Nightmare getting a carseat - just a bit of a rant to make me feel better.

[nannynick]

Today has not gone well, my cold may be effecting me more than I think.

Having read on Mumsnet about car seats having an Use By Date (honestly, didn't occur to me before) did some internet research last night and found a dealer with a carseat ideal for the little baby for whom I am nannying.

All well and good... little trip out for me and 3 year old. We went to get some other things as well, plus he got his babycino treat he likes, we fed the ducks/swans/geese, looked at the steam engine, usual sort of stuff all going well.

Last stop was the carseat dealer which should have been a quick in and out get the bits all done and sorted (had e-mailed them last night to confirm stock).

Alas that didn't happen... as when putting the ISOFIX base in my car, they found it wouldn't fit. Ahh! Seems my ISOFIX mounting points are about 6mm out (not being in quite the right height position). Ahh!

You can imagine the fuss, getting the car manual out, you know what it's like.
I was hurrying as didn't want to hang around long (not fair on the child with me) so we got some non-ISOFIX seats to renew some non-ISOFIX seats I already have in the car, so at least the seats are new, even if they are not ISOFIX.

Anyone guessed the next problem yet?

About 45 minutes later, my garage calls. Odd. They had a call from a man who had found my vehicle manual and other things in a ditch, about 1.5 miles from the carseat dealer.

Yep... at some point I must have put the document wallet on the roof of the car - SILLY SILLY ME

I'm not usually forgetful. Think having a cold can't be helping.

Least I got reunited with the document wallet after work and it appears to be all there (not that I really know what was in it to start with).

Very glad that someone found it so quickly and that they called my garage, who then called me. Amazingly good luck.

The man wouldn't accept anything as a finders fee, so I donated to the area's Air Ambulance, so even if I can't "pay it forward" the Air Ambulance may be able to keep flying and help residents in the area.

Is it worth ranting about ISOFIX and carseats not fitting?

Anyway... how was your day?

oh nick you poor thing

well done the garage for phoning you, and for some helpful person handing it in, too

Bit of a nightmare really.

I can't believe isofix fixtures weren't standard - isn't that the whole point of the system............................

I've got cybex boosters with isofix and you have to use plastic "guides" which means you can't quickly remove from our car and put in a different one!

Oh Nick, feel for you, been there, done that, got the migraine to prove it!

My lovely car seat story had me going to 3 stores!!! The first one only sold infant seats, even though their website said they sold all types - turns out they are happy to order them for you (yes and if I wanted to buy from a catalogue and wait a week I would have gone online myself, thank you very much).

2nd stop - bought one, and yes it didn't fit. So had the hassle of pulling it out and going back into the store to find another one - they didn't have it in stock, but found it in another store. They could have ordered it, but it was easier for me to go to the other store that day as it was just as far, than to come back to this store on another day (and face the potential of it not fitting again!)

So off I hike to the 3rd store, to be told that, yes, they have the seat, but not the strap which you have to buy separately, sorry. Umm, store 2 specifically checked and you DO have the strap. No, no we don't. Yes, you do.... (back and forth several times). Oh.... off they go to find the manager and yes, the strap is there, and he has put it to one side with nothing written on it. So eventually that seat with strap is fitted into the car - 5 hours after I had left home!!!!!

But at least I didn't have my DC with me, unlike you!!!!!!!

what a nightmare

and rediculous that isofix points dont work, thought they were universal too

Had the same problem with Isofix. What is the bloody point if they don't fit all cars? . Was quite happy to spend a fortune if it meant I had a car seat that would fit properly in whichever car I was in, then discovered that actually, no, not all isofix seats fit all isofix cars .

It never ceases to amaze me that such an important safety-related purchase is always such a pain in the bloody arse to deal with .

What a day!

Can I just add, what are the use by dates of car seats? I bet mine are past it!

i think its 6 years

i had a car seat break at about exactly 6 years old. It was immaculate and looked like new and had been well looked after etc

all i can think is thank goodness i wasnt involved in an accident on the journey before it broke, as there is no way it could have been safe as was about to break...

i just didnt know!

See this thread on the Car Seat part of Mumsnet.

I've just looked at a 2006 seat I have, it has the manufactured date (on a sticker) but no use-by date. Nothing embossed on the seat at all.

Retailer yesterday did not say anything about a use-by date on the seat I brought. So I do wonder if any retailers tell the public when they buy seats that there is a date by which the seat should no longer be used. Also if a seat sits in a warehouse for a couple of years before being sold, it's not the date of sale but the date of manufacture that is the start of the time period.

nannyl - how did the seat break, did the plastic shell/casing just snap?

i had a britax renaissance

as i was tightening the belt (as i did every time i strapped child in and loosened every time to get child out) something snapped, this piece of broken plastic appeared at the bottom, and as a result the seat was not fixed in the sitting or recline (or inbetween) setting.

so the seat was just moving between lie back and sitting up itself and there was nothing to keep it in the desired setting,

could not have been safe.

luckily i was on school run and had just dropped 5 year old to school, so only had 3 year old (a big 3 year old) brother, so for that one journey he sat in his brothers highbacked booster seat.... (and his parents had a spare car seat so i then used that one)
No idea what id have done if he'd have been smaller, or if i had both children that need transporting home