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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wish that a few more MN's had seen my thread today......

306 replies

Pixiepants · 15/05/2008 19:47

Here and then taking advantage of the AIBU threads to see if I can drum up a bit more support for this subject?

I probably am, but hey.....

OP posts:
Original poster
Pixiepants · 19/05/2008 21:44

MrsAki. Do you know the score with RF in people carriers/vans etc? I can't see why they wouldn't be legal? Someone on other thread asking...

OP posts:
Anansias · 19/05/2008 22:02

Wow Mis HH what a story! Thanks for sharing. well I think my mind is set on Rear Facing until 25kg!

Thanks Mrs Aki for your answer.

MrsAki · 19/05/2008 22:25

I didn't think BeSafe did FF under their own brand name. I am gobsmacked. They do forward facing seats for Mamas and Papas in the UK but still, I can't believe I promoted a FF seat

MrsAki · 19/05/2008 22:26

I have never come across anything about RF not being allowed in vans or people carriers. Sounds weird to me...

MissHH · 20/05/2008 07:33

Yes they do.. And even here in Norway they have commercials printed in magazines for parents with their "test winner" a FF seat. I do not like their marketing strategy. And their only strictly RF seat, iZi Kid, only comes in one color; black.

So if I sound a bit negative when BeSafe is mention that might be right I swear to Akta Graco and Britax.

BeSafe have iZi Kid X1(strictly RF) and iZi Combi X1(RF/FF).

MissHH · 20/05/2008 07:36

Have to comment my own sentence on PP:

I do not like their marketing strategy.

On their page the state that RF is safest up till at least four YR and they run commercials for their FF seat and the only strictly RF seat only comes in black while the other seat comes in 10 different color styles(that sends me a weird message .

swallowsandamazons · 20/05/2008 09:07

What would happen if we all e-mailed BBC breakfast with rearfacings web site,
do it here

Original poster
Pixiepants · 20/05/2008 10:19

I don't know what would happen swallows, but have just sent an e-mail too so we might find out?

OP posts:
Anansias · 20/05/2008 10:21

To see all the colours for the Izi Kid you need to go on the Swedish website!
A bit weird I admit, but still the best results in crashes.

Anansias · 20/05/2008 10:28

Just emailed the show. Thanks for the link!

mkshopgirl · 20/05/2008 15:29

Hi I work at the milton keynes shop where you purchase these kinda seats can I be of any help?(grin)

Original poster
Pixiepants · 20/05/2008 16:42

Hi mkshopgirl (like the name). I think we've spoken a few times lately and also that I think I might be back to you for my seat after all as I'm having second thoughts about the Volvo options. Will prob. do mail order though . Thanks for your help so far and it's great that you can spare a bit of time for here

OP posts:
MissHH · 20/05/2008 20:53

Anansias: Yes, but those aren't available in the shops in Norway

MissHH · 20/05/2008 20:54

The angry face was not ment to you, but to HTS ;)

Original poster
Pixiepants · 20/05/2008 21:23

mkshopgirl Is there any possibility of you stocking the Besafe izikid seat in the future?

OP posts:
Anansias · 20/05/2008 21:48

I know, don't worry Miss HH! The bottom line is that however good the seat it is still a company trying to make money...I have decided and ordered mine from Toddler.se...

Mrs Aki, is there a paper version of the petition that we could take playgroups and the like?

Fivefour · 20/05/2008 22:05

I just want to say thanks to Pixiepants for starting this thread. I'd never heard of group 1 RF car seats until reading about it here. I was truly shocked by some of the info particularly the crash test videos. Luckily we're only an hour's drive from Milton Keynes so my 15 mth old is now the proud owner of a Britax Fixway.
I strongly suggest that anyone wanting an RF seat tries them out first though. I have 2 other kids so have to fit 3 along the back seat. We had quite a job finding one to fit.
Also incase anyone is interested, the lady in the shop said we wouldn't be able to keep him in a 25kg seat until he was that weight because he would be too long to fit. 18kg weight limit will be fine. Another thing is that she tried the Recaro Polaric in my car, not for us because it's far too big but for someone else who was interested, we have a zafira, and on the most reclined it was still very, very upright so this one would definitely need to be tried out before buying it.
Blimey, I think that's the most I've ever said on here!

MissHH · 20/05/2008 22:23

Fiveforfour: How long you manage to keep a child RF is very individual. I know a boy who was over 120 cm and 25 kg. He still wasn't to long for his Brio Zento or Britax Two Way Elite. He had to turn FF because he reached the weight limit of the seat.

Ananais: The seat is great, I don't mean to say anything against that. It is the policy I am irritated at, that's all.

Great that you have found an RF seat!

MrsAki · 20/05/2008 22:28

I will stick by my BeSafe seat, come rain or shine, purely based on the fact that is tends to come up test winner for safety to the head and neck in test after test that I view. I agree with MissHH though. HTS should really be more consistent in their policy and scrap the FF seats as they know that they are not as safe. Just like Britax should take responsibility to introduce their RF seats in all their outlets in the UK. They promote them in Sweden as the only alternative and don't even mention them on their UK website. SHAME on companies that put policy before the safety of children! SHAME!

Fivefour · 20/05/2008 22:37

MissHH I wasn't suggesting that the every kid would be too big before 25kg. I think the lady in the shop just meant that generally by that weight their legs would be too long and they'd be cramped but obviously everyone is different and the seats vary with how much leg room they allow.
MrsAki I asked the woman in the MK shop about why RF seats weren't more readily available over here and she suggested that since a lot of people (7 out of 10 I believe) fit their car seats wrong it might make more problems. This seems to imply that the manufacturers think we're all a bit thick!

MrsAki · 20/05/2008 22:57

The editor at Which Magazine is pondering if British parents are more "thick" than their Scandinavian counterparts as well, so she is not alone in thinking that at all, sad to say.
RF seats can be tricker to fit, apparently, but I don't really see why. Considering that it is more dangerous to have an incorrectly installed FF seat than an incorrectly fitted RF seat, and considering the 7/10 statistics that we have already discussed on this thread, in my opinion it would be better to have RF seats for all.
Another aspect that has been discussed at Which is if this problem come from people here in the UK moving their seats about more. The though is that parents in Scandinavia tend to have their RF seat installed and then it stays in the car and if you need another seat in another car, you simply buy another one, instead of taking the seat you have and moving it, maybe in a hurry, thus causing it to be incorrectly installed. I don't know if there is any basis for this theory, but I personally have 2 seats for my dd. One for my car and one for the childminder's car. I would never dream of moving it about... I can already hear the roar from people that think that it would be too expensive to do this, and I am not writing this to give anyone a guilt trip. I don't have a lot of money, but this was a priority in my life and that is what I did. There will be no holidays this year but so be it. My daughter is more important to me than anything else. Greece will have to wait till next year

Original poster
Pixiepants · 21/05/2008 07:43

No worries Fivefour . Glad to hear you and your LO are happy with the new seat.

I'm really interested in the theory about the UK public's being 'too thick' to fit the seat...I think it's safe to say that anyone who goes to the trouble of getting hold of one in this country has safety as their top priority, and will make certain that the seat is fitted correctly.

OP posts:
swallowsandamazons · 21/05/2008 09:25

To right pixiepants, but really a chimp could fix my seat in, i let my DH do it, and he was fine!!!!

Original poster
Pixiepants · 21/05/2008 11:36

Fivefour, Might be worth double checking why In-car safety advised you not to keep your son RF in that seat past 18kg, as on their website it states that this seat can only be used upto 18kg. This is because it hasn't being tested beyond this weight.

I contacted Britax in Sweeden to find out if there were plans to do more tests on this seat upto 25kg, and received a reply (in English fortunately), stating that the weight issue is due to the isofix pins in cars, which don't go to 25kg, and not the seat. Just thought you might like to know....I think it's the one I'm getting too, but still have a bit of usage in my baby seat whilst I decide.

OP posts:
silverfrog · 21/05/2008 11:43

Pixiepants - really? (re isofix anchor points and weight limits).

I only query because dd1 has outgrown her Britax Fixway (I think that's what it is, anyway) and so is now forward facing. She's nearly 4, and I have got her a FF Britax evolva 2/3, which is an isofix seat. Obviously this seat is the 18-36kg category, so to find that isofix points in cars are only tested to 18kg is slightly alarming (alhtough nothing would surprise me regarding child seat safety in this country!)