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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be considering putting a 7kg child in a 9kg+ car seat

72 replies

strawberrycake · 20/02/2011 12:10

(Please note the 'considering', I haven't done it nor am I saying I will!)

Ds is 9.5 months and on the 98th centile for height. It's become pretty desperate with the car seat situation and we need a new one .Even though it claims to go up to 9kg he's sticking out the ends and it's not safe. Group 1 is 9kg+ and I'm wondering why. He's clearly tall enough/ big enough for them yet he's way off the weight limit as he's skinny.

So is 9kg a guide for the size of the child like they do with clothing, e.g. 3-6months 8kg, or is it something technical that requires a certain weight?

DH says group 1, I'm not sure.

OP posts:

bubbleymummy · 20/02/2011 16:28

atmywitsend - but what weight was he? He my have been too big height wise but if he was below 9kg he shouldn't have been put into a forward facing group 1 seat.

Original poster

strawberrycake · 20/02/2011 19:46

Well I got the rear/ forward facing seat I linked to, it seems good. A bitch to fit rear-facing but ds seems to like it (around 3 min until asleep in it). For £57.99 I'm happy.

I'm a bit at the poster who said it looked 'flimsy' from looking at the picture. I'd be surprised if they said that if it looked the same but had a £200 price tag, it's hardly a detailed picture. Rather than flimsy it's a bloody dead-weight, no saving on making it portable! Glad it won't have to be moved for 3 years or so. I'd recommend this seat to anyone on a budget.

OP posts:

OADCB · 20/02/2011 19:49

I'm the poster who said it looked flimsy. A friend had it and returned it.

I also had the 123stage baby start and returned it.

Each to their own but that's my opinion.

ArthurPewty · 20/02/2011 20:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

toeragsnotriches · 20/02/2011 20:39

Are you a member of Which? I think you can join for a month for free if not. They have excellent pro advice on this type of thing. Also, some councils (Bromley, Kent for example) have a seat fitting safety service. Although maybe not for much longer...

And we had a Britax First Class which was one of the ones you can turn front or back and it was great.

bubbleymummy · 20/02/2011 20:46

strawberrycake, I'm not being snobby either but I would want to know the seat that I bought was safe and I would second checking out the which? reports. You can sign up for a one month free trial for £1. It's not always about price - sometimes even expensive seats get a bad review and some of the less expensive ones do very well. Please check it out :)

atmywitssend · 20/02/2011 20:49

Bubbly - he was above 9kg - a big boy!

Original poster

strawberrycake · 20/02/2011 20:50

I did check reviews, they are good (go check)

OP posts:

Original poster

strawberrycake · 20/02/2011 20:55

To be blunt as well the 18 year old car the seat is in (possibly worth less than the seat) isn't great either. I hate this more but stuck with it for a while yet.

OP posts:

FannyFifer · 20/02/2011 21:00

That car seat you have bought, have seen it in the flesh and the sides are pretty shallow and don't offer much protection in comparison to other seats. Sorry.

tigitigi · 20/02/2011 21:00

just a question - where do kids put their legs in rear facing car seats. Ours were having real problems before we turned them forward.

OADCB · 20/02/2011 21:03

They mean the safety reviews.

To be blunt I drive an old car too so I made sure the seat had good protection

FannyFifer · 20/02/2011 21:06

If your car is old and crap you really really need to get the safest car seat that money can buy, it's really not worth the risk.

By reviews people mean the actual safety reviews not reviews from people who have bought it.

bubbleymummy · 20/02/2011 21:06

tigitigi - we have the besafe izi combi and there is a gap between the carseat and the seat of the car so plenty of room for legs :)

tigitigi · 20/02/2011 21:10

ours had that too - but then my DH could not sit in front of the car seat - he needs the seat back as far as it would go. we have a big car but this was a huge problem for us. Since we take turns driving and will often swap on long (6hr plus journeys) which we do regularly, it did not work for us so we had them facing backward for only a little while. Sounds great though if it is practical for you.

We did have them lay flat as babies though up to about 6 months - I can't stand those little crunch them up buckets kids get put in these days.

Gleekfreak · 20/02/2011 21:22

My DS-a big age 2.2 remains in a rear facing seat, and will do till he's 4 and at the recommended stage for forward facing. Research in scandinavian countries has shown that till 4 children with their weaker neck muscles, and big head/body weight ratio are at huge risk from internal decapitation in a crash. By changing laws over there, they have eradicated this type of injury in acr crashes. DS has loads of space for legs-is space in front of seat, or often sits cross legged. And honestly-those with "oh my DC would kick up a fuss", well, as far as I'mconcerned, for one, he has never faced forwards so doesn't know different, and two, it's safer.

bubbleymummy · 20/02/2011 21:27

What kind of car do you have tigi? Ours is a vauxhall astra so not big by any means! :) still plenty of leg room for both of us - although DH isn't 6' ! :)

Which lie flat seat did you use? We had the Jane matrix one for ds1 but then I saw the which reviews for it and was absolutely horrified! We have a maxi cosi cabriofix now that we moved ds1 into and then used from the start with ds2 but we never left them in it to carry them around. I really hate seeing babies left in them for hours :( I think there's a new lie flat car seat that got good which reviews ... Must look up its name.

OADCB · 20/02/2011 21:37

Britax babysafe sleeper. Lie flat seat

bubbleymummy · 20/02/2011 21:48

Thanks OADBC! I'm not sure we'd be able to fit one in for baby no 3 whenever he/she comes along. Already struggling to find a car that even has 3 isofix points in the back! (Apart from the fact that we can't afford a new car at the minute anyway!) :)

DancingThroughLife · 20/02/2011 21:55

We had the Britax Babysafe Sleeper (loved it) - DD is still nowhere near the 10kg weight limit at 9 months, but is too long for it now - her head won't fit in if her shoulders are the right place for the straps. So we've moved her into a Besafe Izi Combi, as she's obviously also nowhere near the 9kg limit for forward facing. Not that I'd want her forward facing yet anyway for some of the reasons outlined by other posters.

The Britax First Class was our initial choice, but it still felt like a compromise to me. Sadly, and luckily, we inherited some money just after Christmas so we could afford the BeSafe. It means I have to have my knees resting on the glove box, and DH can't be a passenger if I'm driving, but it seems a small price to pay for DD's safety until we can afford a bigger car.

foreverondiet · 20/02/2011 22:09

Its the weight thats important IIRC due to what would happen in a crash. You must have bought a very small car seat as both DD and DS1 were in their rear facing travel system car seats until closer to 18-20 months. Our travel system rear facing car seat is particularly big & it was fine to use on holiday (when travel system is handy) until 13kg at around 2.5 years old.

Ok if his head sticks out - as long as ears aren't over top.

If it really doesn't work, buy something like the britax first class and then once he is 9kg (or later) you can turn it around.

bubbleymummy · 20/02/2011 22:35

No forever - see the link I posted earlier to the maxi cosi website - if their head is over the top of the infant carrier it is too small for them! The ear/eye level measurement is for the stage 1 forward facing seats.

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