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Isofix car seat or not?

20 replies

SomehowSomewhere1 · 26/10/2017 16:30

I’ve 90% chosen my pram / travel system but the car seat isn’t isofix compatible. Is that a no go?

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ASqueakingInTheShrubbery · 26/10/2017 16:35

Seatbelt seats are equally as safe as long as they're used correctly. The advantage of isofix is that it's harder to make a user error.

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ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay · 26/10/2017 16:35

No no no no. Isofix is an absolute must. Total pain in the arse not having it.

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Mummaofboys · 26/10/2017 16:44

I haven't got an isfofix with my little one this time around and it only takes an extra minuet to fit it.

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Choccyhobnob · 26/10/2017 16:53

Having had isofix I couldn't imagine not having it for the baby seat, I took it in and out of the car/clipped it on and off of the pushchair multiple times a day. I bought an isofix maxi cosi car seat and adaptors so that it would fit on the silvercross pram base. I thought £30 for 2 bits of plastic was crazy but it was 100% worth it!

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Choccyhobnob · 26/10/2017 16:55

Safety wise it's fine by the way and I suppose if you've never had it you wouldn't miss it but the few times I used the car seat in a car without isofix and had to buckle it in I thought "bugger doing this every time!!"

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repetitionrepetition · 26/10/2017 16:56

I would always use an isofix personally

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dementedpixie · 26/10/2017 16:57

I didn't use isofix with either of mine. I did have an in car base for the infant carrier so the seat just clipped on and off of that

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HeyThatsNotMyName · 26/10/2017 17:00

In my experience, isofix makes like so much easier. Especially when having to juggle so many other factors when out and about. It’s one less thing to think about!

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Lules · 26/10/2017 17:00

I don't have one and don't find it an issue at all. It doesn't take long, I walk a lot more than use the car though.

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Choccablock · 26/10/2017 17:04

I'd recommend using an isofix. It's so much quicker to fix. With a seatbelt fit you have to (or are supposed to) adjust it every time you use it.

I don't feel safe putting my baby in a seatbelt fit (his grandmother has one which she uses when she looks after him)

Also.... The new regulations next year will require all carseats to be 'ISIZE'. Check that the one you are buying is isize. I would hate to get caught out by that!

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Orangebird69 · 26/10/2017 17:04

Isofix is handy when in the Group 0 stage when you do tend to have the car seat in and out but after that, it's no big bonus tbh.

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Only1scoop · 26/10/2017 17:06

Isofix only

Especially from birth

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SomehowSomewhere1 · 26/10/2017 17:09

Thank you everyone! Off to a Mothercare event - now know what to look for!

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dementedpixie · 26/10/2017 17:22

When the regulations change it will not affect a cat seat you have already bought or are using. It will only affect cat seats that are being sold. There isn't even a fixed date for when that will be either. If you buy a non iSize seat it will still be able to used even when regulations change. ISize seats are all isofix

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dementedpixie · 26/10/2017 17:23

An in car base on a non isofix seat is what I used. Saved fiddling with the seat belt every time

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prettyprettyprettyprettyghoul · 26/10/2017 17:33

We also had a base for the car (not in UK). Before coming here I had no idea that baby seats (group 0) could be used just with a seatbelt! Seems mad, mainly because it’s way too much hassle to put it in and out each time.

If you have a base; then non-isofix is fine. Without; I’d choose isofix for convenience.

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BertieBotts · 26/10/2017 17:46

Be careful not to conflate isofix and fixed Base as they arent the same thing.

Isofix just refers to the fitting method - seatbelt or isofix, which are little clips installed in the back seats of most cars. Isofix removes any room for user error but a proper seatbelt fit is just as safe.

Base or not means whether you have to fit the car seat directly into the car by seatbelt or Isofix, or whether you fit a fixed base unit into the car and then just click the seat onto the base.

If you want a fixed base, which is what most posters seem to be talking about, then it will be the base itself which is fitted with seatbelt or Isofix. Therfore you don't need to fit it every time because you're not taking the base out of the car every time.

Check if your car seat says non Isofix whether it means there is no Base at all or it just means there is only a seatbelt fitted Base. I think all infant car seats can be directly fitted with a seatbelt anyway, whether they are compatible with a base or not, so this may also be confusing.

I size is something completely different (except that all I size seats are isofiz) and it's not true that you won't be able to use non I size seats next year. Any seat you buy from a proper retailer you can legally use until it's reached the end of its life whether the rules for new seats sold change or not. Plus I don't think there even is any I size rule change planned next year.

Then of course there is a whole other question of whether you want the seat which goes onto the pram or whether you want to get a seat which is designed to stay in the car, perhaps usable for longer.

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BertieBotts · 26/10/2017 17:49

What car seat is it?

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FuzzyOwl · 26/10/2017 17:54

I’ve had both and a seat belt fastened stage 0 seat can be correctly and safely put in the car within seconds once you know what you are doing.

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squadronleader87 · 26/10/2017 18:16

We've gone for isofix - the Maxi-cosi base we bought has lights that tell you whether the seat is correctly installed or not. I'm a worrier so need the reassurance.

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