Britax Kidd Car Seat

[Sheila]

I'm about to buy one of these - one of the few car seats from age 4 up that scored a "good" in a recent safety survey. Anyone else got one and what do you think of them? Tell me quick before I hit that BUY button on Kiddicare!

I was looking at this one recently and popped my ds into one in the shop. It looks good on paper, but I'm not convinced because I think the head protection bit is too protective. The 'wings' come so close to the face that the child would be blinkered. Yes, very safe, but I think the child would get frustrated and bored at not being able to look around. Also, as a car-sickness sufferer, I know that tunnel-vision arrangements make the nausea much much worse, so if my son takes after me then that car seat could be a disaster! That said, I haven't actually used one, so I'd also be interested to hear from someone who actually does.

I'll let you know because I've taken the plunge and bought one. I don't have an air bag in the front seat so DS can sit up with me and look ahead through the front window, so hopefully won't feel too hemmed-in.

Too late now anyway! Thanks for your thoughts.

Sheila - kids should not sit in the front of a car until they are about 12 years old.

What about if you only have a 3 door car and getting them in the back would do your back in and be very difficult to fit them in etc. My Ds was in the front for over a year until i changed my car a few months back. When i checked with Britax (went to one of those fit check things) he said it depended on what sort of accident you were going to have where was safest - IYKWIM. Having said that i did change my car to a 5 door so could put DS in the back.

I have a three door car and would only ever put ds in the back in both his rear and forward facing seat.

I found it so much easier than a five door car because I flip forward the passenger seat and stand in the footwell to put ds in. That means I'm not twisting awkwardly from the pavement which I find impossible.

If you only have a two seater it is passable but if you have 4 seats you shoul dput your child in the back.

I know in an ideal world everyone would have a great safe car and good restraining devices (for children and DP!! ) but that is not so but putting them in the back really does make a difference in most cases.

Hi Boe - can you explain why not in the front? I realise it's not safe where there's a passenger air bag but can't see why it's more dangerous otherwise. Kids are just as likely to injure themselves hitting the back of the seat in front as they are hitting the windscreen. Also why does it suddenly become OK when they're 12? Either it's safer in the back or it's not, surely?

I know that one of the reasons for not putting kids in the front under age 12 is to do with airbags. Basically when a child reaches 12 they 'fit' the front airbag which deploys in their face, ie if the airbag inflates then the the child will be tall/stocky enough for the bag to absorb impact where it is designed to and not in the wrong places which could be fatal. A child under 12 is assumed to be too small/slight to be sat in the correct position for the airbag to do its job and so the bag could cause more damage than good.

I'm sure that I have been told the other reasons before but I can't remember them ! Incidentally all 3 of my kids (11, 9 & 13mo) ride in the back of the car and I would NEVER consider putting my youngest (13 months) in her carseat in the front of the vehicle if there was an alternative.

This is where I get confused becaue I don't have a passenger side airbag so presumably it's OK to continue to put DS in front? I really like having him up front with me - easy to chat and see what he's up to. Not so much fun when he starts kicking the gear stick tho...

i dunno, its so confusing. i went to look at cars today, i want one with isofix. that would be ideal!!

It's not the side impact airbags that are the prob, it's the ones that come out of the dash and blow up in your face. I'm really not sure what the official line would be on an airbag-free vehicle, perhaps you would be better off getting the right info from Halfords or similar carseat 'experts'.

The safest place for a carseat is in the middle of the back (if the seatbelt is appropriate for holding it) because that position is furthest from the point of any impact in an accident.

Trouble with that is that it is so bloody awkward to get a wriggly young toddler into a car seat, nevermind one that is the the most difficult to reach without growing Inspector Gadget arms !

I have the option to turn off my passenger airbag for the very purpose of putting children in appropriate car seats in the front. I will be very annoyed if I now find out i am breaking the law by putting them in the front in the first place.....
Anyone know the answer to this???

I don't think what are doing is a lawbreaker Sonnet but sometimes those switches don't work and the airbag deploys anyway. I will say that though it has never happened in this country it has killed babies in rear-facing seats in the US and in Germany, one of the vehicles was a new VW Golf. I know that this example is of the use of rearward seats but it does illustrate the fact that you can't necessarily rely on the switch, no matter who 'flicks' it, be it the garage or you.

I thought I'd report on how we're getting on with the Britax Kid. DS hated sitting in it in the front seat because he couldn't see me round the high face protectors. So we tried it in the back and he now seems very happy. I had to take the headrest off the seat in front of him so he could see ahead - no problem for me since I don't often have passengers and when I do I now make them sit in the back! I also don't tend to go on long car journeys (1 hour max usually) so don't know how that would go. In general I would recommend this seat - very safe and very comfy.

Hope this is useful.

I looked at the britax kidd but my 8 year old didn't like the head rests as they held her face. We bought a hippos confort seat instead , much better and the head rest adjusts width wise with seat height.