FAO: PH Dads - Would you buy a car without ISOFIX?

[LD1Racing]

So, ISOFIX, is it essential or a gimmicky marketing ploy. Would you be happy popping your offspring into a non-ISOFIX seat, into a car that didn't support it? Is the family wagon an inevitable part of having children nowadays?

Please tell me I can still buy my Defender.

[james_tigerwoods]

Me, personally, I wouldn't get a non-ISOFIX car, but not because of safety, but because of the hassle it can be to belt a seat securely in to the car.

Belting carseats in has been an accepted standard for ages - using ISOFIX means that they can be secure.

However - any car seat is only as secure as its installation.

Buy the car you want and make sure the car seat is installed in it, however you want it to be, safely and properly.

ETA - I've put our ISOFIX seat in to a non ISOFIX car on numerous occasions - it was secured properly (by me) and I was happy enough. Less happy the time it was fitted in to another car, by someone else, non-securely. My daughter actually has 3 car seats - one in my car, one in the OH's and one in the inlaws (it's easier that way) - the one in the inlaws car isn't ISOFIX and I'm happy as I know it's in their car properly.

Edited by james_tigerwoods on Tuesday 1st March 15:50

[groomi]

What are you going to do if you need two cars and will need to regularly swap the seats between them? Get two identical cars?

[pilchardthecat]

Yes.

A decent car seat with belt tensioner built in is just as solid and secure IMO. I have one of each in the family hack and you can't tell the difference.

[ewenm]

We don't have an Isofix base for our babyseat, and don't find securing the seat using the seatbelt to be difficult at all. Make sure the child is secured correctly in the seat and the seat is secured correctly in the car.

[Mr Will]

Boobles is the man to talk to, but we're doing quite happily without Isofix here. IMHO a good quality seat fitted properly is more important than the attachment method. Isofix is just a little easier to fit, but how often will you need to move the seat or seat base between cars?

p.s. My 2 year old daughter loved the PH Defender when I borrowed it

[Muncle Trogg]

I've not had ISOFIX seats for either of my 2 and not had any problems. Just make sure that you get a baby seat that fits your car properly, most retailers have trained staff that can help with this.

[LD1Racing]

groomi said:

What are you going to do if you need two cars and will need to regularly swap the seats between them? Get two identical cars?

Fortunately, neither of us use cars for work, so we will be settling for one for the time being. However, could i not just buy a seat for each car if we had more than one?

I'm kind of new to all this.

[anonymous-user]

Yes, it really isn't hard to fit a seat using a standard belt or swap between cars.

[Tycho]

I was happy putting my boy in a normal rear facing baby seat secured by the seat belt. He then went on to a forward facing seat in the back of the car and now uses a booster.

If I thought the seat belt wouldn't hold him safely in his seat then why would cars have them for adults? AFAIK Isofix is just as safe but meant to be easier to install and remove the seats.

[markh1973]

I've got teo cars, one with isofix and a seat permanently fitted, the other without and a non isofix seat permanently fitted. Both seats are securely fitted and both are very safe. I may be getting rid of the non-isofix car and will then seriously consider putting using the seat from that car all the time as I prefer it to the isofix seat.

[ewenm]

LD1Racing said:

Fortunately, neither of us use cars for work, so we will be settling for one for the time being. However, could i not just buy a seat for each car if we had more than one?

I'm kind of new to all this.

You could but you don't need to. Our babyseat will fit an Isofix base but doesn't need it, so it can be fitted in almost any car with 3-point belts.

[rob200sx]

We used ISOFIX for the baby seat until Matthew was old enough for the next seat up (front facing, bigger) at which point we found out we'd need to buy a different ISOFIX base because the next stage seat wasn't compatible, at £80+ for the isofix alone, we decided to just belt the seat up and it's been fine.

Downside of not using isofix though means the base of a toddler seat can ruin/deform the seat it's belted to.

[LD1Racing]

This is all very reassuring so far, looks like I won't be placed on a register or have child services breathing down my neck then. Just need to convince the O/H.

[Mr Will]

LD1Racing said:

Fortunately, neither of us use cars for work, so we will be settling for one for the time being. However, could i not just buy a seat for each car if we had more than one?

I'm kind of new to all this.

When they are little, get a seat with a base which stays attached to the car as you will want to lift the seat itself in and out very regularly (these are available non-isofix). For more than one car you can then just get a second base, rather than a whole second seat.

Once they get a little bit older, the seat will be staying in the car so you will probably want one per car.

[groomi]

LD1Racing said:

groomi said:

What are you going to do if you need two cars and will need to regularly swap the seats between them? Get two identical cars?

Fortunately, neither of us use cars for work, so we will be settling for one for the time being. However, could i not just buy a seat for each car if we had more than one?

I'm kind of new to all this.

Well you could if you're made of money I suppose.

[anonymous-user]

rob200sx said:

Downside of not using isofix though means the base of a toddler seat can ruin/deform the seat it's belted to.

I've got some grip mat thing in my car from Halfords which protects the leather. Seat not much different from someones fat ass IMO.


"Within the ideal test configuration, ISOFIX systems show no further benefit compared to traditional car seats. However, ISOFIX fittings are designed to solve the major problem encountered with traditional car seats: incorrect fitting."

[braddo]

I don't see isofix as essential at all (although i wouldn't say it's just a marketing ploy).

In both cases, it all comes down to the seat being properly secured. Read the instructions, get a demonstration of how the seat is properly fitted and Bob's your proverbial.

[Lucas North]

A seat belt will hold a really, really fat person, in their seat.

With that in mind, I'm quite happy using a car seat for my daughter in a car with no ISOFIX, as long as it's properly secured.

ISOFIX is just laziness really. It allows people to have just the base in their car, and then unclip the seat and lift it out. Usually clipping it straight into the pram to walk round Tesco, and then clip it back in to the ISOFIX base.

We'll gloss over the fact it's not good for a babies' back and joints to be in car seats for too long.

[ewenm]

Lucas North said:

ISOFIX is just laziness really. It allows people to have just the base in their car, and then unclip the seat and lift it out. Usually clipping it straight into the pram to walk round Tesco, and then clip it back in to the ISOFIX base.

I'd say convenience over laziness but the worry for me would be whether they know how to secure the seat in another car if they don't have the base (using a taxi for example). One thing not having the ISOFIX base should ensure is that someone knows how to fit their child's seat in any car (assuming they bothered to learn correctly in the first place).