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Car seats

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Original poster

Booster seats - are the more expensive ones better? And from which age/height?

18 replies

MmeLindt · 30/03/2011 20:35

DD is complaining that she is the only one of her friends still high backed booster seat. I am keen to leave her in there as long as possible, particularly for longer journeys.

We would like to buy a booster seat for occasional trips with friends or when we take another child in our car with us. Where we live, people are very lax about car seats so being able to bung a booster seat into their car is preferable than no seat at all.

There are really cheap boosters and more expensive ones. Are the more expensive ones better from a safety pov?

Any recommendations?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

MmeLindt · 30/03/2011 20:50

God, I knew this was going to be a thread that no one reads.

[sigh]

[opens champagne to tempt someone onto thread]

OP posts:

TruthSweet · 30/03/2011 21:46

Original poster

MmeLindt · 30/03/2011 21:58

You can have chocolate instead. Please don't tell me that you don't like chocolate either.

She will be 9yo next month but is small and slight.

Part of the problem is that DS (7yo this summer) is almost as tall as DD so he will want to move into booster seat too.

Yes, that is the feeling I was getting, that the sturdier ones would be best.

OP posts:

movingsoon · 30/03/2011 22:00

my girls are 9 and 5 and I know lots of their friends don't sit on the some legally don't need to. I know some don't even wear the seat belt properly, we had to show lots of them on a recent school trip.

Adult belts are designed for adults of 150cm and above a child that is smaller than that will not benefit from it full safety. Lots of people ware thick coats in car this is not safe either. I think you have to make up your mine where you draw the line.

My children are happy on their kidfix seat they will be sat on them until they don't fit in them.

The law may rise to 150cm at some point and in ireland it is 150 in Germany it is 150 or 18years old.

You could park you car a short walk from the school you will find it easier to park and no one will see that she sat on a seat

Original poster

MmeLindt · 30/03/2011 22:06

There is no question of her not using a seat at all. That is clear.

We might allow her to use a booster - as far as I know they are legal throughout Europe. For longer journeys I prefer the high backed one.

I presume you mean using a booster until 150cm in Germany? We go to Germany often as PILs live there.

OP posts:

MadameGazelle · 30/03/2011 22:15

Have you looked at the Trunki Boostapak we've got them our DS's for occasional car journeys they do with friends and family and they're fab. They last until they're 12. Only £30 on amazon at the minute too. HTH

TruthSweet · 30/03/2011 22:27

If you can persuade your DD that as you travel to Germany frequently she might as well sit in a HBB all the time that might solve it for a bit (hopefully).

DD1 was so excited to get her Monterey as she was realising that other children were harnessed on the school run (we walk as live just minutes away but she still noticed) but I wouldn't have given in until we needed her TWE for DD2 (and DD2's seat for DD3.....). She hasn't yet noticed the difference between her best friend who rides in a booster cushion in the front seat vs her HBB in the back though

TruthSweet · 30/03/2011 22:28

weren't harnessed not were. Blaming that one on the sugar rush from interweb choc.

Original poster

MmeLindt · 30/03/2011 22:34

:o at sugar rush.

Had a chat with DH and we will try to persuade her to stay in the HBB as long as possible, certainly for the longer journeys - that gives us till August anyway.

We have one trip to Germany (at least 6 hr drive) and summer holiday in Scotland (15 h drive) so she will certainly still be in the HBB for those trips. We have the Cybex and I love that the headrest tilts back so that they can sleep on longer journeys.

Just read on both German and Swiss AA-equivalent websites that they very much recommend leaving the DC in HBB as long as possible, as you said, because of the side impact protection. Will show that to DD tomorrow as "proof".

OP posts:

Loopymumsy · 31/03/2011 06:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

goingroundthebend4 · 31/03/2011 06:24

dd age 8 has high back seat still .And since she is so small she will do so for a long time .Shes only just over 120cm .I just feel shes safer in one .

goingroundthebend4 · 31/03/2011 06:28

oh im liking the idea of tilt back headrest.Would dd fit in it shes about 120cm ish and about 21kg ?.She is of to spain with friends and they are driving down so thinking it may be ideal

MoreFruitLoopthanFruitShoot · 31/03/2011 07:11

I wish that this were the case here in Australia. Here they need no car seat once they are 7 or 26kg. I can't even bring one over from the UK as they won't class it as safe.

sigh

Original poster

MmeLindt · 31/03/2011 07:23

Loopy
That is interesting. I was wondering about that when I was reading up on it yesterday - how strange that the testing is so stringent up till they go into a booster seat, then you could pretty much just sit them on a box - some of the boosters I have seen are little more than that.

Goinground
DD is about 130cm and 23kg and still fits easily into her seat. The headrest thing is amazing - it is a tiny little adjustment but means that they can tip their heads back, so that they sleep upright and not crumpled into a heap. I bought them years ago - must be about 4 years ago - when they first came out and the newer ones are even better. Makes a huge difference when you are travelling long distances.

OP posts:

Original poster

MmeLindt · 31/03/2011 07:28

Loopy
Just watched the Which? film. Will show that to DD this evening and explain that she will be in a HBB until she is 23 yo. Scary.

She had a friend in kindergarten who was on a booster seat from the age of 4yo. We have been hearing the "but S has just got a booster seat and she is younger than me" wails for 5 years already.

I always replied that if S's parents thought that it was ok, then it was their decision, but that we find the booster seats are not safe so basically, tough luck.

OP posts:

goingroundthebend4 · 31/03/2011 07:53

Thank you will take my van car to check fits on our seats after calling halfords check the have one in stock will be happier in one like that with all the driivng

Ds 3 even though he is almost 6 is still in harness seat due to sn and his size 1m and 16k

goingroundthebend4 · 31/03/2011 07:54

morefruitloop

thats scarey as dd is 8 so would not need a carseat even though she is tiny

silverfrog · 31/03/2011 08:05

goingroundthebend - dd1 has a kidfix, and you can lean that back for more comfortable rest/sleep/just sitting. it adjusts at the seat/back join - you literally just tilt the whole thing back a bit.

really handy in our bus car as the seats are individual captains seats, so can angle car seat, and then booster, and off we go with no less uncomfortable head lolling when asleep.

I htink you have a massive van too, don't you?

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