Help!! DD can escape the straps in her car seat......

[robino]

We have a maxi cosi tobi (hate the bloody thing too, would never buy it again now I know what I know about kids and carseats!). DD is 2 and, no matter how well I install her (it even has the colour coded belt thing to tell you when it's tight enough) she can escape the shoulder straps and I suddenly spot her dangling out of the side of it. We do a lot of motorway driving so I end up having to wait til the next junction to pull off and sort it (when I yell she'll put her arms back in the straps but they'd never save her in the event of a crash).

we do have to buy a second car seat because DD2 (7 month) will be out of her stage 1 soon. I am planning to put DD1 in new one (am thinking of getting one suitable up to 11 years) but a dd2 is not ready to come out of stage 1 seat for a while, b)DD1 might still be able to escape the new one and c)DD2 might also have the same car seat escaping genes.

I'm generally quite a relaxed mum but this has me really freaked out. What do I do? Any ideas?

[differentCupID]

not saying!

[Shauri]

Hi, had the very same problem with DD and she would all but climb out. I bought an extra safety clip which was quick release but fitted higher up and stopped the shoulder straps coming off.

Have a look at the www.thebabycatalogue.com that was where i purchased it from.

Has grown out of this now!! thank goodness

[IndigoBlue]

I have the maxi cosi tobi, my dd is also 2, and does the exact same thing sometimes, generally if we're on a long journey and normally on the motorway so I can't just stop straight away. She generally ignores my requests telling her to put her arms back.

It is a bad design really that the straps loosen off like that.

[isabellasmum]

I took mine back to Halfords.

I'd rung Maxi-cosi loads of times about it and it was becoming a huge problem but they kept fobbing me off. DD was taking her arms out on almost every journey.

We ended up turning up in Halfords with the seat and they changed it no bother. We'd had it for almost a year at this point but had been complaining about it since it was a month old but with no joy.

Now have a different maxi-cosi seat (isofix one) and it is great, straps fit well and lo never attempted to get out.

I think the tobi has a major design fault and the manufacturers need to address this or a child will end up hurt.

[robino]

I'm glad I'm not going mad. Think I will ring Maxi Cosi and complain. Not sure I ever want one again though. Really like the look of the kiddycomfort one Metatron mentioned. And have discovered there is a shop in Stockport that stocks them if anyone else is in the north-west and interested.

Frazzled we also paid about £170 for it (OH couldn't believe it when I reminded him how much it was)

[Ellibop]

Oh no, I'm in the process of choosing a new carseat as my 10 month old is outgrowing his stage 0. I drive a mini and when I've been in to look at car seats it's been problematic finding one that will fit in the back due to the deep seats of the mini. The assistant in the shop seemed to think the Maxicosi Toby would fit so was going to take the car and try it this weekend, but now I'm really put off it. Does anyone drive a mini and have found a good car seat which fits in the back? Was planning on getting one that goes from 9months-4 years.

[MrsJoeMcIntyre]

I've got the maxi cosi tobi and have exactly the same problem. Robino - please let us know what they say - mine is also from Mothercare, and wasn't really a problem until dd realised she could get out of it!

[robino]

Update!!

I have been on the phone to Maxi Cosi UK today and the result is that I am now absolutely hopping mad! They have unlocked the beast in me and I am making a written email complaint to them.

I explained the problem to the poor girl on the phone. She then said that it's a very common problem (although why I'm shocked when there are so many people on here saying they have the same problem I'm not sure). She said they would check it out to make sure it's not faulty (free of charge) but if it wasn't then it was a case of "disciplining the child" and told me to check out this for ideas on how to deal with the "behaviour". Maybe I'm being unreasonable but surely it shouldn't be that easy for a just turned 2 year old to be able to slip out of a harness? And yes, of course I'm going to pull over as soon as it is safe and sort it out but I do a lot of motorway driving - it's really not that easy.

So now, if I can find proof of purchase then I return it to mothercare then they will send it off to be checked by maxi cosi. Had two screaming children at this point so thanked her and put phone down. Have just called back to ask her what I do about a replacement car seat while this is being checked and was informed that they don't provide a replacement whilst car seat is being checked, they don't provide mothercare with spares but mothercare might provide one. I know that this is because they can't give one out that might have been involved in a crash and there's no way of knowing if a "spare" had been involved in a crash and finances blablabla BUT what am I supposed to do while their bloody stupid seat is being checked for a fault which I doubt exists?

[robino]

and of course I'm going to discipline my child and explain to her the dangers and tell her she could die and do everything I can do to stop her from doing it but short of sitting on her, whilst driving, and tying her hands together with duck tape - how can I stop her

Can you tell I'm frazzled about this?

[Metatron]

um, we also had a tobi before. DD2 used to slip the straps without a problem. Thankfully she wasn't in it when DH's car was written off.

The comfort pro is the replacement, one of the reasons for choosing it is the lack of straps issue.

[frazzledoldbag]

Am going to take mine back to Mothercare in the morning and explain the problem and see what they say. Shall report back. And by the way I'm really at how many people are having the same problem with it - I thought it was probably just our seat. And honestly if Maxi Cosi say this is a common problem why are they:
1 not recalling the seats as they are potentially dangerous (as they don't actually restrain the child as they are meant to do?'
2 still making them?????

I think it's shocking really.

[hedgepig]

*robino" i can not believe what maxi cosi said to you! It may be worth talking to the trading standards help line web sit here (now called consumer direct) as to if they consider these seat "fit for purpose", to my way of thinking if it doesn't keep the child where it should be them it isn't fit for purpose.

[andyrobo237]

THis is interesting, as I have the same seat, as well as two of my friends with similar aged children (2 years). I just assumed that the lack of tightness was due to DS wearing a bulky coat, but maybe not.

We are going to London at the weekend, and I was going to swap the seats around in DH's car (he has a Britax one and the Tobi looks more padded) but won't now!

Will be interested to hear any more problems - I will re-read the instructions and check that the shoulder height is fine, and then contact the shop I got it from in Wigan, who are usually good.

We got this one to replace the old Priori XP that we had as the seat cover was ripped - should have got that one instead as it was never a problem!

[isabellasmum]

We were supposed to be sending ours back to maxi-cosi for inspection. I think thi sis pointless since it's the design of the straps and not a 'fault' on our particular seat.

The sale of goods act states that goods have to be fit for the purpose that they are sold. Since the tobi did not keep my dd safe I returned it to Halfords for a straight exchange and did not send it back for inspection.

Do not let them bully you into keeping the seat. Since changing seat my dd has never removed her arms from her straps yet she did it most journeys in the tobi.

[andyrobo237]

What replacement seat did you get?

[ADealingMummy]

We gave a Maxi Cosi Tobi (pink, orange and black), and our DD does exactly the same, she slips her shoulders out of the straps. I couldn't believe it.
I'm going to get that safety strap fitted asap.

These seats should no longer be on sale. They are a danger.

[isabellasmum]

BTW we replaced ours with the Maxi-cosi priori-fix. We did not send it back for inspection as I couldn't see the point since it's the design that is flawed not our seat being a faulty one.

When I took it back to halfords the manager agreed it was unacceptable and we just paid the difference and took the new seat. She hasn't once escaped the priorifix but did it everytime in the tobi.

Do not let them railroad you into sending the seat off and being without a carseat. If it's not keeping your child strapped in safely it is not fit for the purpose and the store should exchange it for a different model.

[yuMum]

I just googled this problem today whilst hurtling down the motorway with my 2 year old daughter swaying around after escaping. Firstly It is appauling that you buy a so called safety device for children that doesnt work if your child is hell bent to escaping it and 2nd it is so easy to rectify see link below. The seat belt manifacturers should be adding an additional safety clip that is easy to remove and its really their problem to design something that is effective and quick to unhook in an accident. I suspect the link below is the one that is illegal in the UK and they are all sold anyway. Interesting that they say on this site that child car seats are testing on dummies( obviously) but that many children will wriggle free and that the effects of this is a crash can be fatal.

www.hug-it.co.uk/

[LittleWeePickle]

I have this seat - my 21 mo DS has just learned how to escape the straps.

I've had the seat for a couple of months now, so as the 28 day period for refund / replacement is up is it possible to expect the retailer to replace this seat with another model even if it is not "fit for purpose"?

[jenster1976]

My DD 21 months has also just realised that she can escape from hers, We have the pink, black and orange Tobi too. I thought it was just us, and that I wasn't pulling the straps tight enough (they're really hard and I am 37 weeks pregnant and being pathetic - I assumed!)
I can't believe the amount of people with the same problem, I would never have thought of complaining, as we've had it for 8 months but it's clearly a design flaw so think I will now....

[jenster1976]

How do you link this to an email?? I was thinking we ought to send this thread to Watchdog - they could investigate, surely compared to some of the minor stuff they get worked up about, getting Maxi Cosi to issue a recall is a big thing?

[Pinkjenny]

I have the pink, black and orange Tobi too, and my dd (2 next month) can escape hers. It's so worrying.

[Twims]

My boss has sewn a simple strap on to the seatbelt itself to stop her little on escaping.

[IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern]

I had the Maxi Cosi priori and both dd and ds could get out of it have between my mums car and others I bought to replace the Prioris I have never had a problem getting the straps tight enough in any other seat.

Sooo wouldn't go for another Maxi Cosi again.

[ArcticLemming]

My DD used to escape the Tobi (we bought one because at the time they came out best in Which? safety reports). We never got on with it and became convinced by the rearfacing arguments, so bought a Britaz 2way rearfacer. She's never managed to get an arm out.