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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:
Meeely2 · 17/05/2008 17:48

suzi, yes he does and the child behind him gets cramp too - but financially theres not alot we can do right now.....

differentID · 17/05/2008 18:20

Meely, the 1 1/2 -2 hr thing is not per day, it's at a time and I believe corresponds with current advice to drivers to stop every 2 hours to take a break from driving for half an hour. Ergo, you take a break from driving, you take your kiddies out of the car seat to stretch/ refresh at the same time.

Anansias · 17/05/2008 18:28

I have just contacted volvo in Bristol and seems they might be able to provide us with some Britax... So maybe contacting your local volvo dealer is an option?

Helena and Pixiepants, thank you so much for all you are doing!

Anansias · 17/05/2008 18:35

Mrs Aki, do you think it would be unreasonnable to import a rearfacing car seat and then only follow the instructions, with no one being able to tell if it is safely put in my car?
I am considering the BeSafe, but I guess getting a rearfacing Britax might be more reasonnable if someone can check it is well fitted...

Thanks!

Original poster
Pixiepants · 17/05/2008 18:40

Evenin' Anansias. You might have just saved me a 300mile round trip.

BTW, MrsAki is Helena

OP posts:
Anansias · 17/05/2008 18:43

I know!

I am tackling French discussion sites...There as well impossible to find a rear facing car seat!

Anansias · 17/05/2008 18:43

I know!

I am tackling French discussion sites...There as well impossible to find a rear facing car seat!

Anansias · 17/05/2008 18:45

Have you seen this www.rearfacing.co.uk/documents/rf%20press%20release.pdf?
I guess I could approach my health visitor with it.

Meeely2 · 17/05/2008 19:59

differentID - i was defo told by salesperson it per day, maybe wrongly advised - however even if i'd known your advice I doubt i would have travelled to my parents alone with boys as tiddlers. Could have stopped every 2 hours, but as i was unable to carry both boys at the same time, couldn't have done the stretching thing, my buggy was a tandem travel system so they couldn't lie flat in that either....ah the trials of twins! with no. 3 however I will be better advised me thinks and will be able to cope with the stretching every 2 hours since boys can walk from car to motorway services and i can carry wee one.

swallowsandamazons · 17/05/2008 20:24

Hello can i just say how easy it is to fit the britax rear facing car seat, the base clicks into the isofix, an arm from the base reaches down into the foot well, the chair then clicks into the base and two belts are fasten from the back of the chair to the front seat anchor points on the floor, you then push the front seat back to jam the chair in place, it really can not move, please talk to volvo they are helpful people, well they are at Hildenborough.

Anansias · 17/05/2008 22:16

Unfortunately I don't have isofix... Anyone has a BeSafe?

suzi2 · 17/05/2008 22:39

swallowsandamazons... can I be a bit cheeky and ask what you paid for the seat through Volvo? Was that in a Volvo car? Or a car you bought from them?

My DH is up for the idea of going to Volvo but has just piped up with "how much is this going to cost..." so i'd better prepare him!

MissHH · 17/05/2008 22:51

My impression is that the BeSafe might take up a bit of room on the car and that the Britax seats takes less room. But it often depends on what kind of car you are driving.

Most of the seats have a car fitting list. If you are not able to try a seat in your car then check the list to see if it fits in your car.

A baby should not lie in the car, they should sit in a baby car seat They are much safer there. You could drive for apr. 2.5 hour then you should take a break(that goes for every one in the car). Listen to the signals the baby gives you, it will let you know when it is tired. If the baby is asleep it is no point in stopping and waking the child for a pause. That is an answer from an Norwegian and from whats being said here where I live.

diplodocus · 17/05/2008 23:00

Anyone wanting to see one installed and in use in Winchester let me know

morocco · 17/05/2008 23:23

omg just googled the besafe car seat. are they really a grand??!! or did I look at the wrong one?

checked out ours today. it is a graco rear/forward facing one up to 18kg rear facing which weight wise would be fine until at least age 3 but it doesn't have the extra leg room so I can't imagine it would last that long rear facing

MrsAki · 18/05/2008 05:42

RoSPA is in the position that they can't really promote a product that is not readily available on the market. They say that the forward seats are ECE approved so they are ok. Which is true. They are ECE approved. Howeevr, the ECE test might start using the so called Q-dummy in the future. The Q-dummy measures the force applied to the neck in a crash. If they start using this dummy, most forward facing seats will fail the ECE test. I have been told by a car seat expert in Sweden.

MrsAki · 18/05/2008 05:49

It is possible to import a BeSafe from here, and it will cost about £260 with pp included. The manual is easy to follow if you make sure you read it carefully, and I could send you piccies to illustrate what it should look like "in RL".

I did not find it hard to install the BeSafe seat at all. I followed the manual step by step and spent some time reading through the it first, before I started handling the seat.

I don't think that it takes more space than the Britax. Britax seats are quite notorious for being bulky...

MrsAki · 18/05/2008 05:52

Sorry, should explain about the link just above... This webshop has the BeSafe seats but they are not shown on the website as BeSafe doesn't like online selling. You need to email them (his name is Martin and he is very good at English and has already sold a few of these to other British parents that I am in contact with). He also stocks the Maxi Cosi Mobi and Brio seats (Swedish brand).

MrsAki · 18/05/2008 06:10

Morocco, if you have a combination seat, you will probably find that you have to turn it forward facing at 10 or 13 kg. Check the manual. You can NOT keep your child rear facing for longer if the manual says that you need to turn the seat at a specific weight. I have check this with Swedish experts and combination seats are not tested to carry children rear facing for longer than the specified weight. They don't have support legs etc. and could be dangerous to your child if used the wrong way.

Anansias · 18/05/2008 12:41

Mrs Aki, just had a quote from Martin for the BeSafe izi kid x1 with pp it is 3800kr, which my converter says is £330... Have I got the wrong seat?

MrsAki · 18/05/2008 13:21

No, it is the exchange rate that has changed. If you had got it 3 months ago it would have been £260... The GBP is going down quite dramatically at the moment. It has not been this low against the SEK for nearly 10 years. I pay a student loan in Sweden and this month it is much more expensive than usual.

Anansias · 18/05/2008 17:19

Thanks a lot!
Hey Pixiepants have you seen this test?

swallowsandamazons · 18/05/2008 17:19

Hello suzi2 The car seat was about £190 and the base is about £90 ish this was 2 years ago so cant remember, as we had to have the isofix anchors put in as well as our car did not have them(to old) Hildenborough Volvo will tell you. Also if i have done it right i have put a photo in my profile of my happy rear facing boy in his car seat so you can all have a look, he is 2.9 years old and 95cm tall so hope that give you an idea of how will he fits in at the moment, as i know that some of you are worried about leg room, you may also notice that the seat is behind the drivers seat, I have very long legs and still have enough room to drive!

Anansias · 18/05/2008 18:19

Thanks swallows! The pic is great!

morocco · 18/05/2008 20:19

so pleased to see I must have got the price wrong when I googled - was a bit

no, mine is a graco that definitely has written on it that it can be used until 18kg rear facing, but I bought it abroad, think it had been imported from US, if that makes any difference? still can't see her legs fitting until she's 18kgs though

can these ones be used with lap belts or do they have to have the full seat belt?