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Parenting

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Original poster

why are instructions so damn rubbish!!

25 replies

nappyaddict · 16/08/2006 00:21

we just got a new car seat and the instructions consisted of a load of stupid pictures - no words or nothing. not very good especially when it is my babies safety i was guessing with. i figured it out but after a few days i realised i had not had the handlebar in the right place..i duno how much this would effect the outcome of a crash though

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koshka1984 · 16/08/2006 00:54

Is it a graco one? they are the same its rubbish no advice just wanted to agree with you really!

Original poster

nappyaddict · 16/08/2006 02:21

i had a graco one lent us before this one came but luckily we just about figured that out. they don't put the picture on the back of the car seat in a very convenient place though! takes a lot of figuring out what side of the car you are on lol.

this is a mutsy and its much more complicated than all the other car seats which are pretty much the same. instead of the lap part of the belt going through two sort of clips on each side of the car seat and then sort of over the baby it goes under the seat and through two really awkward clips that mean if your baby is asleep before you put it in the car it certainly won;t be when you've belted it in cos you have to lift it up. also don't know what youd do if you had twins as i can only get it in by doing one side and then going round the other side of the car and climbing in to do that side!!

OP posts:

CaligulaCorday · 16/08/2006 06:54

It really, really annoys me when instructions are just pictures, because a picture is not an instruction. One of the reasons the alphabet caught on, is becuase it enabled human beings to communicate with each other clearly and effectively when they were not in the same place or even the same time. Whereas pictures can be interpreted and are simply not as clear a form of communication as writing. However, it's obviously cheaper for companies to do unclear pictures as they don't have to translate them. The fact that it's nowhere near as effective as writing, doesn't seem to bother them. Complain - I always do, it's a bug bear of mine, it enrages me that these corporate tossers appear to be trying to go back to pre-Phonecian methods of communication just to save a bit on translation costs.

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Original poster

nappyaddict · 17/08/2006 00:37

thats why they do it! i always wondered. i thought it was just so they could laugh att he thought of us all struggling pulling different leavers here and there.

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Callisto · 17/08/2006 11:39

You can phone your local firestation and a fireman will come out and check that the seat is fitted properly. I did this the other week and the guy was great (but sadly not very sexy). He also gave me a good tip - don't have loose, hard or sharp objects in the car and dogs should be restrained or in the boot as if there is an accident all of these things can maim and kill. He also said that if you wobble the seat and the car moves on its suspension then the seatbelt is tight enough. HTH.

CaligulaCorday · 17/08/2006 22:11

Ooh brilliant tips Callisto, thanks.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 19/08/2006 02:03

i don't really get this comment?"He also said that if you wobble the seat and the car moves on its suspension then the seatbelt is tight enough."

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liquidclocks · 19/08/2006 09:01

Mothercare will check seats in my area even if it's not one they sold - I assume so if it doesn't fit they can convince you that you need to buy a new one from them! (I wouldn't trust any staff from any other stores after a few experiences I had recently getting a new 0+ seat, though a fireman now, that's different! )

edam · 19/08/2006 09:55

Most councils offer car-seat checking as well. Interesting about suspension, had never heard of that (guess you mean, does the car move when you move the seat).

babyonboard · 19/08/2006 09:57

Oooh this annoys me too, our pram came with only german instructions, it took us ages to assemble and two weeks to work out how to collapse it.

lol at fireman 'sadly not sexy'..

Callisto · 19/08/2006 12:57

Sorry, not very clear was I? When you have the carseat fitted in the car with the seatbelt around it and done up, pull and push on the carseat. If the car moves on it's suspension the seatbelt is tight enough and the seat won't move if you have an accident. I am so useless at describing things sometimes.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 21/08/2006 22:40

how do you know if the car moves on its suspension?

OP posts:

Callisto · 22/08/2006 09:42

You can see it wobble.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 22/08/2006 11:15

tried it but couldn't see anythin confused emoticon

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JessaJam · 22/08/2006 11:21

if seat is frimly atatched incar then wobbling the seat will wobble the car. If it is loose, wobbleing the seat will jsut wobble the seat....does that make sense?

Original poster

nappyaddict · 22/08/2006 11:36

so is it ok for the seat to wobble as long as the car does too?

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JessaJam · 22/08/2006 11:41

baby seat shouldn't move any more than the car does IYSWIM...should be the same effect as if you wobbled the front seat, it may move very slightly, but the general movement should be of the whole car as the seat is attached.
If you grab the baby seat and give it a goo dshake, does it move about independently of the car seat it is attached to? If so, it isn't fitted properly.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 22/08/2006 12:01

it moves with the seatbelt if you sort of just wobble the baby seat. but if you sort of punch the baby seat towards the part where the babys back would be the seatbelt locks it. hope i am getting all this across.

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Callisto · 22/08/2006 15:40

If you have any doubts at all that the seat isn't fitted properly do contact your local fire station who will put you in touch with an officer who is specially trained in this area. The fireman I saw said that a loose or badly fitted seat is nearly as bad as no seat at all and can be worse so it is really worth getting it checked.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 22/08/2006 22:32

i thought they only checked the seats that were permanently in the car. do they check the baby carrier type car seats too that you take out the car each time?

OP posts:

Callisto · 23/08/2006 08:51

Not sure but I would imagine so. Just give them a call or visit the ROSPA website who will put you in touch with the local road safety officer.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 23/08/2006 22:05

thankyou

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Original poster

nappyaddict · 23/08/2006 22:28

got the email address of my local road safety officer. thing is i don;t really know what to do with it! will hep ut me in contact with a place that checks the seats or what?

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Callisto · 24/08/2006 11:40

Just mail whoever it is and explain that you are unsure about the fitting of your childseat and would like some advice/someone to have a look. They are really helpful and I would imagine would rather spend half an hour fitting a child seat correctly than clearing up after a horrible accident. IYSWIM.

Original poster

nappyaddict · 24/08/2006 23:05

thanks so much!will go email them now ..

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