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Car seats

which seat??! so overwhelmed!

48 replies

Copps · 02/03/2013 18:55

Can anyone please give me advice about which car seat to buy my lo. I need a group 1 seat (preferably) for when he grows out of his infant carrier. I have isofix points in my car, but not fussed if i use them or not... just so overwhelmed by all the styles and choices!!!

OP posts:
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upinthehills · 02/03/2013 18:58

I have always bought Maxi Cosi - seem really well made. So started with the Cabrio fix, then the Tobi, now they are both in a Rodi.

Tobi was the safest non-isofix at the the time as I didn't have them.

Why don't you pay the £1 for a month's access to Which and see what their current stage 1 car seats reviews are saying.

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lagoonhaze · 03/03/2013 16:08

rearfacing is five times safer. I would look at //www.rearfacing.co.uk and //www.securatot.co.uk

There is also a facebpok page here

www.facebook.com/#!/RearFacingTheWayForward?fref=ts

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Copps · 06/03/2013 17:36

yes i know, but just can't afford an erf seat.

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lagoonhaze · 06/03/2013 19:42

Just making you aware. They start at £220 and last ages. We couldn't afford one either so asked for money instead of presents and I sold old clothes too to find it.

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MamaBlue4 · 11/03/2013 15:21

I have the Cybex Sirona. It's on isofix base that rotates so it's easier to put baby in and take out. It can be used from birth to about 18kg - my 4 year old still fits his and probably will for another year.

It's a little heavy but it's not like you'll be moving it constantly. It's a little pricey but for what you're getting, it's worth the price. I'd recommend it.

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MamaBlue4 · 11/03/2013 15:21

Oh and it's rear facing up to 18kg too :)

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Titchyboomboom · 11/03/2013 15:25

Kiddy energy pro strapless job with bolster. Love it

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Titchyboomboom · 11/03/2013 15:26

Next safest to rear facing ... Look at the research, amazing

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BertieBotts · 11/03/2013 15:27

I had a Kiddy seat which has an impact shield rather than harness and found it great - they get really good safety ratings too.

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lagoonhaze · 11/03/2013 15:52

Have you guys seen the recent safety alert on impact shields

Britax have issued it, kiddy have come out defending it, but there was also a report from a few months back. will try and link it

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lagoonhaze · 11/03/2013 15:56
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becoolandsafe · 12/03/2013 23:19

Why do formula one drivers have 6 point harnesses rather than impact shields? I'll leave you with that one... ;)

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BertieBotts · 12/03/2013 23:26

I haven't lagoon but we're not using the seat any more anyway as DS is in a booster now. I'll have a look.

Becoo formula one drivers have much smaller heads in relation to their bodies than toddlers, though.

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BertieBotts · 12/03/2013 23:28

lagoon that compares shield seats with rear facing seats ... it's well known that rear facing is safer. I'd be interested if there is evidence that impact shields are less safe than 5 point forward facing harnesses, though.

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onetwothreefourfive · 13/03/2013 08:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

kernewek79 · 13/03/2013 11:54

Hmm, Britax have released a safety alert about a type of seat that they don't manufacture. In the same way they are trying to discredit ERF systems through the BPA
What a surprise

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lenats31 · 13/03/2013 17:58

kernewek79

Britax used to produce shield seats. I know some Britax staff. They don´t discredit rearfacing seats.

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lenats31 · 13/03/2013 18:03

pressed "enter" too soon.

Basically they sell rearfacing car seats under circumstances that every single child car seat ought to be sold.

No car seat manufactoerer prefer sales over the internet. However the market has evolved in this direction and so they have to accept it.

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kernewek79 · 13/03/2013 19:58

I'm not sure why you are going into selling seats on the Internet. That is not the point I am making. The Baby Products Association have released several statements promoting forward facing over rear facing. Brutal executives are quite well represented on the BPA board.
Now, in the face of increasing competition from manufacturers such as Kiddy, Cybex, Recaro etc utilising they seem to feel the need to commission a very questionable study through whoever it is using very questionable statistics (5-10%) that attempts to discredit true independent tests just stinks of desperation and I think Kiddy's response is wholly justified

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kernewek79 · 13/03/2013 19:59

Doh, predictive type! Britax not brutal!

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BertieBotts · 13/03/2013 20:05

12345, thanks, but again, that article is irrelevant because it's from 2000 - it's 13 years old and in no way relevant to car seats which are around today.

I understand that in the US, car seats with restraining systems similar to impact shields were used previously and retracted because of safety concerns. I understood that the shield seats which are around today (Kiddy etc) are made differently to these and hence don't have the same problems that the older shield seats used in the US had. Much like old-style carry cots are now considered lethal in a car but specially designed carrycots like the Britax Babysafe Sleeper are fine.

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lenats31 · 13/03/2013 20:17

Would it help, if I told you that a the neck loads in a Kiddy shield seat proved NOT to be any lower than forward facing seats with a harness system? Also, another Kiddy shield seat was put to the test at VTI in 2012 (Plus test) but failed miserably despite the fact that the test had been carried out somewhat milder than usual?

Furthermore, serious injuries to the neck and the abdomen have been reported in shield seats even at low speed- at least one of them was seated in a Kiddy seat.

The manufactorers are not the only ones to raise concerns about this type of seat.

Why do you bring up Recaro?. They don´t make them.

Britax not brutal....well all I can say NOT those that I know.

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lenats31 · 13/03/2013 20:20

BertieBotts

That study is old, but nothing has changed. there is another one from december 2012.

And you are absolutely right about this type of seat being retracted on the US market due to safety concerns.

That is also the reason that long stnading companies such as Britax, Besafe, Maxi Cosi etc and Recaro too, run so fast away from them you are unable to write down the speed.

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lenats31 · 13/03/2013 20:27

Sorry, misread it

Recaro are on the other side

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FlyingUmbrella · 13/03/2013 20:35

OP,
DS has just moved out of his infant carrier and into a Britax first class plus which allows him to continue to RF until he's 13KG. The only downside is its a pretty big seat but he's comfy in it. Much happier than in the infant carrier. It is also ff from 9KG to 18KG but I'd rather him RF for as long as possible.
ERF was out of our price range too and nowhere sold them locally so we couldn't have one fitted properly. The Britax was installed and we were shown how to fit it ourselves too.
HTH, Its pretty tough choosing the right seat for DC, especially with so much conflicting reporting about which seat is safest.

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