What is the safest HBB?

[TokenGirl1]

I'm looking for a HBB for when my son is 5 as he will have outgrown the Two Way Elite on weight.

He is very tall and will be 135cm by about age 8 but I want him to be in the HBB until 150cm, partly because his big sister will be in hers until he is 11 as she's tiny.

He still sleeps regularly in the car and so a recline would be preferable as would ISOFIX. Money is no object when it comes to car seats, would rather just get the best.

Does anyone know of a really good HBB that would meet this criteria? Thanks.

[AliceMum09]

I would say look at the fancy (£100 +) Britax ones. I have a standard KidFix high backed booster that's a couple of years old, it's ISOFIX and I really like it. It has a slight recline, but you are never going to get a massive recline on a high backed booster otherwise I imagine the child would be in danger of sliding out under the seatbelt in the event of a crash.

There are more advanced versions of my seat that have side cushions, they look really good but with having three children in car seats they are too wide to allow 3 seats to fit in the back of my car. There is also one with some sort of chest pad that goes on the seatbelt to absorb the forces in the event of a crash. That seat looks good too.

You are right to want to use the high backed booster for as long as possible. I believe 150cm is the minimum height to sit without a booster in most of the rest of Europe, as opposed to the 135cm limit in the UK. My son is 133cm tall and will be 9 in November. If I sit him in our car without a car seat I can see that there is no way he will be ok without a seat any time soon. The seatbelt is still across his neck and his thigh bones need to grow at least another inch in order for his knees to be at the edge of the seat and for him to be able to bend his legs down to the floor.

This is a good guide as to when it's ok to stop using a booster seat:

www.facebook.com/RearFacingToddlers/photos/pb.282362311907625.-2207520000.1408480491./473186716158516/?type=3&theater

[TokenGirl1]

Thanks for the advice and the link.

[HavanaSlife]

We bought a britax evolva 123, the recline was useless and I have just replaced it with the joie stages as the recline is much better, however I think the weight limit is less on the joie than the britax

[HavanaSlife]

Yes joie stages is only 25 kg britax is 36.

Cosatto do one with a good recline that's up to 36 kg for just under £200 I'm not sure how it rates for safety though.

We found getting one with a good recline really difficult but we couldn't stretch over £150 due to already having bought the britax and having to also buy ds4 an erf

[HavanaSlife]

If money is no object though I'd look into a hbb that's harnessed over 18 kg, they are around 250, not sure about the recline but staying in a 5 point harness for as long as possible is safer than using just the seat belt

[TokenGirl1]

Yes, thinking about getting a HBB and buying a harness that fits on it. Will eventually seek advice on that from the harness manufacturer but interested in people's experience/recommendations of HBB's. Thanks so far for your tips :-)

[HavanaSlife]

Both the hbb I have for ds3 have a harness, you are supposed to take them off at 18 kg when you stop using the seatbelt round the back of the carseat but ive kept them on so he has the harness and the seat belt round the front, ive found it keeps him in the right position when hes a sleep better than just using the seat belt.

The only issue anyone can give me with doing this is it would take longer for emergency services to release him from the carseat.

However they tend to cut through the seatbelts anyway so its a bit of a non issue

[TokenGirl1]

That's worth knowing about the emergency thing. I guess I can keep scissors in the glove box as a back up plan :-)