Cosatto Hug (+/- isofix)

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

So, looking at the big expenses before our first born (so complete novice here!) arrives.

Car seats - complicated much?

I'm liking the look of the Cosatto Hug. We have 2 cars and would need 2 seats. I'm looking at the isofix option for my car and the non isofix for my husband's.

Can anyone offer any feedback on these seats/Cosatto seats in general, or recommend anything else?

www.cosatto.com/shop/car-seats/child-car-seats

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Cosatto seats don't tend to score that well on safety tests. They pass the legal minimum but aren't tested to the same level as some of the other brands.

The Hug is forward facing only so nowhere near as safe as a rear facing seat and only legal from 9kg (not necessarily the same as safe). So you'd also need an infant carrier.

Your best bet would be to buy one infant carrier (Maxi Cosi, Joie, Britax, Cybex, Be Safe are all good brands). Then once your baby is here, decide if you need two immediately (most people don't whilst one person is on mat leave).

Also join the Facebook group 'Car Seat advice uk' to learn more about car seats and rear facing. I would recommend you use an infant carrier and then get an extended rear facing seat to last you until at least 4 years (25kg seats are the best but you might be ok with an 18kg seat if your baby isn't too high on the centiles- stuff you'll find out once they're here!)

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

We already have a travel system with infant car seat. It seems incredibly difficult to find any safety testing info about any seats!

[Littlejayx]

Hi I have this! It’s really good and I easy to clean. Very easy to fit as well!

This was fitted and recommended by mothercare. I honestly don’t follow the car seat scare club, if they were not safe they would not sell them.

[Anotherdayanotherdollar]

You'll find a lot of safety info on the t.v. page mentioned above. Its a v busy page so they only open posting periodically.
If your baby isn't even born yet don't be worrying about the next stage seat. Some babies will fit (height and weight) into the infant carrier for a good 15-18 months. Any number of newer/safer models could be released in the meantime.

As was also previously mentioned, extended rear facing is 5 times safer than forward facing. Its definitely worth looking into.

[Anotherdayanotherdollar]

I honestly don’t follow the car seat scare club, if they were not safe they would not sell them

What a ridiculous thing to say. Many, many seats have passed the basic requirements e.g. nania, cuggl and other own brands. The minimum standard is that they are safe in a crash travelling at a speed of 30mph or less. Some of these seats failed when travelling at 32mph.
There are numerous other products that are on the market that aren't "safe" but they're still allowed to sell them! The nhs advise against using them (e.g. sleep positioned, cot bumpers), but its up to people to do their research and make an informed choice.

[Littlejayx]

Everyone is entitled to a opinion another, no need for the sass. I bought mine with a car seat specialist in a baby store. I am happy with my choice of car seat. Any seat would be safer in a crash than having no seat.
Please don’t scaremonger.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Forward facing vs rear facing isn't scaremongering; it's physics. Anybody travelling in a car/bus would be safer rear facing (other than the driver for obvious reasons). That's a fact, not one group's opinion.

Unfortunately in the U.K. we don't have a good selection of car seat specialists so people rely on the advice of high street store where staff are woefully lacking in knowledge and only given basic information on the products they sell. Sweden has the best child car safety record in the world and they don't even sell the forward facing seats that are the norm here, they just aren't safe for small children.

Yes a car seat is better than no car seat. Yes all car seats on sale have passed a legal minimum test. Does that mean all car seats are safe? Not by a long shot.

If anybody is interested, google the legal minimum for car seats. It chilled me. Especially having had a car written off whilst driving on a 30mph road and seeing he carnage there. Legal most definitely isn't safe.

[Littlejayx]

I take your points, I just answered a question asked by the OP, I’m happy with my choice.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Op I wouldn't worry about your next stage seat for now then, you should get a year in your infant seat. If you're on a budget, it would be a good idea to start putting money away if you can because then you'd have the best choice in a years time.

You can find some safety testing if you google ADAC and use google translate. Otherwise, the better known brands like I mentioned plus the ERF specialists do far more extensive testing on their seats so you're in much better hands.

The Swedish Plus test is the hardest car seat test to pass so it's well worth investigating the seats that have passed that.

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

The main reason we're looking now is because financially, things are going to be very tight whilst I'm on maternity leave so therefore trying to do the big expenses whilst we have 2 full wages coming in (we both earn less than £20k each so will definitely feel SMP!) We've also been told the infant car seat will be ok for "about the first 9 months or until baby's head extends beyond the top" - given that we are both over 6' tall, we're expecting a big baby so thinking we're likely to need to go up to the next stage before 9 months (ie before we're back to two wages again, although I'll only be going back part time)

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

In that case I'd seriously consider the Britax Two Way Elite. It's cheaper than the Hug and incomparable in terms of safety.

Also if the baby is likely to be tall, you won't get the years of use out of an 18kg seat because they're likely to outgrow the harness.

Do you need a second seat because you'll be sharing childcare drop offs or is it just to save switching the seat? Because the Two Way Elite is also really easy to move between cars if you get an extra set of tethers (these anchor the car seat to the seat in front).

It's about £185 and you can get it online from the In Car Safety centre. They'll provide support with fitting if you need it as well and I think they may have offered payment plans but you would have to check on that one. Otherwise they're another great source of advice if you live close to one.

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

@teaandbiscuitsforme thanks for the recommendation, will have a look later.

Will need 2 as I'll be dropping off at nursery and husband picking up and vice versa (we're staggering our work hours to cut down on nursery fees a bit). One will permanently be in my car and then one predominantly in my husband's but taken out and used in grandma's when necessary. I do most of the driving and if we go anywhere together, we always take my car.

[Anotherdayanotherdollar]

Everyone is entitled to a opinion another, no need for the sass

As I said, people need to do their research and make an informed choice! But opinion is just that, opinion! Fact is fact!

OP, if baby's length is in their legs rather than their height you'll likely get longer out of the infant carrier. If money is tight try to put the money aside while you can rather than spending big money in a seat that doesn't suit! You might get a good offer nearer the time you need it. The britax two way elite mentioned above is a good bit cheaper in Ireland, not sure if it would be worth shipping it over when the time comes.

[BertieBotts]

I think your 9 months info you've been told is quite likely to be a miscommunication, unless the seat you have with the pushchair is extremely small, which is sometimes the case with some of the cheaper travel systems. If this is the case it will be marked as Group 0 if you look under the seat, rather than Group 0+ which is what size standard infant seats are these days. It's important to be aware of which one you have as a Group 0 seat will have a weight limit of 9 or 10 kilos whereas a Group 0+ will be safe to use until 13 kilos (though most babies outgrow in length before weight.)

It used to be advised that parents move their child out of an infant seat at about 9 months but this is not advised any more, and I'm wondering if this is where your info has come from, particularly if it was a pushchair salesperson who told you. Most Group 0+ seats will easily fit an average sized baby until about 15-18 months old. A big baby might outgrow this by about a year. It's extremely rare for them to genuinely outgrow a baby seat anywhere before 9 months old, let alone significantly before. With i-size infant seats, which are typically around the same size as Group 0+ seats anyway, you normally have a max height/length of around 85cm. As tea says if the length is in the legs then it can last even longer. The range of reaching even 80cm (for some leeway) on the higher centiles is anywhere from 12 months at the 99th centile to 15 months, at the 50th centile.

Personally I think it is a false economy to buy any seat which includes a booster as one of the stages unless it is the best seat for the job. You can buy a decent HBB for £50-60 and the products on offer after 4-5 years change a lot - it's worth waiting.

It is also worth being aware that some of the Group 0/1/2 seats, especially ERF are suitable from 4 or 6 months rather than being suitable from birth and offer longer rear facing.

This is what I would do personally:

• For now, use the infant seat which came with your pushchair in all cars. This buys you time and means you can wait and see how big your baby really is (they may gain their height as a teenager).
  
• Before your return to work, research ERF seats which start from about 4-6 months and purchase one of these to install in most often-used car. Keep baby seat for use in second/third car.
  
• When your baby's head is around an inch from the top of the baby seat, check their weight and age, and begin to research next-stage seats for the second/third car. It may be at this point you're happy to go with a Group 1 only or Group 1/2/3 depending on the age and size of your child. Or possibly, another seat including Group 0 would be more suitable.