Car seat question, help!

[fishface22]

Previously always used isofix car seats for my now 15 month old in my car. However we've been given a second hand one for my dh car that you strap a seatbelt around. We have followed the instructions and have it rear facing but it seems so wobbly. The belt is tight but it doesn't seem to hold the seat where it should. Is this just how these car seats are? Having being used to isofix bases we are used to them not moving at all.

Is this safe to use? Baby is over 22lb now so may weight it down by being sat in it but I don't want to take any risks.

I recommend asking on this page.

Check the weight allowance and expiry on it. Google fitting in your car not all seats fit in all cars it should be tight.

Not all seats fit in all cars!

Really? I feel bad that I didn't know this....

However like I said we've always used isofix which I think is pretty universal.

Since cars have slightly different shape seats, belt heights, positions etc it means that some child seats don't fit well in certain cars.

Really? I feel bad that I didn't know this....

However like I said we've always used isofix which I think is pretty universal.

Still no. I have a ford Ka & it has the isofix fittings but some manufacturers say the seats are too big for the space.
You need to check the manufacturers website.

You can usually check on the manufacturer’s website if it’s compatible with your car.

Then are you sure you have fitted it correctly? I’ve only seen American stats but there statistically it’s more likely a seat is fitted incorrectly than correctly because something like 70% of people are doing it wrong and I’m sure most don’t have that intention. Also any chance the seat has been damaged in some way since it’s second hand?

Car seat definitely not damaged. It came from family and I asked that question of course.

Will have a look and if there's any doubt we won't use it. It does feel wobbly when rocked from side to side but I suspect most seats that are strapped in by seatbelts alone would have a bit of movement in them.

It sounds like it might either be fitted incorrectly, or it might be incompatible with your car.

Which seat is it? Some of them do not allow rear facing past the 10kg (22lbs) especially if they are more basic/generic ones.

Where are you checking for movement - if it's one of the taller seats for up to 4yo, then the headrest part will be quite far away from the lap belt which is where it's most secure. You want to check for movement at the bottom of the seat. If you're rocking at the top then you may damage the seat, but you can also loosen the fit and then it will feel like it's not strapped in properly (because it isn't any more!)

Lastly double check instructions and the belt path to see if anything has been missed. For example, some of the Joie seats have a seatbelt lockoff which must be tightened correctly for the seat to be secure. Or if it's a 25kg ERF you need to attach tethers, and it won't be secure without these. Or I have a Cozy n Safe Fitzroy for travel, and the belt path of this is a bit tricky as you pass it under and through, and the belt can get caught on the curves of the seat and then it won't be secure. You have to reach in and ensure it's flat all the way and going through the right pathway.

If you have long belt stalks or your seatbelt buckles are positioned forward in your car you may have a fitting issue known as forward anchorage. See attached graphic - the red line is showing where the buckle is too far forward, so the belt has to route back towards the back of the car, this is incorrect. You need the belt to route forward from the buckle around the seat.

You can always send photo/video to the car seat company and they can give you feedback on the fit.

Oh one more tip, when you fit a belt fitted car seat, you need to get ALL the slack out of the belt, so if the car seat doesn't have belt tensioners built into it, then you need to really push the seat into the car. For forward facing you can often kneel into the seat, this is trickier with rear facing so instead you get into the footwell and push back and down while tightening the lap belt, before closing any lock off clips. Push REALLY hard, like with all of your body weight, or get a strong adult to do it.

As someone mentioned above, around 70% of car seats are incorrectly fitted, not having removed enough slack from the belt is one of the most common errors. That's part of why isofix is considered so much easier to fit, because it doesn't have the same issue.

Sorry I realise now I've been assuming this is a RF seat but you haven't actually said.

If it is a forward facing seat, you may want to look into the difference between FF and RF because at 15 months it's quite a big difference in safety and well worth staying with a rear facing seat if you possibly can. 15 months is a minimum, sort of "if you really really have to" rather than a recommendation for turning forward facing.

It can be forward facing or rear facing according to the diagram on the side of the seat. The belt fits slightly differently depending on which way you have it.

Yes, that's usual for the combination seats.

The sticker should also tell you the weight limit for rear facing.

Do you have a manual with it?

Can you say which seat it is?

It's a mothercare one but I don't know the exact model and there's no manual.

It says 0-10kg for rear facing. I'm not sure of her exact weight but she's probably about that.

Thank for for being so helpful by the way.

It will be this one in that case. Just so you're aware, this is quite a basic car seat and will offer basically the bare minimum protection in an accident. It's also quite outdated, and the design of it is considered to be very easy to accidentally make a mistake. You may want to invest in something a bit more substantial/up to date if it is to be the everyday seat, and maybe keep this one as a spare or for travel etc. In addition, if it's likely that the seat you have is over 7-10 years old (based on age of children who previously used it), it's advised not to use them any more as they do accumulate wear and tear on the materials with age. This is especially true for the cheaper type seats like these ones.

You don't have to spend a huge amount, there are £100 car seats (e.g. Joie Stages, Graco Extend R129) which offer better safety features than this one. But, if this one is all you have, then it's best to ensure it's used as safely as possible, which is much easier when you have the manual. Probably what was happening with the loose fit is either that the belt has got caught inside as I mentioned, or if you were fitting it forward facing, you perhaps did not kneel in the seat before pulling out the slack and fastening the lock off clips.

Something that isn't in this manual but is important also to note - if the buckle of the seatbelt lies over the hard frame of the seat, this is called buckle crunch and it is an incompatible/unsafe fit - this could also cause it to move around.

Boots have taken over the customer service for Mothercare products, if you have any questions for them.

https://manuall.co.uk/mothercare-madrid-car-seat/

This is the fitting video. She doesn't show pushing the seat into the car at the correct times, but you should do that anyway:

Thank you @BertieBotts you are a car seat encyclopaedia!

Yes it does look very much like this one and we wouldn't be using it as an everyday seat, it is for my dh car. 95% of the time it's me doing the taking and fetching using my car with an isofix base and seat.

But given the info and the dodgy fit I think we will be looking to get a more up to date one anyway.

I would ask the family member for advice on fitting