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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy a bog standard car seat...

109 replies

Lalalax3 · 15/05/2016 19:11

... for (huge) 20 mth old son? I got a £40 Halfords essentials job and am feeling deeply guilty that we don't have a £300 extended rear facing thing like a lot of DS's contemporaries do.

He doesn't want to rear face - HATES it, and I really couldn't see how a £150 Britax was any safer than the one I chose.

So AIBU? Do I take it back and buy something better? Surely they're all as safe as each other, right?!

OP posts:
purplefizz26 · 15/05/2016 19:14

It's totally upto you whether you have them rear or forward facing.

If, like mine, your DC get so worked up over rear facing that it stresses you out driving, it's safer for you being behind the wheel to have the DC forward face for a calmer atmosphere.

Regarding car seat price, I assume they all have to meet standards to be able to sell them. I wouldn't worry how much you spend aslong as it is brand new Smile

Original poster
Lalalax3 · 15/05/2016 19:24

Thanks! I really have been made to feel like I have compromised my son's safety by taking a cheaper one - but I can't see how it's less safe!

OP posts:
LarrytheCucumber · 15/05/2016 19:30

I think if you read Which? you might change your mind.

Andbabymakesthree · 15/05/2016 19:33

Yabu as you've clearly not done any research. Personally I'd want a seat that is crash tested to higher than 44.04 29mph with no mandatory side impact test.

Andbabymakesthree · 15/05/2016 19:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn.

EvansAndThePrince · 15/05/2016 19:38

YABU to think they're all the same, ERF is safer. So if you have the money, exchange it.

Having said that, we don't drive and my daughter goes in the grandparents/friends car about ones a week/fortnight and we couldn't afford an ERF one, and couldn't justify it for such little usage if we had had that little bit more money.

Miloarmadillo1 · 15/05/2016 19:39

I think YABU not to research it. I checked the Which reviews, that particular seat hasn't been reviewed but there are a lot of cheap seats in their "don't buy" section. In their tests car seats scored anywhere between 20% and 82% and all of those would have passed whatever the minimum standard is. I have no problem with my kids having supermarket value, second hand, hand me down, non branded stuff in general, but I would not skimp on a car seat.

SavoyCabbage · 15/05/2016 19:42

I've just spent a few years living in a country with fairly lax car seat laws. I could not get my head around the quality of the seats people were using. Polystyrene many of them. People seem to have cars seats more to comply with the law rather than to keep their dc safe.

Andbabymakesthree · 15/05/2016 19:43

If you look at the cheap seats being recalled they are all of similar build. Ie Chinese import models rebranded or team tex French seat. Mamas and Papas, fisher price and kiddu. Similar things happening in New Zealand too.

Miloarmadillo1 · 15/05/2016 19:43

www.which.co.uk/reviews/child-car-seats/article/how-we-test-child-car-seats You can do a £1 trial to access the full test results.

AdrenalineFudge · 15/05/2016 19:44

I think yabu for taking a bit of a fanciful view of this wrt if it's for sale then clearly it must meet the safety threshold. It doesn't work like that. I'm not saying you should re-mortgage your house to buy your son a child-safe seat but shop around and most definitely read reviews. The bar isn't set as high as you'd like to think.

SnuffleGruntSnorter · 15/05/2016 19:48

YABU for not researching it. The minimum standards they have to pass aren't great.

Waffles80 · 15/05/2016 19:53

Join the Facebook group "Car Seat Advice for Mummies and Daddies!".

Has excellent advice and guidance on car seats.

Artandco · 15/05/2016 19:55

I wouldn't. There are very diffenent quality of tests. For example the seat only has to not crumple at 30 miles per hour to be classified as safe. Personally I drive much faster on motorways so want kids in a seat that would survive a 70-80mile impact.
Many cheap seats are also only tested for front impacts, not rear or side impacts.

Hence many others are more expensive as have more rigorous testing and better materials

It's not a scare tactic. But I really wouldn't want a 20 month old forward facing. Their head is still way heavier in proportion to their body so would be flung forward and neck/ spinal injuries far worse than rear facing.

Hence why rear facing is now around as its not until 4-5 years a child becomes more proportionate

lljkk · 15/05/2016 19:55

yanbu. Having any seat that lets your child use the safety belt correctly reduces a huge amount of risk. The rear facing option makes a very small risk into a very very small risk. It's a modest improvement that of course has to be weighed up against other things.

The only person I slightly know IRL with a rear-face seat is also a MNer. You must look around & see most people don't bother. You didn't need to ask.

What I really want to say is...Please don't ask on MN if you're 2nd guessing yourself about something like this. Either trust yourself or ask people who understand the same things you have to juggle in life (like money & other priorities). All you get online are zealot replies.

cheapredwine · 15/05/2016 19:56

AFAIK which isn't much, currently having meltdown over car seat options for a newborn Halfords have a no returns policy on car seats

tobysmum77 · 15/05/2016 20:00

I agree llkk IRL I'm considered over zealous for using a high backed booster for my 7yo (of any type).

Original poster
Lalalax3 · 15/05/2016 20:08

I don't have £300, so cannot get an ERF seat. And I have looked at Which - but all the Group 1 seats were over £150. :(

OP posts:
AndNowItsSeven · 15/05/2016 20:14

No they aren't aver £150 if you buy on Amazon that's just the rrp.

Salene · 15/05/2016 20:17

I think you should spend the maximum amount you can afford you cannot put a price on your child's safety

So if that's all you can afford fine but if you have more to spend but chose not to them I think that's not ideal

LittleLionMansMummy · 15/05/2016 20:25

If you put a £300 car seat in a car that will crumple at high speed then it doesn't matter how safe the car seat is. So investing in a decent 5 star Euro NCAP family car is probably more important tbh.

Andbabymakesthree · 15/05/2016 20:27

ErF start at £65 Joie tilt. Depends on how big your large son is.
Im assuming you got a 123 halfords essentials. You could buy a Britax Evolva for £80/90 if you want a FF 123 seat.

RoseDawson · 15/05/2016 20:30

Can I ask- I know nothing about car seats - should a baby less than one year ever be front facing? Someone I know has just bought her baby (1yo at the end of June) a forward facing seat & I was surprised but know very little about this...

Salene · 15/05/2016 20:33

Rose no a 1 year old shouldn't be FF

There skeleton isn't strong enough. There is a new law in place but not in force yet which says no child under 15 months should ever be FF

It comes into force in 2018 I think

RoseDawson · 15/05/2016 20:37

It doesn't surprise me that they have failed to follow advice / incoming law. They are fairly lax parents at the best of times. Confused

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