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Original poster

Car seats RANT

72 replies

madamez · 04/01/2007 22:55

THere are many and varied reasons for despising the current Government, but the new car seat law sure is one of them. Just what are you supposed to do if you're car-free but every now and again want to visit friends in the country? For those of you who don't have this problem, let me explain. Baby car seats fit nicely on top of buggies and also tend to be portable in themselves. For older kids, you can buy booster seats that aren't very big and can be carried in a bag. But for a child between the ags of 11month and (I have just found out) about 6 there is no kind of car seat that isn't a) expensive and b) far too bulky and heavy to carry on a train or bus along with child, buggy, luggage, etc.

So this new law that's allegedly going to 'protect' kids ie recude the risk by some pretty minor percentage is actually just another way of causing massive inconvenience to people who don't want to fit into the 'normal' demographic.

OP posts:

BuffysMum · 04/01/2007 23:03

The britax cruiser - super cruiser now I think possible are from 9 months to 6 years, these are lightweight but still a bit bulky. Yes a nightmare for you I agree.

burstingbug · 04/01/2007 23:15

I agree, it's a real pain in the bum, ds1 is almost 2 and ds2 is almost 5 mths. We don't drive so rely on friends and family to pick us up from home otherwise there is no way of lugging 2 seats about with me, its bad enough struggling with a baby seat and a toddler seat, let alone very soon having to buy, use and store another toddler seat. If we go out with people then we need at least a 6 seater if our dh/dps come too, or 7 seater if sil & bil take us as they also have a dd who is ds1's age.
However our childrens saftey is of uppermost importance and the seats and laws were introduced for a reason.
Waffle over.

SofiaAmes · 05/01/2007 01:59

Much more inconvenient to have a dead or badly injured child. We have had strict carseat laws in california for a very long time and when I came to London from California, I followed those rules even when I was in London and they weren't required and even when it was inconvenient. I was amazed at how many people would endanger their children's lives by doing things like putting them in a car without a car seat. There are plenty of statistics that say that smaller sized kids survive better in car accidents (even at low speeds) in an appropriately sized car seat rather than a seat belt.
There are portable car seats available for relatively little money in the usa for just the kind of situation that you describe, madamez. I'm sure they will be available soon in the uk too. Here is a link to one. It costs about £15. I actually bought one some years ago for a mumsnetter on one of my trips to the usa (when I was still in London). This particular seat is made by Safety 1st who do actually sell products in the UK, so it might be worth contacting them directly and expressing a need for such a seat to be sold in the UK.

Chandra · 05/01/2007 02:13

Not much to say about car seats but... SofiaAmes, nice to see you around!

NannyL · 05/01/2007 19:34

I cant belive you would rather have a dead child than put thm in a car seat

ok accidents are unlikely... but if you are in a crash surely you want your child to be protected!

I dont think the law was law soon enough (should ahve been law years ago) and i think its one of the most sensible things this governamnet have done

BTW i have managed a 12 month old, a maclaren buggy, a group 1 car seat, a travel cot, a changing bag, a hand bag and 3 holdalls through waterloo all by myself so i cant see how carrying 1 or 2 car seats is SUCH a problem!

Skyler · 05/01/2007 19:38

LIZS · 05/01/2007 19:43

. Actually it is an EU directive btw !

Original poster

madamez · 05/01/2007 20:15

Nanny L that is just the sort of emotive nonsense that leads to dumb law like this. First you've got the odds of actually being in an accident on any given journey. Then there's odds of the car impolding in a ball of flames in which case a car seat wouldn't make much of a difference. This law is a major inconvenience for the car free, not a guarantee of perfect safety - there is no such thing.
I'm reminded of the hysteria about drink driving, when people seem to imply that if no driver ever drunk alcohol, there would never be any car accidents - not that it's a good idea to drink and drive, but the majority of car accidents do not involve alcohol and the one thing you can't legislate out of existence is human stupidity.

SofiaAMes, thank you for the link, will investigate further.

OP posts:

Skyler · 05/01/2007 20:25

again. Well MN is nothing if not a forum with a variety of opinions.

hunkermunker · 05/01/2007 20:35

Much safer to have them loose in the back of the car, I so agree.

Well, I would. If I was mental.

lapinrose · 05/01/2007 20:36

will join you skyler had to re-read to be sure I'd got it right again

TheArmadillo · 05/01/2007 20:38

I know parents without cars who think its a pain but they still see the necessity for it, they just like to moan now and again.

But at madamez last post.

fannyannie · 05/01/2007 20:39

"but the majority of car accidents do not involve alcohol"

The the majority of serious or fatal ones do.........

lapinrose · 05/01/2007 20:40

'the one thing you can't legislate out of existence is human stupidity.' as I think you have proved in your posts here

tassis · 05/01/2007 20:41

SofiaAmes - that's a really intersting product, wonder if we'll see more of them in the future...

NannyL - wow at you carrying so much! Impressive!

Hulababy · 05/01/2007 20:43

Having been in a nasty accident and knowing that the reason we were all uninjured was because of seat belts and the three toddler's car seats (in days when car seats were not actiually the norm anyway) sticks with me.

I'd rather be inconvienced slightly than have an injured or dead child.

Technically, I think, as these are one off trips you could probably get away with not putting your baby and/or child in a seat, but why take the risk?

marymillington · 05/01/2007 20:44

...use a carshare scheme and drive to the country?

NannyL · 05/01/2007 21:21

madamez.... my opinion... and the opinion of everyone who i have discussed this with is the same

I would NEVER drive a child without a car seat. Im a nanny have 0 kids of my own (and only 2 charges) yet own 5 of the safest car seats... so that every combination of child(ren) i am ever likely to carry can all travel in the safest seats!

also means that in the event that we crash i can live with myself knowing that i did my best to try not to didnt kill them...

IMO if i travel with them not in a car seat and we have an accident and they die it is similar to manslaughter, for me not protecting them in the 1st place

personally i couldnt live with that...

and now the government has legisilated so that no one else should have to live with that either!

NannyL · 05/01/2007 21:22

should say try not kill them

Skyler · 05/01/2007 21:48

NannyL - Bit of a hijack but what is a good stage 2 seat. I was recommended the Concorde Pro tech evo (or something). Do all the booster/highback seats fit all cars in your experience? TIA

NannyL · 05/01/2007 21:59

yes that concord one did VERY VERY well in the independant which tests.. (tho i have nerve see one in 'real life')

a VERY close second (and much more readily avaliable in the uk!) was the maxi cosi rodi!

other seats that do well are the britax highliner, britax evolva 2-3 and britax kid

the graco similar one is rubbish though and was so bad that they recommended NOT purchasing it as it simply does not offer enough protection in a crash

I have not yet found a car that hasnt taken a maxi cosi rodi or a britax higliner (the 2 that i use)

Skyler · 05/01/2007 22:02

Brilliant. Thanks for that.
Sorry for hijack Madamez.

burstingbug · 06/01/2007 13:37

Just to clarify things about my post, I always use car seats even though I did moan about them. No seat = no travel.
Don't want you all thinking that I'm an irresponsible mother.

Bozza · 06/01/2007 13:50

Actually what pisses me off is car manufacturers and the way they design cars with no thought to fitting a car seat in the back. DH has a company car - a Volvo S40 (so very safe in lots of ways) but the back seats are highly shaped and there is no way we could fit 3 car seats in, and also struggle with the booster seat. Very frustrating. I suppose Volvo would say get isofix but in a company car which changes regularly and not in line with how our children are growing this is not an ideal solution.

burstingbug · 06/01/2007 13:53

I often find some seat belts aren't long enough or only just fit, and as you say, some actual car back seats are awful for fitting childrens seats.

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