Child Seat Advice
Discussion
Not sure if anyone's interested, but here's the 2wayFix in the back of the wife's 2007 Corsa 5 door, with Pebble and 2way Pearl seats for illustration.
As you can see it's not the smallest combination, but then I guess most ISOfix seats are fairly big. Original plan was to have it behind driver's seat so passenger can attend to baby while driving, and it's on the 40 side of the 60/40 split. Sadly it doesn't fit over that side if I'm driving. Ridiculous that a car this big has no space for a car seat behind a 5'8" driver!
As you can see it's not the smallest combination, but then I guess most ISOfix seats are fairly big. Original plan was to have it behind driver's seat so passenger can attend to baby while driving, and it's on the 40 side of the 60/40 split. Sadly it doesn't fit over that side if I'm driving. Ridiculous that a car this big has no space for a car seat behind a 5'8" driver!
Hi Everyone,
We have just started to use a Britax Evolva 123 for main ferrying duties and considered buying another as it will be suitable for a long while (till our daughter is around 11). However, having looked again at some of the reviews, I have seen that there have been some issues with the buckle. There have been reports of the buckle releasing during accidents or in use due to the mechanism crudding up. Those that made the comments have been told to clean the buckle by Britax) but some report that the buckle fastener has come apart!
Has anyone heard anything more substantial than a few forum remarks?
Our daughter is only a few months from using a proper belt but it is a concern, especially if we want to use it again!
We have just started to use a Britax Evolva 123 for main ferrying duties and considered buying another as it will be suitable for a long while (till our daughter is around 11). However, having looked again at some of the reviews, I have seen that there have been some issues with the buckle. There have been reports of the buckle releasing during accidents or in use due to the mechanism crudding up. Those that made the comments have been told to clean the buckle by Britax) but some report that the buckle fastener has come apart!
Has anyone heard anything more substantial than a few forum remarks?
Our daughter is only a few months from using a proper belt but it is a concern, especially if we want to use it again!
Thanks Boobles,
What are your general feelings about this seat in general. Our daughter is coming out of a rear facing seat at 2 and a half weighing nearly 13 kg.
I just took it out the car because the harness was catching the top of her thighs (she is tall for her age) otherwise she would have stayed in it a while longer.
What are your general feelings about this seat in general. Our daughter is coming out of a rear facing seat at 2 and a half weighing nearly 13 kg.
I just took it out the car because the harness was catching the top of her thighs (she is tall for her age) otherwise she would have stayed in it a while longer.
HereBeMonsters said:
Ridiculous that a car this big has no space for a car seat behind a 5'8" driver!
I wouldn't call a Corsa 5dr a big car. To be honest, that you can fit a Gp-1 rear-facer in there at all is pretty good going...in the wife's Golf and in my Civic saloon (similar footprint to an E90 3-series, bit more rear legroom), the Maxfix wouldn't really go behind the driver's seat even with it set up for Becs (5'3").lenats31 said:
pacey205 said:
Daughter will soon be moving out of her group 0 seat and were looking at options for what to move her into. First of all are there any benefits in going for a group 1-2-3 seat over a group 1 then a 2-3 seat (other than cost). Presumably the 1-2-3 seats are a bit of compromise in terms of fit and might be better for say a grandparent where it gets used occasionally rather than everyday.
As a follow on noticed that Kiddicare have a sale on at the moment and was looking at the following seats.
Group 1
Maxi-Cosi Priori XP (£100)
Britax King Plus (£115)
Britax Duo Plus Isofix (£120)
Britax Eclipse (£65)
Group 1-2-3
Britax Evolva (£85)
Seat will be getting fitted into an 04 Peugeot 206 (with Isofix) and an 04 Mondeo (without Isofix). After watching the promo videos we are preferring the Britax (Group 1) seats at the moment but not sure if there is much of a difference between the Eclipse and the other two as they all seem to have similar features. Aiming to find somewhere to have a look at the seats but the nearest kiddicare is an hour away and our local mother care only have a very limited stock of seats instore.
A group 1 seat for the reasons that you mention. As a follow on noticed that Kiddicare have a sale on at the moment and was looking at the following seats.
Group 1
Maxi-Cosi Priori XP (£100)
Britax King Plus (£115)
Britax Duo Plus Isofix (£120)
Britax Eclipse (£65)
Group 1-2-3
Britax Evolva (£85)
Seat will be getting fitted into an 04 Peugeot 206 (with Isofix) and an 04 Mondeo (without Isofix). After watching the promo videos we are preferring the Britax (Group 1) seats at the moment but not sure if there is much of a difference between the Eclipse and the other two as they all seem to have similar features. Aiming to find somewhere to have a look at the seats but the nearest kiddicare is an hour away and our local mother care only have a very limited stock of seats instore.
The Eclipse is an old seat. The others are newer.
For the 206 I would get a seat with a support leg as antirotational device. This car is not too roomey inside so ideally you should get a seat with a supportleg which reduces the forward rotation. From memory the 206 does not have a top tether anchorage point so you can add a top tether strap to the Duo Plus which you must buy seperately. The top tether serves the same purpose as the support leg. But do check your owner´s manual for the 206. If it says the is equipted with 3-point isofix then it does have top tether points.
For the Mondeo without isofix I would opt for a seat without isofix.
It's a bit dearer than the XP (usually £170 on offer somewhere) but at least it's easy to fit in 1 of your cars!
I don´t think a Corsa 5-door is a big car either. Buut...
That said HereBeMonsters has a good point.
I installed seats into a Seat Altea XL recently, which I would consider a good size family car. Yet there was just enough space front to back with the seats that were tried in it.
My own car is a Peugeot 308 SW - same size car as the Seat Altea XL, but there is far more room in this car front to back with the seats that were installed into the Seat.
Big car doesn´t equal heaps of room just as a small car does not equal no room at all.
It´s not the size of the car that goes.
That said HereBeMonsters has a good point.
I installed seats into a Seat Altea XL recently, which I would consider a good size family car. Yet there was just enough space front to back with the seats that were tried in it.
My own car is a Peugeot 308 SW - same size car as the Seat Altea XL, but there is far more room in this car front to back with the seats that were installed into the Seat.
Big car doesn´t equal heaps of room just as a small car does not equal no room at all.
It´s not the size of the car that goes.
OK, silly question time. ISOFIX - when the seat is installed correctly, should there be ANY rotational movement possible?
Got the Golf back today, fitted the MAXFIX as tight as I can get it to the ISOFIX bar (without breaking parts of my body, that is), and yet it can still 'rock' up/towards the back of the car by an inch or so (probably 3cm total travel, maybe slightly more). The anchoring leg is properly out and locked, and stops any 'forward' movement, so in the even of an accident the initial forward momentum is properly covered...but I'm a little concerned that it can still move in the other direction.
For reference, when it was fitted before (not sure who fitted it now...me or someone else), I think it was a notch tighter than it is now - there are some very visible witness marks in the rear seat squab from the horseshoe-shaped 'foot bar' from before (despite a seat protector), whereas now it's tight against the squab, but not pressing in to that degree.
Spoke to the shop that sold us the seat, and they said there should be a little movement, but they didn't quantity how much. Only comparison I can offer is when we had the Gp-0 seat 'belted in' on holiday, and that had a little pitch possible due to the combination of belt-fit / way the base sat on the seat. (At home the Gp-0 was on a belted base-unit that was rock-solid, and our other Gp-1 is a belted front-facer so pulled tight into two faces of the rear seat)
Got the Golf back today, fitted the MAXFIX as tight as I can get it to the ISOFIX bar (without breaking parts of my body, that is), and yet it can still 'rock' up/towards the back of the car by an inch or so (probably 3cm total travel, maybe slightly more). The anchoring leg is properly out and locked, and stops any 'forward' movement, so in the even of an accident the initial forward momentum is properly covered...but I'm a little concerned that it can still move in the other direction.
For reference, when it was fitted before (not sure who fitted it now...me or someone else), I think it was a notch tighter than it is now - there are some very visible witness marks in the rear seat squab from the horseshoe-shaped 'foot bar' from before (despite a seat protector), whereas now it's tight against the squab, but not pressing in to that degree.
Spoke to the shop that sold us the seat, and they said there should be a little movement, but they didn't quantity how much. Only comparison I can offer is when we had the Gp-0 seat 'belted in' on holiday, and that had a little pitch possible due to the combination of belt-fit / way the base sat on the seat. (At home the Gp-0 was on a belted base-unit that was rock-solid, and our other Gp-1 is a belted front-facer so pulled tight into two faces of the rear seat)
havoc said:
OK, silly question time. ISOFIX - when the seat is installed correctly, should there be ANY rotational movement possible?
Got the Golf back today, fitted the MAXFIX as tight as I can get it to the ISOFIX bar (without breaking parts of my body, that is), and yet it can still 'rock' up/towards the back of the car by an inch or so (probably 3cm total travel, maybe slightly more). The anchoring leg is properly out and locked, and stops any 'forward' movement, so in the even of an accident the initial forward momentum is properly covered...but I'm a little concerned that it can still move in the other direction.
For reference, when it was fitted before (not sure who fitted it now...me or someone else), I think it was a notch tighter than it is now - there are some very visible witness marks in the rear seat squab from the horseshoe-shaped 'foot bar' from before (despite a seat protector), whereas now it's tight against the squab, but not pressing in to that degree.
Spoke to the shop that sold us the seat, and they said there should be a little movement, but they didn't quantity how much. Only comparison I can offer is when we had the Gp-0 seat 'belted in' on holiday, and that had a little pitch possible due to the combination of belt-fit / way the base sat on the seat. (At home the Gp-0 was on a belted base-unit that was rock-solid, and our other Gp-1 is a belted front-facer so pulled tight into two faces of the rear seat)
A little movement doesn´t matter. Got the Golf back today, fitted the MAXFIX as tight as I can get it to the ISOFIX bar (without breaking parts of my body, that is), and yet it can still 'rock' up/towards the back of the car by an inch or so (probably 3cm total travel, maybe slightly more). The anchoring leg is properly out and locked, and stops any 'forward' movement, so in the even of an accident the initial forward momentum is properly covered...but I'm a little concerned that it can still move in the other direction.
For reference, when it was fitted before (not sure who fitted it now...me or someone else), I think it was a notch tighter than it is now - there are some very visible witness marks in the rear seat squab from the horseshoe-shaped 'foot bar' from before (despite a seat protector), whereas now it's tight against the squab, but not pressing in to that degree.
Spoke to the shop that sold us the seat, and they said there should be a little movement, but they didn't quantity how much. Only comparison I can offer is when we had the Gp-0 seat 'belted in' on holiday, and that had a little pitch possible due to the combination of belt-fit / way the base sat on the seat. (At home the Gp-0 was on a belted base-unit that was rock-solid, and our other Gp-1 is a belted front-facer so pulled tight into two faces of the rear seat)
One way to get it tighter is by whiggeling the seat side to side and push on the back at the same time. That allways works with this seat.
I'm after a bit of help, I have bought gtom jr a recaro monza nova is and it seems awful! He is in the first stage of the car seat and the bit that goes across the front just seems to squash him and not only that it's virtually impossible to get him strapped in if he has a strop!
Has anyone else had issues with these seats?
Has anyone else had issues with these seats?
Gtom said:
I'm after a bit of help, I have bought gtom jr a recaro monza nova is and it seems awful! He is in the first stage of the car seat and the bit that goes across the front just seems to squash him and not only that it's virtually impossible to get him strapped in if he has a strop!
Has anyone else had issues with these seats?
Some children don´t like the impact cushion. I´m not fond of them either to be honest. Test dummies lack instrumentation in the abdomen. lower neck and spine. There is more to the impact cushion system than this.Has anyone else had issues with these seats?
I would keep the seat for later use and buy one with a 5-point harness if I were you. Then he no longer fits in that one, you can put him back in the Monza and use it as a highback booster seat 18-36 kg (15 kg minimum.
All this said, there will be a time when the little ones don´t want to be strapped in, no matter what seat you are using. You have to do it ofcause even tough it is rough.
Hoping for some advice folks as planning the next car seat. We have a Maxicosi cabriofix on an isofix base in the back of an Audi A6 saloon (55 plate) and all good but now trying to fathom the next one. Clearly staying rearward facing would be best from what I've read. Daughter is still within the limits of the current seat but very broad shouldered and suspect this is going to result in discomfort before weight or height. She's 9kg and head still comfortably within the seat so we have a few weeks to research and choose.
Can we use the same base still and is there an easy guide it seats which will click in? Sorry if these are daft questions but the retailers websites are making my head hurt.
Let me know if best to PM you?
Can we use the same base still and is there an easy guide it seats which will click in? Sorry if these are daft questions but the retailers websites are making my head hurt.
Let me know if best to PM you?
Edited by hebg101 on Saturday 8th March 11:12
It depends if you've got the standard EasyFix/FamilyFix base or the 2 way fix base. The latter allows you to go for the Pearl either fwd or rwd facing.
It will take a while for your child to reach 13kg if they're only 9kg now - I wouldn't worry about shoulder space at all. My son was 98%ile for weight and 50-75th for height at that age and was still in his till he was 14 months old! If you want an idea of how long you've got to decide just look at the growth chart lines and see what age corresponds to the weight limit for the seat, assuming head is still contained.
With a car the size of an A6 you can fit what you like, assuming there's no funnies with the seat you choose and the space available. All the regularly named rear facers will fit fine. Best to find a shop local-ish to you with a choice and try them to see what compromises in fitting you can live with.
It will take a while for your child to reach 13kg if they're only 9kg now - I wouldn't worry about shoulder space at all. My son was 98%ile for weight and 50-75th for height at that age and was still in his till he was 14 months old! If you want an idea of how long you've got to decide just look at the growth chart lines and see what age corresponds to the weight limit for the seat, assuming head is still contained.
With a car the size of an A6 you can fit what you like, assuming there's no funnies with the seat you choose and the space available. All the regularly named rear facers will fit fine. Best to find a shop local-ish to you with a choice and try them to see what compromises in fitting you can live with.
havoc said:
HereBeMonsters said:
Ridiculous that a car this big has no space for a car seat behind a 5'8" driver!
I wouldn't call a Corsa 5dr a big car. To be honest, that you can fit a Gp-1 rear-facer in there at all is pretty good going...in the wife's Golf and in my Civic saloon (similar footprint to an E90 3-series, bit more rear legroom), the Maxfix wouldn't really go behind the driver's seat even with it set up for Becs (5'3").In any case, we sold the Corsa, and now have a 3 year old Honda Insight. Which I really, really like
Are there any rear-facing seats that turn to the side (like the Maxi-Cosi Axiss does) to make it easier to get the kidlet in and out?
Baby girl, 15 months old, should hopefully just have reached 9kg by the time she comes home in just over a week. I'm being given an Axiss but I really want her rearfacing if it's even remotely possible.
She has quite pronounced muscle spasticity and doesn't tolerate a baby seat any more - possibly the curved shape is just not compatible with her body. I understand the foster carers are already using a group 1 seat with her - alas there's nothing I can do about that.
Her head control is very poor so the more recline/tilt the seat can have, the better.
No isofix; will probably/ideally be using it on the front passenger seat of a Sprinter. No airbags to worry about. Not sure if the seat height makes a floor anchor impossible.
Baby girl, 15 months old, should hopefully just have reached 9kg by the time she comes home in just over a week. I'm being given an Axiss but I really want her rearfacing if it's even remotely possible.
She has quite pronounced muscle spasticity and doesn't tolerate a baby seat any more - possibly the curved shape is just not compatible with her body. I understand the foster carers are already using a group 1 seat with her - alas there's nothing I can do about that.
Her head control is very poor so the more recline/tilt the seat can have, the better.
No isofix; will probably/ideally be using it on the front passenger seat of a Sprinter. No airbags to worry about. Not sure if the seat height makes a floor anchor impossible.
Edited by BlackVanDyke on Saturday 8th March 15:01
I don't think it's possible my dear. I only know of the axiss however I found this site http://www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/children/car-seat...
Chairs expensive but they have the swivel base added. I don't think at your little ones age having her in the front seat but rear facing is possible or allowed. A seat for her age might obstruct your view of mirror as it will have a high back rest.
Hope that helps.
Chairs expensive but they have the swivel base added. I don't think at your little ones age having her in the front seat but rear facing is possible or allowed. A seat for her age might obstruct your view of mirror as it will have a high back rest.
Hope that helps.
That's a big help, thankyou - it's confirmed what I suspected so I won't spend more energy chasing around after solutions. Other seat option is RIGHT at the back of the vehicle, which I think would be much worse as it'd stop me from being able to keep an eye on her - mirrors are well and good but it's a Sprinter, we'd need more like a periscope!
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