Is this safe? | Mumsnet

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JimHalpertsWife · 05/02/2025 17:47

"Gifted" from where? You aren't supposed to use second hand carseats.

FamilyAreEverything · 05/02/2025 19:54

Hi OP,
Are you fitting it with the top tether? The seat needs to sit flush with the back of the car seat, there shouldn’t be any leg room so to speak.
That being said, I’d also be wary of using a seat that was gifted unless you can be 100% certain that the seat hasn’t been damaged or used inappropriately in any way.

BertieBotts · 06/02/2025 07:42

Did you see my reply on your other thread? I had some follow up questions which might provide some clarity.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/highchairs_and_baby_seats_chat/5263654-is-this-safe?reply=141803581

Is this safe | Mumsnet

I am a grandparent and was gifted a brand new Reecle zA06 child seat when my grandaughter was born. When fitting it in my car rear facing the isofix c...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/highchairs_and_baby_seats_chat/5263654-is-this-safe?reply=141803581

Original poster

Suzy64 · 06/02/2025 15:07

I would lie to clarify, it WAS a brand new seat, that was bought for me as a gift when I became a grandparent. In its box sealed with instructions etc!
I wasn’t expecting comments and people judging and jumping to conclusions. I was advised to come on this forum as it is a great place for good advice with many knowledgeable people who are happy to help others.
So my granddaughter has been travelling rear facing for a year but her legs are getting longer, the arms of the isofix has three adjustments on them that move the seat further away from the back rest of the back seat in order for her to have more leg room. But it keeps moving forward again as in it won’t stay locked in the other two settings/ positions. If I swivel the seat to forward face these arms stay locked in the various settings. So I am asking can anyone please tell me if this is like that for a reason? Or is there a fault? In which case if it is I will dispose of it and purchase another new car seat as my granddaughters safety is paramount.

OP posts:

Original poster

Suzy64 · 06/02/2025 15:11

JimHalpertsWife · 05/02/2025 17:47

"Gifted" from where? You aren't supposed to use second hand carseats.

If you read again, i think you will see it was a gift brand new when my granddaughter was born.

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 06/02/2025 16:20

Ah, that will likely be a safety feature then, as it's important that the seat sits flush against the backrest, it is part of the rebound protection. You can't normally move the isofix for more leg room unfortunately. That is a very rare feature which isn't offered in most car seats, and usually when it is, there is a different anti-rebound measure instead to make up for it.

That said, it's not a problem for children to have their legs touching the backrest of the seat. As long as she is not uncomfortable, and most children aren't, it's not a safety problem for her to sit that way.

If you want her to have more leg room then you need one of the Swedish type seats like the Britax Safe-Way M or Axkid Minikid 2.

I'm not sure why it locks into place in the forward facing position but not the rear facing position. Usually, the reason that there are multiple possible lengths for the isofix arms are because different cars have the isofix attachment points at different lengths so you need to be able to reach them in cars where they are deeper, but in normal use the child seat should be pushed tightly into the vehicle seat. It might be that the top tether is doing the work there with the forward facing mode so it doesn't matter as much, but I'm just speculating. I can't find the manual of this seat for download anywhere.

Does the manual say anything useful about the isofix arms or about leg room?

FamilyAreEverything · 06/02/2025 16:52

Suzy64 · 06/02/2025 15:07

I would lie to clarify, it WAS a brand new seat, that was bought for me as a gift when I became a grandparent. In its box sealed with instructions etc!
I wasn’t expecting comments and people judging and jumping to conclusions. I was advised to come on this forum as it is a great place for good advice with many knowledgeable people who are happy to help others.
So my granddaughter has been travelling rear facing for a year but her legs are getting longer, the arms of the isofix has three adjustments on them that move the seat further away from the back rest of the back seat in order for her to have more leg room. But it keeps moving forward again as in it won’t stay locked in the other two settings/ positions. If I swivel the seat to forward face these arms stay locked in the various settings. So I am asking can anyone please tell me if this is like that for a reason? Or is there a fault? In which case if it is I will dispose of it and purchase another new car seat as my granddaughters safety is paramount.

There was no judgement in my post.

This seat needs to fitted rear facing with the seat flush against the back of the seat. I’m certain that you cannot adjust it to give your granddaughter more leg room. The arms will be adjustable to allow for different depths of the isofix anchors if different cars. I’m not sure why the isofix arms aren’t staying in place when the seat is rear facing but they do when forward facing. This sounds like a fault with the seat and like @BertieBotts has suggested in your other post, I would see about returning it.

You’ve had some recommendations for better tested seats in your other post which won’t require the top tether system. They won’t give you granddaughter more leg room, but you don’t need to worry about her legs being bent. It’s not a sign of the seat being outgrown and completely normal and comfortable for them. There are other dedicated rear facing seats which will offer her more leg room as she grows older and keep her rear facing for longer.

I’d suggest finding your nearest independent retailer where you could try out seats in your car and see which one fits the best and offers a safe fit for your granddaughter now and as she grows.

Original poster

Suzy64 · 06/02/2025 17:29

FamilyAreEverything · 06/02/2025 16:52

There was no judgement in my post.

This seat needs to fitted rear facing with the seat flush against the back of the seat. I’m certain that you cannot adjust it to give your granddaughter more leg room. The arms will be adjustable to allow for different depths of the isofix anchors if different cars. I’m not sure why the isofix arms aren’t staying in place when the seat is rear facing but they do when forward facing. This sounds like a fault with the seat and like @BertieBotts has suggested in your other post, I would see about returning it.

You’ve had some recommendations for better tested seats in your other post which won’t require the top tether system. They won’t give you granddaughter more leg room, but you don’t need to worry about her legs being bent. It’s not a sign of the seat being outgrown and completely normal and comfortable for them. There are other dedicated rear facing seats which will offer her more leg room as she grows older and keep her rear facing for longer.

I’d suggest finding your nearest independent retailer where you could try out seats in your car and see which one fits the best and offers a safe fit for your granddaughter now and as she grows.

Show quote history

Thank you for the help ❤️

OP posts:

Original poster

Suzy64 · 06/02/2025 19:37

BertieBotts · 06/02/2025 16:20

Ah, that will likely be a safety feature then, as it's important that the seat sits flush against the backrest, it is part of the rebound protection. You can't normally move the isofix for more leg room unfortunately. That is a very rare feature which isn't offered in most car seats, and usually when it is, there is a different anti-rebound measure instead to make up for it.

That said, it's not a problem for children to have their legs touching the backrest of the seat. As long as she is not uncomfortable, and most children aren't, it's not a safety problem for her to sit that way.

If you want her to have more leg room then you need one of the Swedish type seats like the Britax Safe-Way M or Axkid Minikid 2.

I'm not sure why it locks into place in the forward facing position but not the rear facing position. Usually, the reason that there are multiple possible lengths for the isofix arms are because different cars have the isofix attachment points at different lengths so you need to be able to reach them in cars where they are deeper, but in normal use the child seat should be pushed tightly into the vehicle seat. It might be that the top tether is doing the work there with the forward facing mode so it doesn't matter as much, but I'm just speculating. I can't find the manual of this seat for download anywhere.

Does the manual say anything useful about the isofix arms or about leg room?

Thank you, no the manual doesn’t say anything and there is nothing on the website which is frustrating. We think they purchased it through Amazon ( they seem to be the main supplier) but because we didn’t make the purchase we are unable to contact the company through Amazon. We just didn’t want to say anything to our lovely friends about it being possibly faulty unless we were sure . We just simple wanted to check. In the mean time she has been travelling in my car in a joie 360 which I love. If it was a fault we would have had to approached them to sort it.
I think you have answered my question though as that makes perfect sense. I appreciate you taking the time to respond x

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 06/02/2025 21:18

The Joie 360 is a much nicer and possibly safer seat, in my opinion. Joie have a good safety reputation. It's so kind of your friends to have gifted you a seat, but I think the Reecle ones are a false economy unfortunately. They have lots of positive reviews on their items but the negative ones are the most revealing.