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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if lie flat car seats are worth it?

20 replies

Phuquocdreams · 23/09/2019 08:44

Well I probably ABU to ask her but need to make a decision this morning. The lie flat car seat works out the guts of £250 more expensive than the cabriofix that I can get with the travel system. However might be really handy for the school pick up which involves a 5 min drive, 45 minute hanging around and then a 5 minute drive home...has anyone had one of these?

OP posts:
BeanBag7 · 23/09/2019 08:47

Why do you have to hang around on the school run?
Rather than leave a baby in the back of the car I would probably take the pushchair and take baby for a walk round the block for half an hour. Especially once they're past the newborn phase and will get bored just sitting there for the best part of an hour.

BeanBag7 · 23/09/2019 08:48

Or just walk to the school and back.

Original poster
Phuquocdreams · 23/09/2019 08:50

Slightly different pick up times from 2 different schools. Not intending to stay in back of car (car seat only goes flat when out of the car anyway) but was thinking if baby falls asleep might be handy to be able to leave in reclined car seat and, yes, walk around.

OP posts:
Original poster
Phuquocdreams · 23/09/2019 08:51

I’ll most likely walk at least once a day but 2 hour long round trips in the depths of a potentially cold and wet winter with a newborn and preschooler isn’t that tempting.

OP posts:
CmdrCressidaDuck · 23/09/2019 08:51

They're less safe than the more upright ones in crash terms. The car seat experts really only recommend them for babies who have health conditions that are likely to cause them to have breathing issues.

Why so little driving and so much hanging around on school run? Stick baby in a sling or buggy and walk it?

jellyjellyinmybelly · 23/09/2019 08:55

The ones that are sitting up for in the car, and lie down for using as a buggy, are the best and safest all round. We had a cybex one and it was good though so blooming heavy!! Made me feel so much better about going out shopping and keeping baby in the car seat, given all the advice about not more than 30 mins /2 hrs in a car seat etc. So much easier as I had an older child as well to deal with and one less thing to worry about. But yes they are expensive. Just check the safety rating out before you buy.

PrayingandHoping · 23/09/2019 08:55

Have a look at the cybex iCloud. It doesn't recline when in the car but it lays almost flat when you take it out the car

BeanBag7 · 23/09/2019 08:57

Oh I wouldnt bother if it only goes flat when you're out of the car. I thought the whole point was a lie flat seat in the car so that you can do long journeys without having to stop so often. In that case you might as well just use a normal car seat and move them to a carry cot when you get out of the car.

Mouikey · 23/09/2019 09:00

We had a jane matrix lite. Completely lie flat in the car and incredibly safe (also according to crash tests). Takes up a whole heap of space but was amazing. Biggest downside was my lo had silent reflux so it wasn’t the best for her but we could slightly incline it when walking so much better.

But she always slept well in it both in the car and on the chassis. Worth the extra money in my mind.

MostlyAmbridgeandcoffee · 23/09/2019 09:02

We really rated ours

Original poster
Phuquocdreams · 23/09/2019 09:04

It’s the Cybex I’m looking at. Would need a new isofix base as well so actually likely to cost well over £300 extra - whereas the cabriofix would be £30 as part of the travel system and I already have the base. Maybe I should just get the cabriofix and if I find the pick up is a pain I could buy the Cybex later? Oh I don’t know. Didn’t have a car for my first and my second hated the car so much he and I were desperate to just get him in the sling as soon as we stopped driving.

OP posts:
AliMonkey · 23/09/2019 09:07

We had a Jane one. I was amazed that so few people had them and at how many small babies you saw in more upright seats for long periods of time. For us, it was a small price to pay for our child's safety and meant we could do longer car journeys without being concerned, and could transfer from car to pram wheels or into the house without having to move the baby into pram or cot. We used for both DC though if had had a third then would have been an issue with room in the car so might have had to reconsider (or buy bigger car!)

A PP said they are less safe in a crash. Not true if you get the highest rates ones - Jane and Maxi Cosi ones are, but there's probably others. If you choose not to but plan to have baby in car seat on wheels regularly then as a minimum get one of the ones that reclines to almost flat.

PrayingandHoping · 23/09/2019 09:14

Added benefit of the cybex is that you don't need to buy a new base when you need the next size up seat

FluffyCloudsInTheSky · 23/09/2019 09:19

The Jane one is brilliant, incredibly safe as can be both your lie flat car seat and also your pram so it has 2 distinct uses. Useful for long car journeys as no need to stop as from memory young babies should not be in a car seat longer than 30 mins. We didn't use our other (traditional shapes) Jane car seat until DS was much older and even then used the lie flat car seat until DS no longer fit into it

I would say do you all your research and for a car seat safety needs to be the number 1 factor!

valentinoandme · 23/09/2019 09:25

We had the Jane Matrix for both DC's and I loved it! They were in it til about 9mths! We travelled a lot so didn't want them scrunched up in a sitting-up car seat

Original poster
Phuquocdreams · 23/09/2019 09:53

Oh, everyone who has had them is recommending them! That doesn’t make my job easier...

OP posts:
Original poster
Phuquocdreams · 23/09/2019 09:54

My decision easier I mean, not my job!

OP posts:
WhyBirdStop · 23/09/2019 11:44

I don't like seeing babies in car seats on chassis for long periods and have seen people who do it, I think we only used the car seat on the chassis twice and for a quick pop into the shop on the way home rather than anything longer, surely you just move them to the carry cot that's what we did? If that's going to wake them, so will moving a whole car seat and then reclining it once on the chassis and the reverse to get them back in the car. Seems like a waste of money

Flev · 23/09/2019 17:20

We've got a Joie one that lies flat when out of the car, and I think it was about £250 in total, including the isofix. We really rate it, its been very useful when she's fallen asleep in the car on the way somewhere to just be able to lift out the whole seat rather than disturb her

coffeeforone · 23/09/2019 18:56

We used the Cybex cloud one that goes flat when out of the car, great for shopping trips etc, or if they fall asleep in car seat you can just bring it inside and recline them until they wake up. Both my DC would stay sleeping and I didn't need to worry about them being scrunched up. But normal upright position in the car.

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