Discussion
I've done a search for this and not come up with anything concrete so here's my question:
I've got a baby and a 3 year old and I'm going to be looking for another ISOFIX seat for the baby in a few weeks - I've done some research and it seems that there are only 2 companies that make ISOFIX seats for less than £200 - Britax and Maxi-Cosi. (I currently have a Britax seat for the 3 year old which is fine, but I'm considering alternatives)
Is that the case, I would have thought that ISOFIX has been around for long enough for more manufacturers to have built seats?
Also, where's the best place to get them from?
[I've purposely discounted Recaros as they are only "Isofix compatible" for £150+ - you need an Isofix base to make it properly compatible which seems like an oxymoron to me.]
I've got a baby and a 3 year old and I'm going to be looking for another ISOFIX seat for the baby in a few weeks - I've done some research and it seems that there are only 2 companies that make ISOFIX seats for less than £200 - Britax and Maxi-Cosi. (I currently have a Britax seat for the 3 year old which is fine, but I'm considering alternatives)
Is that the case, I would have thought that ISOFIX has been around for long enough for more manufacturers to have built seats?
Also, where's the best place to get them from?
[I've purposely discounted Recaros as they are only "Isofix compatible" for £150+ - you need an Isofix base to make it properly compatible which seems like an oxymoron to me.]
james_tigerwoods said:
[I've purposely discounted Recaros as they are only "Isofix compatible" for £150+ - you need an Isofix base to make it properly compatible which seems like an oxymoron to me.]
Why is it an oxymoron? It simply means that it doesn't come with Isofix latches unless you install the base? It works well enough for the Britax infant carrier we have for our 4 month old. (In fact, I think it may be the ONLY way you can get Isofix with an infant carrier, since they're rear-facing. I know larger front-facing seats tend to have the fixings attached to the seat themselves)
Lurking Lawyer said:
james_tigerwoods said:
[I've purposely discounted Recaros as they are only "Isofix compatible" for £150+ - you need an Isofix base to make it properly compatible which seems like an oxymoron to me.]
Why is it an oxymoron? It simply means that it doesn't come with Isofix latches unless you install the base? It works well enough for the Britax infant carrier we have for our 4 month old. (In fact, I think it may be the ONLY way you can get Isofix with an infant carrier, since they're rear-facing. I know larger front-facing seats tend to have the fixings attached to the seat themselves)
jr@ said:
ignor that, thats for 8months onwards 
That's fine - I forgot to say that the baby will be 9 months and will be wanting a front facerAnd yes, it's for the Passat but also for the OH's Honda Jazz
james_tigerwoods said:
Because the seat isn't Isofix, the base is - the seat happens to snap onto the base - I'd rather a seat that I can move easily.
But you CAN move the seat easily. There's a one-button quick release mechanism. You leave the base in the car and just clip the seat onto it when you travel 
As I said, I'm not sure you can even get a stage 1 seat that has the fixings on the seat itself without needing a base.
james_tigerwoods said:
ascayman said:
my wife wants one of these isofix bases are they really nessasary?
For 9 months plus, I fail to see the need for a base AND a seatThe woman in Mothercare took pity on my ignorance (first time parent!
) and explained that stage 2 and upwards seats generally come with their own fixings attached to the seat, and so they clip straight to the hooks in the car, as opposed to needing a base like the stage 1 carrier.ascayman said:
my wife wants one of these isofix bases are they really nessasary?
no base is necessary, but it can be very handy - much easier to just drop a seat onto a pre-located base. A shopping trip comprising of more than 3 stops gets seriously f
king annoying when you have to start belting the seat in every 10 minutes.Just don't listen to the knob ends that offer you a "fitting session", utter toss it really is. For starters they told me that our car had problems "because of the plastic belt buckle". Erm, its plastic moulding over a 1/4" thick lump of chromed steel. "yes but the plastic might 'crunch' in an accident". Erm, how? It's wrapped around a 1/4" lump of chromed steel.
Retards.
When I'm switching cars, I like my ISOFIX seat as I pop 2 clips and it's out - 2 clips in and a little handle twist and it's back in.
If I'm switching the seats from car to car and I'm popping it into bases, that's fine, it's easy - I'll agree with you, but at £150 for a Recaro seat and £50+ for each base - it gets expensive....
If I'm switching the seats from car to car and I'm popping it into bases, that's fine, it's easy - I'll agree with you, but at £150 for a Recaro seat and £50+ for each base - it gets expensive....
Check eBay James. We bought 2 MaxiCosy Isofix bases for about £80 each. And the best bit is, when you come to sell the base, you'll get 90% of your money back. If you buy at a keen price, you could possibly even MAKE money from it.
People seem reluctant to buy 2nd hand car seats. My wife wouldn't even entertain the idea for our first child but having bought seats for both of our cars, my parents (who look after our eldest from time to time), and our 2 (yes TWO) different child minders, she took a slightly softer approach when our 2nd baby was born, and when we needed to buy bigger seats for the eldest.
People worry that if the seat has been in a crash it could be compromised. Trust me - an ABS moulded seat will be either visually knackered or perfectly OK. It's a bit black and white.
Given my wife's softened approach, we would have bought the additional 2-3 size seats for our eldest from eBay but there are simply none available. It seems the industry and buying public didn't really catch onto Isofix until quite recently, so the size of seats that will last a child until he/she is 12yo just aren't available 2nd hand yet.
Indicentally, I understand your requirement for an Isofix seat to move between cars, but there isn't one for rear facing baby seats. They need a base, so do as we did and buy 2 bases from ebay for about the price of one from Mothercare/etc. Getting the baby seat off a base is a LOT easier than removing a seat from the Isofix fitting, expecially as you'll be lifting the baby seat's handle with one hand, leaving only one hand free to pull the release handle.
Oh, and we're definitely a fan of Britax. We only went with MaxiCosy for the new nipper because my brother lent his to us, which fits nicely on a Quinny Zap frame. We got fed up with the fancy trollies available from John Lewis etc after lugging them around with the eldest. This time we went for lightweight and small-when-folded.
People seem reluctant to buy 2nd hand car seats. My wife wouldn't even entertain the idea for our first child but having bought seats for both of our cars, my parents (who look after our eldest from time to time), and our 2 (yes TWO) different child minders, she took a slightly softer approach when our 2nd baby was born, and when we needed to buy bigger seats for the eldest.
People worry that if the seat has been in a crash it could be compromised. Trust me - an ABS moulded seat will be either visually knackered or perfectly OK. It's a bit black and white.
Given my wife's softened approach, we would have bought the additional 2-3 size seats for our eldest from eBay but there are simply none available. It seems the industry and buying public didn't really catch onto Isofix until quite recently, so the size of seats that will last a child until he/she is 12yo just aren't available 2nd hand yet.
Indicentally, I understand your requirement for an Isofix seat to move between cars, but there isn't one for rear facing baby seats. They need a base, so do as we did and buy 2 bases from ebay for about the price of one from Mothercare/etc. Getting the baby seat off a base is a LOT easier than removing a seat from the Isofix fitting, expecially as you'll be lifting the baby seat's handle with one hand, leaving only one hand free to pull the release handle.
Oh, and we're definitely a fan of Britax. We only went with MaxiCosy for the new nipper because my brother lent his to us, which fits nicely on a Quinny Zap frame. We got fed up with the fancy trollies available from John Lewis etc after lugging them around with the eldest. This time we went for lightweight and small-when-folded.
My marriage wouldn't have survived without Isofix anchor points. If I was forever faffing around with seatbelts I would have walked out.
For newborns up to 9 months: Isofix base and Britax Cosytot Premium rear-facing seat
From 9 months: Britax Duo-Plus.
I bought them new from Ebay shops.
For newborns up to 9 months: Isofix base and Britax Cosytot Premium rear-facing seat
From 9 months: Britax Duo-Plus.
I bought them new from Ebay shops.
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