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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want not want to fork out 350 quid for a rear facing toddler seat

128 replies

chairmanofthebored · 05/10/2012 14:29

I have looked at the scare mongering youtube videos about the dangers of internal decapitation, resulting from car crashes where the toddler was in a standard forward facing care seat. I then did a quick bit of research into the cost of the recommended rear facing seats. IT turns out they are bulky, difficult to fit in smaller cars, and also around the 350 quid mark.

Does anyone know of one that might be a bit cheaper? I am in danger of being either an over protective parent or a skinflint and I have to decide which!

OP posts:
AThingInYourLife · 05/10/2012 14:32

Go with skinflint. £350 for a slightly safer car seat is silly if you don't have it.

3monkeys3 · 05/10/2012 14:36

It is actually 5 times safer for under 2's to be rear facing - no contest for me and we bought the expensive rear facing seat. But I also spent quite a bit more than necessary on a car because of all the research I did on ncap - car safety is very important to me. I believe that the law is going to change soon anyway - with rear facing compulsory until 15 months and recommended until age 3.

Anotherusefulname · 05/10/2012 14:36

I think if you have the money you should buy one. I couldn't and hated knowing that my children weren't the safest they could be but I didn't have the money and drive a fiat panda so it was impossible. DD was 21 months before she outgrew her reversible seat in rear facing mode. She is nearly three now and I would still prefer her rear facing so unless driving is absolutly necessary we walk.

3monkeys3 · 05/10/2012 14:37

There is a recaro seat (you can get it in John Lewis) that is around £200 btw.

BartletForTeamGB · 05/10/2012 14:38

"scare mongering" or truth tellling?!

They are bulky, they are difficult to fit in smaller cars, and they are more expensive, but they mean that fewer children suffer severe injuries in accidents.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 05/10/2012 14:41

YANBU. Risk is relative and you can't eliminate all risk. If you really wanted to cut down your chances of being killed in an accident you'd trade in whatever you're driving for some top of the range Volvo.

worldgonecrazy · 05/10/2012 14:44

You may find it cheaper to buy one from a Volvo dealer - phone them and ask around.

They're not difficult to fit in smaller cars - my DD was in hers in a Nissan Micra for a long time. I'd put her in through the boot as it was a 3-door car.

It's not 'scare-mongering' either, it's fact-stating. Rear facing is safer - there is no disagreement on that.

cakebar · 05/10/2012 14:44

You can rationalise the cost if you look at it as part of your overall cost of driving. How much does motoring cost you per year - petrol, insurance, mot, tax, servicing, finance/saving for a replacement, it will be hundreds if not thousands per year.

Also look at it per use, over the lifespan, and again it's not that much.

AThingInYourLife · 05/10/2012 14:46

Five times safer than what?

If you really wanted to eliminate the risk you would get rid of your car and replace it with nothing.

zippey · 05/10/2012 14:54

We have a front facing one, we got it second hand from someone on gumtree.com, I think it was about £40 - still more than I wanted to pay (Id have prefered £20) but sometimes you have to spend that little bit extra for safety.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 05/10/2012 14:56

Zippey Hmm

naturalbaby · 05/10/2012 15:00

I'm sure there's a thread somewhere on MN with cheaper recommendations.

My baby was in his infant seat till 15months and we have a big 4x4 so my reasoning is he's in a safer car even if his car seat isn't the safest.

Badmood · 05/10/2012 15:09

How old is your child (sorry if you already said).

My son is currently 94cm in height - I Have just thrown another £200 at car saftey!

As he kept doing the Houdini impression and we spend so much time in the car I couldn't risk him not being strapped in properly and at the same time how are you supposed to pull over every 2 minutes on a motorway to restrap them!

We have just brought a Pallas 2 - mamas and papas. Having "umm'd" about it for a few weeks (having already spent £400+ on 2 rear facing car seats, one for each car) I only wish I had do it sooner.

The reports say it is second to a rear facing seat, but the design etc means still safer than a "normal" forward facing. Real plus point on justifying cost was it grows with him up until the stage he should no longer need a seat/booster.

We only brought the one as he is prodominatley in my car, and he seems to behave for his dad!

Read the saftey reports, and see how you feel. It was the best money I have spent in a while as know he is safer than before.

greensnail · 05/10/2012 15:13

You can get them quite a bit cheaper than £350 I think although I'm not really up to date. I paid less than £200 for ours but that was 3 years ago. It fits fine in our small car and it is actually easier to get dc in and out of than a forward facing seat - don't need to open door as widely to get them in.

I bought it for dd1 because at that time she was needing to be in the car on motorways etc most days and so it seemed worth the extra expense. Now dd2 is in it but we're only in the car a couple of days a week and rarely go on motorways or long journeys so if I didn't already have arearfacing seat I'm not sure I would bother paying extra for one as the risk of us being in an accident is much smaller.

silverten · 05/10/2012 15:17

I got a Volvo branded rear-facing one last year from my local dealership. I think it's a re-branded Britax one, cost about 180 quid. I had to push my dealer to order it in, they'd never heard of them and didn't know that Volvo did their own brand, but it was worth the effort.

I'd recommend it: it's very solid, heavy and good quality, got lots of adjustment in it and should last my DD til she's about 7 years old (assuming she doesn't grow faster than your average child!).

Bit pricier than many group 1+s, but I thought that if it was going to last several years the cost would even out in the long run. Plus the rear-facing extra safety, of course.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 05/10/2012 15:30

I'm in the same boat
Ds is only 6 months and a skinny little thing so I should have plenty of time but we will find it really hard to find £200 for s car seat. When I go back to work I'll go part time and we'll have very little spare cash, it'll take us 5 months to save the money!

badmood Re M&P Pallas. I used to world for them and got to spend the day at the test centre. The tester told me that after seeing so many tests that was the one he had for is grandchildren. :)

3monkeys3 · 05/10/2012 15:31

5 times safer than forward facing.

Tailtwister · 05/10/2012 15:32

They are expensive, there's no doubt about that. However, there are cheaper ones out there than £350 and quite a few which are fine in smaller cars.

I don't think the videos are scaremongering at all. They show genuine crash tests which show the possible injuries sustained when comparing ff to rf. I certainly don't think people who buy them are overprotective either.

The only way the cost is going to come down is if more people buy them There have been significant improvements over recent years with some major retailers stocking them. When we bought our first one (only a few years ago now) we had to import it from Sweden.

Principality · 05/10/2012 15:35

I have the Volvo one for the second car. It's easy to fit and move about. It also fits in small cars- I've had it in a polo and a micra!

I also have the besafe izi 3 or whatever its called. I'm very happy with it. We got it when ds was 14m and he is now 3 and still got growing room. I thinly we paid £310 ish.

everybodysang · 05/10/2012 15:36

I paid less than £200 for one about 6 months ago. And it was not hard to fit in our little Fiesta.

secondseverncrossing · 05/10/2012 15:40

Mine was less than £200 and fit just fine in the back of a VW Polo.

It's entirely up to you how you spend your money and prioritise.

However, I do think it's odd when people spend £700+ on a puschair/travel system that they get bored of after a few months but won't consider paying for rear facing seats.

maddening · 05/10/2012 15:40

We have the one that costs £350 and feel better for having it.

As we are planning to have 2 dc we will use it for up to 6/7 years overall so that will spread the cost.

My dh has a v good ff seat as ds only goes in his car once a month or so.

I quite fancy that egg cocoon one that wraps up around the dc in a crash but I couodnn't justify chucking away a good seat that I have.

I think like everything you research and then make the best parenting choices that you can within your budget.

secondseverncrossing · 05/10/2012 15:42

If you get the two way elite (which is what I have) you can also keep them in a harness past 18k which is also safer than using the adult seatbelt.

Stardust01 · 05/10/2012 15:44

We ordered a Britax Two-Way Elite from the In Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes.

It costs about £200 at the moment.

It has fitted into about ten different cars so far (we don't have our own car so hire cars, relatives' cars...), and some of those cars were small. It has actually been more versatile than my SIL's FF seat for DN.

DS (22mo) seems very happy in it.

TeWiDoesTheHulaInHawaii · 05/10/2012 15:44

The most important thing wrt car safety is that your child is wearing a seatbelt at all. 95% of children hurt in car crashes aren't.

Sitting in the back is also a big factor.

Rf is safer, but for me on my budget and lifestyle and for a lot of other parents ff is safe enough.

It's not something other people can decide for you.