group 1 carseats - fitting with a lapbelt

[sazm]

hi all,
am having a look at group 1 seats for when ds needs one (not for a few months yet)
i know theres the britax and maxi cosi which can be fitted with either a 3 point belt or a lapbelt,
my question is..
if they are fitted with a lapbelt are they just as safe as if they were fitted with the 3 point belt?or are they less safe???

also the maxi-cosi tobi was one of the which don't buys a while ago,is this still the same case or is there a better newer model out now?

thanks all

[MrsBadger]

You can't fit the Tobi with just a lap belt
and it's never been a Don't Buy - where did you get that idea from?

and whch Britax fits with just a lap belt?

I would imagine that any one fitted with just a lap belt wouldn;t be nearly as stable and safe as with a 3-pt

[MrsBadger]

NB if you have Isofix get the Maxi Cosi Priorifix which needs no belts at all

[MrsBadger]

oh I see

the Britax Prince and Eclipse apparently fit with only a lap belt

[sazm]

i dont have isofix - so thats them ruled out,

i have a 3 point belt in the middle of the car i have just now - hence considering the tobi, i read (about 18m ago when i last shopped for a carseat)that it was slated by which and they had put it on their dont buy list(cant remember where i read it just remember being surprised)

the reason for the lapbelt question is that the car i plan to buy next doesnt have a 3 point belt in the middle ( and i need to fit in 3 carseats) so hence looking for onr that would fit with just a lapbelt,

the britax prince and eclipse and also the maxi cosi (priori im sure)fit with a lapbelt

[lou031205]

We have a voyager which is lap or 3-point. Rock solid with lap belt.

[navyeyelasH]

I have a prince as it's the slimest car seat on the market and I wanted 3 stage 1 car seats across the back seats. But I am not convinved it is as safe using just the lap belt. You can get a 3 point belt fitted into your car IIRC.

I also have a maxi cosi tobi and have had a maxi cosi priori SPS and XP models and they are both really solid car seats IMO (although tobi is best of the 2 IMO esp if you ingore the green indicator thingy as it has a belt tensioner). But AFAIK neither fit on a lap belt.

[navyeyelasH]

PS I sunscribe to which and the tobi has never been a don't buy?

Would using the front seat be an option?

[MrsBadger]

The Priori doesn;t fit with a lap belt

[sazm]

thanks all,

front seat isnt an option really, i could use it there if i had to but would prefer not to as dh will be sitting there
i need 2 highbacked boosters and a group 1 seat in the back,i looked at the kiddy infinity seat but as i would have to clip the seatbelt in each time it would be aukward so i would prefer one with a 5 point harness,
i had a look at the tobi in my local baby shop and really liked it,it seemed to be quite narrow and i think my other seats would fit with it,BUT it looks like it needs a really long seatbelt to fit it???(which mine isnt)

the priori does fit with a lapbelt,but it seems they no longer recommend its fitted that way,

dont want to spend hundreds of pounds getting a 3 point belt fitted in the middle thats why i was interested in the seats that fit with a lapbelt,maybe i will just need to go for a different new car lol!

[navyeyelasH]

best bet is a prince if you need a slim one that uses lap belt only. IIRS it's about £90 from toysrus.

[sazm]

thanks,i did look at it,just wondered how safe it was fitted with the lapbelt, compared to the likes of the tobi fitted with a 3 point belt,

[Haylstones]

I have a Britax Freeway (I think)- it's a few years old now so maybe discontinued. It fits in the middle with a lap belt and always seems secure. The only thing I've found is that whenever I recline it I have to readjust the seat belt as it moves a bit. I don't use it all the time, only when I have 2 other boosters in the back as I have a Britax First class that I think is safer but can't be used with a lap belt.

[LIZS]

We also used to have a Freeway and on the odd occasion we did fit with the lapbelt it was surprisingly solid. Prince looks very similar.