BeSafe Izi Combi Isofix vs Stokke-Friendly BeSafe Izi? - Esp seeking CarSeatCrazy

[AbFabT]

Hi

Need to make a decision soon - baby due in seven weeks!

I've just been reading the reviews here re BeSafe Izi Combi Isofix (www.mumsnet.com/Reviews/CarSeatsFromBirth/48?off=0&rank_rev_by=6), and also reading about carseats on www.rearfacing.co.uk/.

Am convinced about the rear-facing seats from birth til as old as possible, so ideally would like something that would last for a few years, though would rather have the safest options for all stages, so if it means buying a second seat in a year or so, so be it. May have a second baby by then anyway, hopefully, so would need a second carseat!

Stokke have just brought out a carseat that fits onto the stroller (Xplory) that we have already bought. www.stokke.com/en-gb/stroller/car-seat.aspx

Does anyone know how this compares to the BeSafe Izi Combi Isofix? Is it to the same safety standard? We ultimately want the safest possible carseat for our new arrival - if it fits on the pram chassis, that is a bonus, but ultimate in-car safety is our primary concern. Can anyone (CarSeatCrazy?!) please advise?

I'm also getting confused though, because it looks like the MN reviews say it's suitable from birth, but at www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/30/products_id/51?osCsid=fingr59pprg8955qch50g9ra97 they are saying from six months, I think. We need something suitable from birth.

I think the Stokke-compatible one only goes up to 13kg though, whereas the BeSafe Izi Combi Isofix is up to 18kg. 18kg is on average age four, yes?

OR, is there a better carseat than the two I've mentioned, that anyone would recommend please? Safety is what we care about - I don't care if it's hard/heavy to carry, doesn't fit the pram, etc.

Finally, though we are committing to buying the safest carseat, money no object, the cheaper we can find it, the better, so any shopping recommendations also gratefully received, thanks.

My head REALLY hurts!!! Help please!

you would want both, IMO
the besafe izi combi is marketed as suitable for newborns, as it can be used and has been safety tested, however even the manufacturers (iirc!) say that they wouldn't recommend it for a newborn and that they are safer in an infant carrier to start with

most people will buy a group 0 or group 0+ to start with, and then go onto a group 1. which is what you would do if you go with the stokke one and then the izi combi

oh and i think bumpto3 have a sale on besafe stuff atm

yes the besafe is suitable from birth but recommended from 6 months! we have the KISS which is suitable from birth and is more like a baby seat but lasts to 4 years. you can lift the seat part out and use it without the frame as a baby seat. i know it's a nightmare trying to work out which baby items to buy!

:)

Thank you, thisisyesterday. I'll check that site for the sale too.

Have also been looking at the KISS (www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/30/products_id/54?osCsid=rf6rf0au45bl0sc3gutu72ab93) (link as much for my own reference as anyone else's!), nicm. So maybe the Stokke-compatible infant carrier for the first few months, and then either the KISS or the BeSafe Izi Combi Isofix. I like that you can wheel the KISS about with its own handle!

I really think they could make this carseat-buying lark a lot easier!

what car do you have? are you close enough to go and try any out at milton keynes or somewhere?
we have the besafe and it's really upright, even on the most reclined setting. it's ok for ds2 because he is 2/5yrs, but i think it could be a nuisance for a younger child

it' only that upright because of the way our seats recline (volvo) and in other cars it isn't the same (just in case people think it is just a relaly upright seat!)

we also have a britax 2 way elite which i would highly recommend simply because it's SO easy to fit

We have a three-door Corsa! Would upgrade the car if need be though. We barely drive anywhere, though this may change when the baby is here, though I can't see us driving much longer than 45 minutes (to get to my mum's). DH's parents live too far away to drive to with a baby (Scotland).
As such, it's really hard to judge how much of an issue ease of fitting will be for us, and possibly not concerned about uprightedness as we don't drive often, and when we do, we don't go far! But just don't know how much this would change!

We are in SW London, so not super close to MK, but it's certainly doable, and we would do it if it meant getting the best seat, and also ensuring it is fitted correctly.

yeah we made the trip up there (from west sussex) and it wasn't too bad. under an hour def.
they have so many differnet ones that it is really useful if you're not sure what will fit. I felt they gave very impartial advice too, we wanted 2 besafes and they said that they would go for one besafe and one britax 2 way, which was actually a lot cheaper, so they def aren't just in it for the money iyswim?

we needed to get 3 across the back, so definitely wanted to try them out first lol

For a second I thought you meant to Scotland! :)

True, it's definitely doable from here. They don't have the Stokke-compatible carseat though, afaik. And it looks like the only one they recommend from birth is www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/24/products_id/32?osCsid=c6roph394blnru706gm29hlib5 - I think?

Why did they advise you against the two BeSafes?

I just saw your photos - your three look lovely and snug in their three-across-the-back! And just plain lovely! :)

Will definitely have to upgrade the car if we have three children.

I know you don't go far but you do need baby to be comfortable as they tend to go to sleep

Thanks, castleonthehill. Oh how I would love a castle, doesn't even have to be on a hill!

Thinking the ones I have shortlisted it down to must score decently on the comfort levels - pretty sure the Stokke brand rave about comfort, so that's for the newborn if we go for that one. IF! Still feeling a bit head-hurty!!!

All tips welcome! Thanks!

Hi, I work for Stokke.
The Stokke izi Sleep car seat is made for us by BeSafe. It is a very good car seat.
It's really difficult taking advice from other mums about car seats because ultimately we all drive different cars and all seat fit differently in different makes and models.
The best thing to do is go to a local retailer and try a few different seats to see what fits best for YOUR car.
Feel free to contact me if you feel I can be of any further assistance.
regards,
sian.
sian at asclearas dot com

hi i saw the besafe infant car seat at the stokke stand at the baby show it is alovely seat.
the besafe website lists the safety awards its seats have recieved.
i would get the besafe izi sleep especially if you have the stokke stroller as the fact it can lie flat on the chassis is a huge plus.
then get the besafe izi combi or another rear facing seat that suits your car.
the izi sleep will be suitable till your little one is well over a year old, 13kg being the max weight.
Hth

Ooh, hi, powerkitty.
Thanks for insider info! :) I do appreciate that we have different cars, but there can't be THAT much difference between back seats of modern cars, can there? The other thing is, we'd probably upgrade the car in a year anyway, if we manage to get pregnant again with a second child, so I'd rather not focus on the car, if possible (other than having a safe car!). Just want a really safe carseat.

I don't know where a local retailer for the Stokke Izi BeSafe Carseat is for us - are you able to advise? We are in Wimbledon. We've looked on the Stokke UK website, but it doesn't list UK suppliers for the car seat. We'll also be in Kirkcaldy with the car in two weeks, so something near there could also be doable.

Thanks for the info too, raindroprhyme. We did see the seat at the Birmingham BabyShow as well, but was early days for us and I hadn't really started my carseat research! Wondering whether to go for a different colour to the pram, so it looks like we've got two prams for the price of one (and a half!)! :)

ooh yeah a diff colour would be lush. i am super jealous as Dh put his foot down about a new pram for DS3 especially one that cost the same as a small car.

Ha ha, yeah, they aren't cheap, but this is our first child, and hopefully there will be more, so I 'sold' it to my DH that because they are quality products, they'll last for any subsequent children, and we'll get our money's worth! :)

Hi, just an observation but, does it not bother anyone else that the izi sleep has a hinge in the middle to lay it flat? Surely this is potentially a weak point in an impact?

I fully appreciate that it passes the British Standard tests to be able to be sold in the UK but an infant carrier with a one-piece solid shell just seems like a better idea to me.

Please flame me if I'm totally off the mark here but just wanted to point this out.

BTW I love love love the Stokke Xplory though!

Hope I don't confuse things, but I actually had the izi sleep (not the stokke version but the one straight from besafe) and I loved it for the start, but then ended up getting a maxi cosi cabriofix, because the izi sleep was just so heavy and took a long time for me to securely belt in. Now, I have a feeling that besafe do a nice easy fix base for the izi sleep, which would help the first part of the dilemma, and I think it may be cheaper if you buy the besafe version of the easy sleep,rather than the stokke one. I did a lot of research on the risks of SIDS in car seats, and the izi sleep works to avoid that problem (but there are lots of others out there now, which are lighter and do the same thing - but I'm sorry I don't know them well.) If you're going to be doing lots of long journey's then I'd go for the izi sleep, but if not, to be honest, I think you might be better off going for something more lightweight, or even just the KISS from the word go. The KISS you can remove the baby part of the seat and is lighter than the izi sleep would be, and quicker to take in an out of the car. But then i'd also try and go to Milton keynes to try them all in your car if you possibly can.

I love the KISS, and wish I'd had it from newborn. but I also love the besafe combi- but I woulnd't recommend that one from birth- definitely one for 6 months plus....

Not sure if I've helped much! Probably just added to your confusion! Sorry :) :) !!!

ps- sorry forgot to say that I don't think the hinge part of the izi sleep is any weakness at all- if you feel the weight of this seat it is build like a brick! absolutely solid- very much like the besafe izi combi, but obviously for the izi sleep bing a newborn seat this has it's advantages and disadvantages! I can't remember the safety stuff off hand, but I think it's won all sorts of awards- have a look on the besafe site to find out.....If you had the base in your car, and could lift it straight out onto a pushchair then it probably wouldn't be so bad, but it's not an easy seat to just hook under your arm and pop into a shop with or anything like that (and I'm 6 foot and not weak carrying things!) again hope this helps :)

yeah it is really heavy but i found with all 3 of my ds's it was only a month or so before i stopped using the infant carrier to carry them in for a nip to the shops. i only took it out of the car to put on the pram or bring them into the house cos they were asleep.
i would def get the base tho so you arn't mucking about with seat belts especially in a 3 door car.

Good point, Tea&Cake, and thank you for raising it, and thank you Carseatcrazy for alleviating the doubts. I appreciate the advantages of the breathing and SIDS thing, eee, like I said, there's just so much to weigh up!

I think the Izi Sleep for Stokke is the same as the original, just with the adaptations to make it fit the pram, yes? I've emailed powerkitty above to check on this.

The weight doesn't really bother me - I really don't see us using the car that much, and any transporting between car and pram should be minimal, plus, yes it does have a EasyFix base, so that makes life easier if we end up driving more and interchanging seats/pram.

Still like the KISS too, especially as it lasts for the four years right from birth.

I don't think the store at MK has the Stokke Izi Sleep though, so I don't think I can compare them side by side.

If we do end up doing long journeys, carseatcrazy, are you saying we can keep the baby in the IziSleep for longer than the usual time allowance for car journeys for babies?

abfab - no you woun't be able to keep them in for longer, but if you had a long journey and wanted to let your little one have a stretch out in a flat position for a while while still sleeping it does make that easier. Having said that, it depends on your little one, I could have just taken my DS out of his seat woken him up and then he'd be straight back to sleep the moment he got back in his seat!! I think the normal recommendation is that they stay for no more than 2 hours in that position, which to be honest is the pretty much about the max timeframe most newborns will give you before waking anyway.....so on reflection, the KISS could probably serve your purposes just as well........mmmm....no simple answer .....the ideal seat for all ages doesn't exist :) !!!! Some of the new britax true lay flat seats will allow you to travel for longer, but I don't think they'd be as safe in crash tests- that's where the jane i think comes in- I think their matrix can be mounted in the true layflat (ie sideways) position, or in rearfacing mode, which is possibly the safest option- but then probably doesn't fit your pushchair!!! sorry, not much help I know :) !!!

Hi all just after buying the stokke xplory but was also looking at the stokke car seat but it looks very heavy for lifting when not using with the xplory.. Or am I wrong maybe it not much heavier than the maxi cosi or the recaro which was what i was loooking at..

Thanks, Loppymumsy. Feels like such a minefield! Do you know if I'd have the same problem if we went for the Isofix base - do they tend to fit all cars?

We aren't car-orientated at all - would gladly decide the car based around safety and car-seat compatibility.

Thanks for continued responses, Carseatcrazy. :) Hm, so I'm still torn. KISS or BeSafe for Stokke. WHY WHY WHY doesn't a simple solution exist???

Are you saying you prefer the KISS (www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/30/products_id/54?osCsid=s1ag54n95uhe8gjcrgnkmat3o6) for your over-12 months child than the (www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/30/products_id/51?osCsid=fingr59pprg8955qch50g9ra97).

How long a break are you meant to give the baby after they've been in the carseat for two hours, before they can do another two-hour leg of the journey, can you tell me please?

And in your opinion, should we get the Isofix/Easyfix base?

79parrot, I think we are in the same place. Though I am not that concerned about the weight of the Stokke BeSafe, I can't imagine using it to carry our baby in for very long distances. I've seen this new little contraption though - might be a solution! (www.babywheeleasy.com/) - we saw them at the Baby Shows we went to, and they will be at the London one in October. They told us it did fit the Stokke BeSafe seat too.

LOOPY not loppy, sorry!!!