Cybex Pallas - any good?

[letsblowthistacostand]

Does anyone have this car seat? Safety ratings seem good but am just a little nervous about the lack of 5-point harness. Here's my situation: DD1, 4.5, not quite big enough for a regular high-back booster. She has a FF seat from the US that will easily fit her to the end of her car seat days (when she's 15, maybe? My children are tiny) as it converts to a high then low booster. DD2, 2.5, in another seat from the US, was fab as a rear-facer but not great FF, and looks like she might grow out of it before too long.

The idea was to switch DD2 to DD1's seat and get a HBB for DD1, but DD1 is just too small. I don't want to buy another toddler seat for DD2. This cybex pallas looks like a good compromise. Which child would you put in it?

I'm in a not totally dissimilar situation, just been today to try the Cybex Pallas in my car and it didn't fit. It needs quite a long seat belt to fit it in and in our car the seatbelt was long enough to fit just the Pallas but not long enough to fit it if DD was actually in the seat (because of how the belt goes around the seat and child).

So if you go for the Pallas, make sure you go and get it fitted before you buy!!

Hi, I had a pallas for ds who at the time was 3.5 yrs but only 13 kg. It was a lovely seat and he was comfy in it. He liked resting his arms on the cushion. I've removed the cushion now as he's 4.5 yrs and 16kg. It does need a long seat belt though

We've been using the Cybex Pallas for a month with our 2-year-old and she's escaped by wriggling out 4 times, mid driving! Absolutely shocking! Mamas and Papas who we bought it from (also Cybex's representative) have been exremely disappointing and refuse to believe us because no one else has reported their toddler can escape from the seat and if she's clever enough to escape, then she's clever enough to be told she shouldn't do it! I'm looking round mumsnet to see
a. if anyone's had a similar problem with the Cybex Pallas and
b. to see if children as young as age 2 can sometimes altogether escape from car seats ('cause maybe it's just one of those things that happens???)
but have found no evidence of either so far. Still, I thought you might like to know our experiencee before buying, letsblowthistacostand.

(By the way, although fitting this car seat is very straightforward, we have been to our local council's in-car safety unit to make sure we do fit it correctly and we do.)

i have this seat for my 1 year old.
I can't concieve of how it is possible for a child to wriggle out. My 1 year old is tiny and he can't move once strapped in.
Is she wearing a bulky coat?
Is her bum right to the back of the seat when you strap her in?:
Is the bolster cushion on the right setting?

2 year olds can escape from car seats DS1 was notorius for getting out of straps and tapping me on the shoulder while driving.
That is one of the reasons for getting the pallas as i figured if DS3 was going to be an escapee it would be far more difficult to get out of. With Ds1 i ended up brining him with sweets to stay in his seat and that seemed to work.

Thank you for your post, raindroprhyme! :)
She escapes by slightly twisting to her side, then sticking one knee behind the cushion, then the other leg and she's out. She doesn't wear a bulky coat, her bum is right back and the cushion is at the smallest setting. Often, she manages to escape but her trousers and shoes don't as it's really really tight... All I can think is that she's an extremely active, determined little girl?
But one thing I was hoping to find out is whether as a customer I should expect a car seat to restrain my 25-month-old?

It is a common problem with car seats, and pushed me to develop the "5 point plus".

It won the Baby Products Association Innovation Award at Olympia last year.

I know she's older than the weight recommended to use it, but have you tried putting the extra cushion in to raise her up? Of course that may have been what was meant by the bolster cushion...

She does indeed sound very determined It sounds as though she would work out how to climb out of a 5-point harness quite easily as well, so I'm not sure what to suggest.

Terra. I have been using the Palas with my extreemly active now 3 year old who is not even on the growth charts (Yet). We've had it for the last 18 months. If the cushion side bits are pulled at the tightest (shortest)and the cushion is properly on the Arm rests there is only a four inch gap. The seatbelt should keep the cushion tight against your DD so that she is pinned from her arm pits to the bottom of her tummy. You should go into Mammas and Pappas and ask them to look at how you're fitting it. DS3 could get out of any strapped car seat but can't get out of this at all.