No isofix in car

[Rosehyd2]

I've recently discovered there's no Isofix in my car (a 13 year old SUV).

I'm not really sure what this means I need to do in terms of car seat shopping for the baby.

From Google research I can see there are car seats that work without this, but I have also read lots of opinions that they aren't as safe and isofix is a must have. My DH has fully taken this to heart and is convinced we need to change cars.

What do you think?

[Alittlepotofrosie]

You can get ISOFIX type bases that connect using seat belts instead. When I was doing research on it i found that there was no difference in safety between a car seat which was properly installed with a seatbelt or via an Isofix. it seems that you are paying for the convenience. And it is very convenient so I would think about getting one of the bases that fits in with a seatbelt. If I were you I would pop along to an independent baby shop, or if you really have to, Mothercare for some advice on the different options. You don't have to buy a new car.

[MrsBadger]

Yes, I had the MaxiCosi Easybase that straps in and the seat clicked in and out fine.
Go to Mothercare and Halfords (fun day out!) and see what seats and bases they can offer that will fit your existing car.

[JohnLapsleyParlabane]

If you contact the securatot website they can give you really good advice. I found the staff training levels in high street shops a bit variable.

[CWG17]

I echo the PP.

The issue is that most people do not install their non-Isofix seats correctly. If done properly, they are just as safe. If you won't be moving the seat from car to car, then get it installed professionally. If you need to change it, watch the installer carefully and practice a few times and you'll be fine.

Isofix is easier to get right which means most people can install it correctly without hassle.

[littletwofeet]

You can pay to get isofix fitted rather than buying a new car.

It is safer in that it avoids the car seat being fitted incorrectly.

It's handy for an infant carrier than you don't have to keep strapping in with the seatbelt but you can buy bases that can be seatbelt fitted too.

Maybe go and look at car seats and see what the options are then you can decide if it's worth getting the isofix put in.

Isofix is handy if you need to swap between cars.

[YoungGirlGrowingOld]

Also bear in mind that isofix is installed to work with your particular car seat. If you change the car seat (which you will need to do at some point) then you will need a new isofix base specific to that car seat at the same time.

We only have isofix in one of our cars and use seat belts the rest of the time.

[littletwofeet]

YoungGirl-some bases take the next stage car seat as well as the infant carrier so you don't always need to change the base.

You can also get 5 point harness seats and HBB that are directly isofix so no base needed.

[Bluebellwoods123]

Which magazine has some really good information about car seats and I think it's free to access. I've got a belted car seat because only one car has isofix and the seat I chose has really good safety rating with the seatbelt

[YoungGirlGrowingOld]

Ah - just mine then. Bugger! Thanks for clarifying.

[BertieBotts]

You don't need isofix. It's only safer because it removes the human error aspect in fitting the seat.

For newborn seats of the carry type they all fit with a seatbelt even if they are isofix compatible too. As other posters mentioned, if you particularly wanted a base for this kind of seat you can get bases which fit with the seatbelt too.

Later on with the next stage car seats you'll find yourself needing to choose between isofix fit and seatbelt fit but it's not like the seatbelt fit seats are less safe than the isofix ones.

[helenfagain]

As previous posters have said seatbelt installs are not less safe if installed correctly. In fact isofix only holds up to 20 odd kg including seats weight so are limited to about 18kg so if you have a child on high percentiles a belt fitted 25kg limit seat can be a much better option.

[randomsabreuse]

Depending on type the 13yo SUV may well be less safe than a newer smaller car - 5th Gear tested a Disco vs a Megane - the Megane dummies came off a lot better than the Disco's. It's the old ladder chassis types that are much less safe than more modern cars with crumple zones.

I prefer Isofix because it is less faffy to install when switching cars and the seat we needed was Isofix (6 month old short backed houdini...) rather than choosing isofix for Isofix's sake.

[Rosehyd2]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, really interesting reading.
I have a Freelander 1 and the seat will also need to go in a newer Discovery driven by DH.

Its good to hear I don't need to sell up. The freelander that does have isofix is a lot more money for something still quite old.

We live in the middle of nowhere so have these cars for practical reasons more than anything. A more modern smaller car may struggle around here in the winter, especially when the nearest supermarket is a 40 min round trip.

[20thcenturybitch]

We never used isofix. We decided early on it wasn't practical for us to change the car and it was a safe car.

We just spent a lot of time learning and watching fitting videos on YouTube and practising belting the seat in before baby arrived.

We then had a rule that no matter how stressed, tired or hurried, we always did an extra check after the seat was belted in.

It is safe, so long as you are prepared to check the belt every time without fail. And it's not hard at all, despite devoted isofix users looking horrified when I said we didn't have it!