Child Seat Advice

[rhinochopig]

boobles said:

They are perfectly fine. Never seen any recaros that would concern me.

Thanks.

Ok then, what childseat graces your car - assuming you have kids

[boobles]

zx10ben said:

boobles said:

Hi Ben,

I would need to know the year of the car please?
Or alternatively you could try here.

http://www.maxi-cosi.com/ot-en/carselector

What a muppet! Sorry Boobles it'll be a 2008 XKR, meantime I'll have a look at your link, if my works computer will allow!

Just checked for you & according to their website, they have no Isofix available.

[boobles]

rhinochopig said:

boobles said:

They are perfectly fine. Never seen any recaros that would concern me.

Thanks.

Ok then, what childseat graces your car - assuming you have kids

I don't have children but do have the privelige of crash testing approx 5 child seats per day.

[groomi]

boobles said:

I will only offer advice on seat's that fit your specific vehicle, and which seat's are safe. I will not give out any information on any seat's that do not meet these requirements.

I realise my question probably falls under the above comment, but will ask anyway.

What are your views regarding fitting child seats in obscure cars such as kitcars. Take a typical Caterham/Westfield as an example. I've seen people with child seats in such cars before and would like to take my son out in mine at some point, but is there anything in particular which is likely to cause problems with installing a seat?

[boobles]

groomi said:

boobles said:

I will only offer advice on seat's that fit your specific vehicle, and which seat's are safe. I will not give out any information on any seat's that do not meet these requirements.

I realise my question probably falls under the above comment, but will ask anyway.

What are your views regarding fitting child seats in obscure cars such as kitcars. Take a typical Caterham/Westfield as an example. I've seen people with child seats in such cars before and would like to take my son out in mine at some point, but is there anything in particular which is likely to cause problems with installing a seat?

Very good question.

Coming from owning an Elise, I know exactly what you mean & I spent some time trying to find something that would fit on the basis of purely sharing my experience & to help others. There are seats out there that do fit, I found 2 that would fit the Elise & they were the Britax Prince & the Britax Eclipse. I am sure there are others out there. I am uncertain if these seats would fit a Caterham or Westfield but there will be some, I have no doubts. Don't be put of because of the your choice in car as ther will be something that fits.

We train Mothercare & Halfords staff & they are normally willing to try any seat before you commit to buying, so might be worth taking the car to them & seeing it they have anything that fits.

[Silver940]

boobles said:

McSwerve II said:

Hi Boobles

I have a new BMW 3 Series, and we use a Britax Duo Plus (with an extra foam pad thingy, as specified by the small print). According to the Britax website this can also be used in the RX8 we have recently acquired, but with a top leash attachment specified.

Anyway my question was, in Mamma’s and Pappa’s they were trying to flog a seat (Cybax Pallas) with a large bar across the child’s chest rather than traditional 5 point harness arrangement.

Are these any better or just a new fad in design?

Many thanks for your professional opinion.

Hi,

I have seen many different varients of these seats with what they call a "protection pillow" which sits across the childs chest.

I wouldn't say that they are any safer than using a 5 point harness to be honest (otherwise this technology would be used within race cars etc) but I am also not saying that they are un-safe. They do score fairly high marks in frontal impacts but also restrict the child from being able to do anything like move to scrath an itch or something. I personally would stick with a 5 point harness simply because of the history of the design etc.

We got some of the Kiddy Guardian Pro seats with this pad style rather than harnesses after a car accident meant the seats needed replacing. Chose these on the basis that they have been tested and show a reduction in loadings on the childs neck compared to the harness seats. Once used to them the kids seem to find them perfectly OK. On the down side if they don't want to get in you can't hook them in with loose straps and pin them down, they can make it very difficult for you - only a rare occurance fortunately,

On the plus side they look alot more comfy to sleep in, hated seeing the kids hung at a horrible angle from the harness belts when asleep



You do have to remember to belt the seats in if going out without the kids though unlike the traditional style.

[boobles]

Glad to hear that the children were ok after the collision. Also a massive well done for installing them correctly because we see so many child retraints fitted in-correctlty. Nobody deliberately fits them in wrong, It's something that can be extremely tricky & difficult.

[Zod]

Boobles, how much narrower is the Prince than the Duo Plus?

[boobles]

Zod said:

Boobles, how much narrower is the Prince than the Duo Plus?

The Prince is actually approx 1 inch wider than the Duo Plus at the widest part.
Also the Duo has Isofix where as the Prince doesn't.

[Life Saab Itch]

Can I just say thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with everyone.

[boobles]

Life Saab Itch said:

Can I just say thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with everyone.

Not a problem & thank you.
There seems to be alot of interest in this subject & I am glad to help where I can.

[TimmD]

HI,
I'm currently looking at getting a 996. One of the plus points is the 2+2 seating as I have a 3 and a 5 year old and was wondering what would work in the back. Or if it is just not a good idea. I have concerns looking at the lack of padding..



Thanks

Tim

[DBSV8]

can you tell me what paremeters of crash test you perform ,

I am interested in how the Swedish plus tests compare with the German ADAC tests

specifically for the atca graco duologic 2

thanks

[boobles]

TimmD said:

HI,
I'm currently looking at getting a 996. One of the plus points is the 2+2 seating as I have a 3 and a 5 year old and was wondering what would work in the back. Or if it is just not a good idea. I have concerns looking at the lack of padding..



Thanks

Tim

Hi Timm,

Looking at high up the buckle attachment stalk is in the rear of the car, you may find it difficult to find any "belted" seat that fits due to what we call "buckle crunch". This is where the buckle itself secures the child seat instead of the seat belt webbing & this is a massive no no. You can however go along to Halfords or Mothercare & try before you buy & they are trained to ensure a safe fit.
I don't suppose the car has Isofix latches? If so something like a Duo Plus would almost definately fit as this seems to fit more & more "sports cars" & I know Aston Martin recommend this seat.

[TimmD]

Thanks Boobles, I'll look into it further and bare in mind the buckle crunch.

Tim

[boobles]

DBSV8 said:

can you tell me what paremeters of crash test you perform ,

I am interested in how the Swedish plus tests compare with the German ADAC tests

specifically for the atca graco duologic 2

thanks

We test to R44-04 & Euro Ncap & ADAC. We also go that extra mile & test Side Impact pulses.
I can't compare the Swedish plus tests because we don't do them & it would be unfair for me to try.

[boobles]

Risotto said:

Hi, just wondered if you have any views on seats that use an impact cushion instead of a harness?

As far as I can make out, the rear facing seats for older children are very safe but also very large and awkward to fit. They don't lend themselves to being regularly moved between different vehicles either.

The forward facing seats with harnesses seem much less cumbersome but offer less protection against internal decapitation.

Various reviews I've read seem to suggest that the impact cushion seats seem to offer a better level of safety than a forward facing harness seat, without the inconvenience of a rear facing seat. Would you agree?

Edited by Risotto on Monday 14th February 17:09

Hi,

Do you mean the "protection pillow" that was spoken about earlier in the thread?
If so, I wouldn't agree that they are any safer. Ok they do score good points in frontal impacts but so do many many "harnessed" seats & for me to suggest they they are any safer would be wrong & I will not slate one product against another for obvious reasons.

I hope you understand my reasons.

[vit4]

Was going to post a thread as it goes.

I have a friend who has a first-gen Renault Megane (R-reg) and has a little one on the way No idea about how to go about car seats and doesn't want to get ripped off by salesman, so if there is any advice about any good models for a reasonable price, I'd really appreciate it

[boobles]

vit4 said:

Was going to post a thread as it goes.

I have a friend who has a first-gen Renault Megane (R-reg) and has a little one on the way No idea about how to go about car seats and doesn't want to get ripped off by salesman, so if there is any advice about any good models for a reasonable price, I'd really appreciate it

Hi,

First of all try either of these sites to establish which seats fit into the specific car.

http://www.britax-roemer.de/car-seats/fit-finder

http://www.maxi-cosi.com/gb-en/carselector


Your friend will then have to choose which one is right for them & their price range.
Atleast by checking which ones fit, half the battle is won.

[Zod]

boobles said:

Zod said:

Boobles, how much narrower is the Prince than the Duo Plus?

The Prince is actually approx 1 inch wider than the Duo Plus at the widest part.
Also the Duo has Isofix where as the Prince doesn't.

Thanks. Is the Prince narrower at the base though?