Growing out of Maxicosi cabriofix - what next?

[ReadingTeaLeaves]

hi all, hoping to use some mumsnet wisdom to avoid spending 10 hours researching car seats (as I did with prams this time last year!). DS is 9 months and will shortly outgrow his cabriofix car seat.

I would like to get a car seat that lasts til 4 years - not too fussed about getting one that converts and last til he's 12.

I thought the maxicosi one that swivels looks practical - particularly for when I have tantruming toddler and am trying to strap him in. Is this a good choice? What others would people recommend? We don't plan to have to move it from car to car often, although very occasionally we might so we don't want something that's ridiculously hard to move. DS is a good sleeper - and we do do some long drives (both sets of parents live at opposite ends of country) so we need something that DS can sleep in quite easily.

I am sure that some of you will advocate rearward facing, which is fine. I'd like some forward facing recommends as well tho please.

Your recommendations please.......

"Just wondering about our cabriofix, ideally want to keep DS in as long as possible, just today moved the straps up to the top hole, but is it ok that they will come form behind his shoulders as he gets taller? as i want to keep him in there until his head at the top, but the straps would def have to come from behind his shoulders if his head was to be near the top?? "

Please read your instructions. I'm sure I have read somewhere that for RF seats the straps can and do come out from behind the body, but for FF ones, they MUST come down from above the shoulders. But I'd hate you to accept that without cheking - I know I have read it somewhere so I assume it's the instructions.

We went for the Priorifix as it was the Which best buy at the time (that was a couple of years ago though)

ReadingTeaLeaves,

here www.rearfacing.co.uk/gallery.php, or here www.carseat.se/gallery/.

i think there are more, search on here but i can't find them at the minute!

:)

Maxicosi priorifix are fab, never had a comfort or belt problem.

Oh yes, that's why we chose them - the Which report safety test of 2007 or 2008 had them as safest.

Yes, with straps, in a rearfacing seat they need to come from level with or below the shoulders (as the main purpose is to stop the baby/child sliding upwards in the - usually semireclined - seat), whereas with FF they need to be above the shoulders as the purpose is to reduce forward movement.

Can someone who knows about RF seats clarify something?

If the seats are so high up , are they properly protected by the side impact bars/body of the car? How much of the childs body is level with the window

This is exacty one of the points that make these seats SAFER than ff seats in side impacts. the child is placed farther away from the door panel.

There is more: cars are travelling forward and not backwards when they collide like this. In the vast majority of side impact cases there is a frontal momentum in side impacts. Then comes the last point; which i called "pre-braking" That is what most drivers do when they discover the danger. "They slam on the brakes, which makes the FF child´s head etc. go fast forward and the RF child into the restraint.

And what happens to their legs.

Nothing! In fact, there no reported cases of injuries to the legs and feet in RF children.

There are plenty of them in forwardfacing children tough.

Just wanted to say a huge thanks to the OP as as we are in exactly the same situation and this thread has really helped me!

I am wondering about this too - my baby is only 6 months and big but it really feels (especially with thick coat at this time of year) like I am wedging her into it even though she is only 8-9kg so well below the max. Is it OK to be pretty squashed in??

do not put your child in a car seat in a coat. it is not safe. the straps cannot be done up tight enough and there is a risk of the child being thrown from the seat in an impact. take her coat off and you'll have months left in the seat

Get a carseat wrap instead of the coat. Morrck do them up to age 4. My 15 month old daughter and niece both fit in a Britax Baby-Safe very easily.My niece is pretty average height and weight. They are definitely supposed to be tightly strapped in though. You may be surprised at how slowly babies grow after the first 6 months.

DD is 16 months and a big girl (80th odd centile on the whole), she still fits her CabrioFix. We're off to go and look at a few ERF seats tomorrow, the Recaro and the BeSafe. We want to stick with isofix ideally.

Oooh, where do people get the Klippan/graco from? I can't find it anywhere.

They sell it at the In Car Safety Centre and online at carseat.se. I bought mine in a clearance shop in Birmingham though. I highly recommend it.

My DD is 15 mo and we moved her to a RF Britax two way elite at 11 months. We had her old cabriofix out from the spare room a week ago and she could still fit in it easily. She is about 98th centile for height. I find getting her into a RF seat easy due to the seat facing the way the back doors open. I would thoroughly recommend it and the lovely people at the In Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes who are great at recommending seats for specific cars and have online videos showing how to fit them. www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/

Thanks, I've just ordered one!

I'm sure you won't be disappointed! I wish I'd got mine from birth now.