isofix or not isofix on group 2/3?

[dollydaydream84]

Hi All,

We have had a Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix and Pearl for our first 2 car seats with an isofix base.

We are having our 2nd child soon and DD1 is 3.5 and weighs over 15kg so we are looking to buy her a new group 2/3 car seat.

I'm really paranoid about safety and have always liked the idea of isofix so I can't really get it wrong. However from what I've read, because the child is held in by seatbelt rather than 5 point harness, the isofix doesn't make a group 2/3 any safer, it just stops the seat moving around if the child isn't in it. Is that right?

Can anyone advise whether or not its worth paying for the isofix base for group 2/3 or not? Any benefits to having it in terms of safety?

Thanks in advance

On stage 2/3 seats the isofix is usually incorporated into the actual seat so no separate base.
We've just moved DD into a Cybex Solution Q2 fix and found it great. The seat stays put as she's getting in and out and you don't have to worry about belting it in when she isn't in it. They can become quite a heavy "missile" in a collision if not belted. Would definitely go for isofix if it's going to be the main seat you use day to day.

Thanks for clearing that up I understand how they work now! I think we will probably go for an isofix.

Any recommendations? Looking at MaxiCosi RodiFix AirProtect at the moment.

At 3 1/2 she's still a bit too young to be in a high backed booster using the seatbelt. It would be much safer to stick with her current seat until she weighs 18kgs (if the tips of her ears became level with the top of the car seat, or the straps at their highest setting started to dip below her shoulders this would also mean that the seat is outgrown). Moving to a high backed booster at the 15kgs minimum is a big step down in terms of safety compared to a 5-point harness.

Don't rush your daughter out of the Pearl just because you want the base to use with the CabrioFix. It would be safer to leave the base for the Pearl and just belt the CabrioFix into the car directly.

This link explains why a 3 1/2 year old shouldn't use a high backed booster.

Thanks AliceMum09
Weighed her before and shes almost 16kg but definitely not 18kg.
I really don't want to belt in the CabrioFix but also don't want to buy a new base for a short time. May just have to buy another base!

I just put her in the seat to try it, the headrest goes up quite a lot on the MaxiCosi Pearl so from the top of her head she has about 4 inches of headrest above her, her head is probably level with the back of the car seat but 3-4 inches from the tips of her ears.

How quickly do they put weight on? Is it likely she will be 18kg by Christmas?

We will probably just buy a second base until she is 18kg and hope we can sell it on. Thanks for the advice

They don't really put weight on that fast at this age, I'm sure she wouldn't be 18kgs by Christmas.

I'd definitely buy a second base for now, your daughter sounds like she has quite a while left in the Pearl and whilst legally she can have a high backed booster she'd be a lot safer staying where she is for now.

Have a look at her red book and follow her 'line' to give you some idea of when she will be 18kg, or look on here: www.rcpch.ac.uk/system/files/protected/page/NEW%20Girls%202-18yrs(4TH%20JAN%202012).pdf

From the information you gave, I assume around 4 1/4 yrs old. When is your new baby due?

With regards to isofix group 2/3 car seats, I have isofix and find it really helpful that they are attached. It keeps me safe if I was to have an accident without the children as there wouldn't be a missile in the back of the car/ or means I don't have to strap seats in everytime the children get out. But also, it keeps the children in the right position for the seatbelt. When they've been on highback boosters in other people's cars, I find they can move around when the children are getting in and out and never seem quite as safe as my seats.

And we have Britax Kidfix seats, but not the soft latch ones. They were Which Best Buys when we bought them, but that was a few years ago now.

You want one that will grow with your child both in height and width, especially shoulder width. If you know a 7/8 year old, maybe see if you can take them with you to a shop and try out some seats for size.

Thanks all for the advice and suggestions.

The red book suggests 18kg by December-February when she will be 4.

I will definitely get an isofix group 2/3 when she is ready. Until then, looks like it's £150 for new base :( can't put a price on safety though I guess.

New baby is due next month so when I saw group 2/3 can start from 15kg and 3.5 years I thought it would be the best option for us to put DD in new car seat and give the base to the baby.