! So am I right?

[boobles]

[NiceCupOfTea]

[Chris x]

Currently looking at car seats for my daughters 24months & 13months of age.

What a minefield. Not really fussed on price, but would like to buy something that won't need replacing after a few years. Main priority is safety.

We tried them both in this over the weekend: http://www.mothercare.com/highback-boosters-with-h...

They both looked comfortable and the chair tilts back for longer journeys which should help them sleep. The chair itself is held with isofix, then the seat belt holds the crash guard in place.

Does anyone have any experience or uses anything simular that you would recommend?

Just noticed it says it can be used without isofix? Not sure how that would work in a crash as the seat would add force from behind surely?


Now to read through some of this thread....

[Adrian E]

I've never been a fan of impact shields as a primary method of restraint - they were popular in Germany but your average Scandinavian would turn in their grave at the idea of using one. In case the reference is lost, Scandinavian countries are pretty much the gold standard in risk averse child transport! Some light reading on impact shield seats.

http://www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/gb-en/car-seats/car-sea...

If cost isn't an issue buy the seats that work for their required next stage, assuming they are ready to move up due to growth/weight.

The cost of seats pretty much stops once you get to a high back booster - and they'll be in that for a LOT longer than any of the previous generation of seats. I've previously recommended the BeSafe iZiUpfix, based on our usage since our son was 2.5 years old and looking at most of the available options at that time, with cost not a factor considered - he outgrew (in weight terms) his group 1 seat so harness restraints were no longer suitable.

Trying to combine harnesses and adult seatbelt restraint into the same product involves compromise in design terms, however well managed it might be. Others might disagree. Given my son is now nearly 7 and will continue to be in that same seat till he's much nearer 150cm you'll get value for money out of the high back booster whenever you move to it.

[bungle]

One for the experts on here...

Do you know why Porsche say you can't use child seats in their bucket seats? I was thinking of a backless booster (eg. as demo'd below in bucket seats).

Porsche configurator said:

Note: child seats must not be used with the sports bucket seats

[boobles]

bungle said:

One for the experts on here...

Do you know why Porsche say you can't use child seats in their bucket seats? I was thinking of a backless booster (eg. as demo'd below in bucket seats).

Porsche configurator said:

Note: child seats must not be used with the sports bucket seats

From previous experience with working for such manufacturers I would say it's because of the shape of their seats. Very difficult to find child restraints to fit such sporty seat's. Bentley & Aston Martin invested heavily in making sure a child restraint would fit their vehicle's...