To be so bloody confused about car seats?

[Bugsymalonemumof2]

I have a DS he is 2.4 months and 17.5kg. He has recently learnt to physically unclip his car seat harness so I'm trying to come up with a solution.

I stop as soon as I can but do lots and lots of dual. Carriageway and motorway driving so it is often miles before I can stop.

I was looking at the bumper shield car seats but they seem to be 18kg limits for the shields?

I'm so confused :(

@MyDcAreMarvel my 21m old is over 33lbs. He is top percentile for height and actually off the chart. He is taller than all of my friend's toddlers who are over 2.5 old and comfortably in 3-4yr clothing.

I'm 5ft6, my husband is 6 foot and from Viking stock. My brother is a 6ft 3 rugby player. My Uncles and Grandfathers down my Maternal line were all 6ft 2 - 6ft 7 and totally in proportion (no tall and skinny). My son will likely be the same.

Kids come in different sizes... Not just 'average' 🙄

@Bugsymalonemumof2

OP sorry to sideline, how does he like Rugbytots? We start with our Tiny Giant in about 8 weeks and hoping he'll love it.

Cosatto seats have an anti escape harness, the all in all for example is suitable from birth to 36kg and has isofix , there are others too, have a look on their website. We have their wow travel system and will be using one of their bigger car seat when needed, really long guarantees too

High back boosters are suitable from 15kg.

As recommended, we switched DC when they reached the max weight for their harness seats (just under 18kg)

This was just after 3rd birthday.

@GreenHouseKeeping HBB May be legal under 4 but unfortunately that doesn’t mean that they are safe.

@Windingstreams you do know some adults are taller than others and this height difference frequently starts off in babyhood? You do also know that some child hit puberty before others so start off bigger ? So it isn't unexpected that some 2-3 year olds will be much bigger than your child and others smaller

@tworoundabouts I don’t really understand your point - that’s what percentile charts are for. If a child is off the chart is means 99% of those at the same age weigh less than them so it’s a red flag. Also as a poster above says excess weight kicks off early puberty and increased height

Just wanted to add, DH installed isofix in his old car, the parts cost about twenty pounds, if that gives you more compatibility options

@Bugsymalonemumof2 sorry that was for OP

@Windingstreams - McDonald's better rebuild quickly with really tall ceilings!
You have misunderstood the science of what you're trying to say. Eating more doesn't make you taller, it's the opposite - malnourishment makes you shorter.

@Bugsymalonemumof2 - I'm not sure about the buckle issue, but please consider keeping him rear facing for longer. A 2 year old (even a big one) doesn't have the neck strength to protect their spine in even minor bumps, thanks to the momentum of their big heads. The difference in crash tests between front and rear facing is staggering.
I'd recommend the Axkid MiniKid - not cheap (£300-£350), but works up to 25kg and has an angle adjustment which means it can fit in smaller cars when in the upright position.

OP what car do you have very few don't fit the two way elite, it's not Isofix and fits in small cars. I had it in my Yaris and fits in the Focus which has the problem of having short seat belts which rules out a lot of car seats.

@AlocAcoc

HBB May be legal under 4 but unfortunately that doesn’t mean that they are safe

I think you're a bit confused here, the age of the DC is irrelevant. Car seats rely on weight limits, not age. Stage 2/3 seats are suitable from 15 kg.

Most guides say 'from around age 4' as the DC on the 50th centile will hit this weight around their 4th Birthday. That means that half of all children will hit that weight limit as a 3 year old.

Just out of interest, what seat would you put a 20kg, 3 year old in?

Are you really suggesting that every Stage 2/3 car seat on the market is 'unsafe' for DCs that meet the weight guidelines?

@GreenHouseKeeping Children under 4 do not have the skeletal maturity to be safely restrained by a seatbelt. I would put a 20kg 3 year old in an ERF to 25kg seat like the Britax TWE, Axkid Minikid or Diono Radian 5.

If you are unsure about this then I suggest you contact In Car Safety Centre to discuss with them. High street stores like Mothercare or Halfords will not give you appropriate advice because they do not stock any ERF to 25kg seats.

The legal minimum standards for car seats are very low (e.g. they are only tested at a speed of 30mph!) and therefore some car seats are much safer than others.

I hope that helps.

You do realise that the advice about ERF has changed don't you?

I do see why you're confused about the 'Age 4' thing though - it seems that many of the Isofix ERF car seats are actually being marketed by age and height, not weight! How irresponsible.

@GreenHouseKeeping Was that aimed at me? I don’t think I’m confused but more than happy to be directed to the knew advice to clarify.

I am aware there are issues with FF harnessing vs HBB (neck strength/head weight vs skeletal maturity) but I’m not aware of a change in advice regarding ERF.

Also, there are no isofix seats that rear face beyond 18kg because of the weight limit of the isofix systemic.

*system

Sorry, final point! iSize seats are based on height, R44 seats are based on weight.

You're conflating 2 issues here.

1. The website you mentioned is actively marketing seats as being suitable for up to age 4, or 105cm, when in reality, the seat is only suitable for up to 18kg in weight.

Age is irrelevant to car seat technology, they work on weight limits. The fact that you keep referring to age, not weight leads me to believe you are confused about the facts.

2. The advice about RF changed, as the research that found it to be '5 times safer' than FF was disproven in more recent studies (the original research is now 12 years old, so not exactly a surprise).

In a nutshell, whilst it is unlikely that, technically speaking, RF is going to do any harm, it can no longer be claimed to be '5 times safer'. The original dataset was too small from which to draw this conclusion, plus car seat technology has changed and improved a lot in this timeframe.

Many seats, esp '2 way' models actually fare better in side impacts in their FF position than the RF one.

Re: the two way elite - we have two because I also have a massive child. He
Is actually skinny but super tall and seemingly very dense.
It does fit in most cars, but if OP and her OH are 5"11 and 6"6 it will render the front seat totally useless in many small cars. We have a focus and I can't drive it with the twe behind me because my knees block thr steering wheel. I can just about sit as a front passenger with it behind me but it's not comfortable because my knees are wedged into the glovebox.
Using the twe in a fiesta made the front seat unusable for us.

Also, there are no isofix seats that rear face beyond 18kg because of the weight limit of the isofix systemic.

Yes, that is precisely my point. You rather patronisingly 'suggested I contact' In Car Safety Centre, who would be able to give me 'appropriate advice' when their advice that a max 18kg weight limit seat was suitable for a 4 year old!

Your move.

@greenhousekeeping do you have any source for the fact that ERF advice has changed?

Greenhousekeeping - a max 18kg seat could well be suitable for a 4 year old. It depends how much the child weighs!
My niece at 4 was dinky and only about 15kg so it would have been fine for her.

a max 18kg seat could well be suitable for a 4 year old. It depends how much the child weighs!

I'm repeating myself here, but it is an important point, so:

The 'around age 4' guidelines are there because a child on the 50th centile will hit the max weight limit around their 4th birthday.

That means that approx 50% will reach that limit before their 4th birthday.

Therefore at a conservative estimate (given boys tend to weigh more than girls of the same age) more that 50% of 3 year olds will be too heavy for an ISOfix RF seat.

Therefore marketing them as being 'suitable for up to age 4' is highly irresponsible.

In reality, fewer than 50% of 4 year olds would still be safe in that seat.

I hope that explains what I meant?

@tinysnickersaremyfavourite

That is exactly the issue I have, they don't fit and leave the front seats usable.

Never intended to be patronising - just trying to signpost to expert information.