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under 15 months ? car seat laws have changed ....

57 replies

dragonfly007 · 03/04/2015 08:10

www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

If this affects you, will you be purchasing a new car seat ? Even if you child is currently forward facing Hmm

OP posts:
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KatoPotato · 03/04/2015 10:11

And by that age they will be walking so no need to try and actually carry it about in it??

dementedpixie · 03/04/2015 10:14

Katopotato, what you have ordered is fine

TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway · 03/04/2015 11:20

I was coming on to point this out too. That gov.uk page is ridiculously simplistic and doesn't provide factual enough information Angry

I have emailed them to point this out if anyone else fancies doing the same!

Those of you asking about their babies current seats, the Britax First Class is a solid, reasonably priced seat that rear faces until 13kg. The Hauck Varioguard and Joie Stages rear face until 18kg and are also under £150. Infant seats aren't outgrown until 13kg/the babies head (not legs) reaches the end of the seat.

And my Dualfix fits perfectly well into our Golf Hmm

bekah7 · 03/04/2015 11:34

Thanks everyone, last time he was resurfacing he screamed the whole time. As soon as he was out his car seat he was fine. But just got back from shopping and he's fast asleep Smile so maybe just a bad day? I was looking at the hauck one this morning and may have to think in investing in one (depending if suitable for my car etc as I have recently had a new one and it has the isofix points)

bekah7 · 03/04/2015 11:37

Sorry I forgot to ask, with him being nearly 9kg would you suggest when he's over the 9kg weight he should be moved into a forward facing?

littleducks · 03/04/2015 11:40

www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/gb-en/#wizard/car-seat-advisory-tool/size-of-child/baby-installation-mode/belt-type-of-car-seat/infant-toddler-car-seat

We have this, ds is forward facing now at 18 months abd much happier than rear facing but had toned of room. It fits my nephew in at nearly 4

TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway · 03/04/2015 12:31

No Bekah I would keep him rearfacing for as long as you can Smile

BlinkAndMiss · 03/04/2015 12:40

Is this new information from the government? I'm sure this is what they've been saying for a few years - what is it exactly that has changed?

I'm so confusedConfusedConfused.

TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway · 03/04/2015 12:47

Yes, isize came in in 2013 alongside current guidance, with the suggestion that current standards would be phased out from 2018. Except yesterday an update appeared on gov.uk stating that babies must be rearfacing in isize seats until they are 15 months Confused

TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway · 03/04/2015 12:48

Clicky link

It's all over facebook and a lot of parents are understandably confused!

AnythingNotEverything · 03/04/2015 14:16

There's some good info here about when a child has outgrown a Group 0 (baby carrier type seat)
www.goodeggcarsafety.com/blog/when-is-the-infant-car-seat-outgrown/

DD is a big girl - 10lb at birth and consistently 80th centile+ for weight and height - and she was using her Cabriofix until 16 months. I know of children who've used them safely until over 2 years old.

bekah7 · 03/04/2015 14:19

Thanks everyone. I will keep him backwards for as long as I can Smile

SoonToBeSix · 03/04/2015 14:20

Bekah I would leave him rear facing until age four.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 03/04/2015 14:28

I use a ERF seat, but a friend has their 10mo FF in an Isofix seat. Do they legally (I know they do preferably!) need to turn their baby back round?

HappyAsASandboy · 03/04/2015 14:35

I have a problem with the older sections of the table.

The table lists rear- or forward-facing baby seat until 18kg and then drops those words leaving just booster as an option. I have my 4 year olds in Britax Two Way Elite seats, rear facing, an was intending on keeping them that way until they reach te seat maximum of 25kg. The table now implies this is illegal Confused

Anyone know whether I can keep using the TWE seats rear facing after 2018 (with different children!).

bekah7 · 03/04/2015 16:22

I've just been looking into the new i-size seats. Specifically the Concord reverso,it looks fantastic! Although quite pricy! But that's rear facing until they reach 105cm (23kg) and I've been looking at the hauck a varioguard (100pounds cheaper) this one is rear and forward facing up to age of 4 (18kg) I have no idea which one would be best Confused

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 03/04/2015 16:29

bek look for "Car Seat Advice for Mummies and Daddies" on FB loads of advisors and loads using those seats who would be happy to advise

bekah7 · 03/04/2015 16:38

Thank you. I will look them up now Smile

SoonToBeSix · 03/04/2015 17:22

Happy you wouldn't be doing anything illegal. I would interpret the chart as you are going above and beyond what the government deems is necessary re car seat safety.

TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway · 07/04/2015 17:34

I've heard back from gov.uk and they are in the process of amending the page Smile

KatoPotato · 07/04/2015 22:39

Got this back from Maxi Cosi tonight:

Good Evening

Thank you for your email.

Maxi-Cosi has become aware of some confusion among consumers in regards to
legislation allowing the use of i-Size (R129) child car seats.
Maxi-Cosi would like to clear this up.

The relevant pieces of legislation to bring i-Size into UK law have completed
Parliamentary processes and came into force on 27 March and 1 April respectively.
But - and this is where the confusion has come in, due in part to some misleading
wording on a government website - the new i-Size standard does not replace the
current one (R44/04): rather, it runs alongside it in parallel.

Therefore, child car seats complying with either standard (i-Size or R44/04) may still
be sold and used. Parents do not have to purchase a new car child seat if they are
using one which meets the current standard.

Maxi-Cosi has been influential in helping introduce the i-Size standard and
pioneering in launching three multi-award winning i-Size child car seats (along with
the Maxi-Cosi 2wayFix Base) onto the UK market: the Maxi-Cosi 2wayPearl; the
Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus; and the Maxi-Cosi AxissFix.

Maxi-Cosi nevertheless continues to support and promote its child car seats that
meet R44 alone, and will do so for some years to come.

A couple of things to bear in mind:

? If you have purchased an i-Size compliant child car seat, then your child must
travel rear-facing until a minimum 15-months-old (Maxi-Cosi would
recommend that children are ideally kept in rear-facing car seats for as long as
possible )

? If your child car seat meets R44 but not i-Size, you should continue to use the
guidelines for that car seat and the R44 standard.

I Hope this helps

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 08/04/2015 21:19

Gov.uk have amended their page.

KatoPotato · 08/04/2015 21:22

Great stuff.

TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway · 08/04/2015 21:27

It's still wrong Angry

Apparently babies over 9kg must be in forward facing seats! How hard is it to get right?! Angry

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 08/04/2015 21:30

Yes, it doesn't allow for ERF...

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