Anyone know anything about which is the safest of the lie flat carseats/ carrycots?

[toddlerhip]

I would prefer lie flat to avoid oxygen desaturation issue and because they're supposed to be a better position for babies under 6 months.

We are looking at Britax safe sleeper, also aprica euroturn and jane. I think there is one called a mutsy.

I've heard that previously carrycots were not considered as safe as rear facing. But
Which? rates the new britax carrycot highly including on safety and it's won other awards so i wonder if that's turned a corner. I've also only heard good things about the aprica which tho expensive is lie flat and converts to last til 4yrs.

We also need it to fit in next to a Brita evolva toddler seat.

I haven't seen the which report but I cannot say I would risk it.
The Jane Satra has an adjustable angle as does the maxi cosy and that should be fine just make sure you pick the baby out of the seat at every opportunity, it's about risk analysis and I bet the odds of a side impact crash are higher than oxygen depeletion in a healthy baby.

I had a Jane autocarrycot, not the matrix, and I have used it for all 3 in the car for very long journeys and mostly as a pram. It has worn exceptionally well. I weighed up the pros and cons, and obviously safety was a prime issue, but my personal decision was that when under 6 months for a 2 or 3 hour occasional journey I wanted them flat. They also all slept brilliantly in it, despite the fact that now they never fall asleep in the car even late at night! Not sure if it is related...!

I haven't seen the Jane yet but was told today it is very hard to fit. How did you find fitting it?

Other thing is - were you worried about the babies being sick in the lie flat position? Were you able to see them when they were lying flat? I tried the Britax safe sleeper in the car today. It has the highest safety ratings from Which but i wouldn't buy it if i couldn't see the baby and we forgot to bring a mirrot to check.

Main things i found out today were that 5 point harnesses are important - a 3 point is ok but no mum does them up tightly enough on a new baby apparently. Also you need close head support to stop the head lolling to the side, especially in a bucket seat as it is very hard for them to breathe if that happens.

I had the option of the Aprica Euroturn shop model which they are selling for 250.00 less, so 450.00. It lasts til 4yrs but i wonder if technology will have moved on in a couple of years....Also, a 2-4 yr old would probably grow out of that stage of it very quickly.

In terms of trad infant carrier i was recommended a Recaro (their products are apparently ultra easy to adjust) and a Confort? infant carrier both with a kind of tubular wedge, costs 10GBP, under the seat that flattens it out for the newborns. It has been used in teh US for 20 years but is only just appearing over here. Also recommended a britax first class with an extra insert to make it flatter.

Other thing i found out is that a child with a seat that uses an adult car seat is much safer than in an traditional car seat. the belt spreads any impact across the body and shoulder, reducing impact on the neck / head. From 9 months the child has some kind of tummy belt and then goes on to use the adult seat - cant' remember at what age though. It did occur to me later that the tummy band would probably have the same effect as trad. straps though. Will call back to find out. The company bringing this out is called Kidex?? i think...Recaro used to do it but stopped for some reason.

I have the Jane Matrix Cup. It is difficult to fit. I'm having to leave it in the car all the time just now as can't work the clips. DH can do them though, gah!

The old clips with old model Matrix were much easier, I'm thinking of trying to get a hold of a set and see if it makes a difference.

I also have another car seat in car so makes it even harder as they are close together. Infact not many cars would take the Matrix in lie flat if there's another car seat required for older child.

The 5 point harness is also quite hard to adjust until you get used to it. I actually prefer the old tummy harness for the lie flat position but obviously not as safe.

However saying all that, I love the lie flat feature and this is the cheapest option it seems.

Forgot to mention, the hood of matrix has a zip to undo the material leaving a fly net type thing. You can see baby through this fine.

toddlerhip I'm interested in what you said here:

Other thing i found out is that a child with a seat that uses an adult car seat is much safer than in an traditional car seat. the belt spreads any impact across the body and shoulder, reducing impact on the neck / head. From 9 months the child has some kind of tummy belt and then goes on to use the adult seat - cant' remember at what age though. It did occur to me later that the tummy band would probably have the same effect as trad. straps though.

But I'm having trouble picturing what you mean. Could you explain a bit more?

Sorry, every time i said adult seat, in last para, i meant adult belt - basically, it's a carseat for an older baby / toddler from 9/10kg i think. It looks the same size as the britax evolva we have for ds1, but it doens't have the traditional straps. When the baby is 9-10kg you get a kind of wide tummy belt to restrain them. I'm afraid i haven't seen it - it was described to me too. Then you use an adult belt with the seat (no tummy belt) for the toddler, which is what spreads the weight in impact. Tomorrow i will dig out the brochures he gave me and see if i can find the product name exactly. And i will phone him re how does the tummy band take the impact off the head..?

Salesman also told me don't bother shaking a car seat to test its solidity - you only ever tend to get one impact...

Thanks HMG - I am going to see if i can find a matrix to look at.

Thanks HMG - I am going to see if i can find a matrix to look at.

cherrychoc, the brand is Kiddy infinity pro - someone posted about it in feb but got no answers, it is so new. www.kiddy.de There is info about the impact cushion there. Also a picture of it www.kiddy.de/gb/infinity-pro-funktion and of a child in it www.kiddy.de/gb/infinity-pro-test

It was also a which? best buy feb 09, ranking 4th in their best buys at 78%

Which says "It is secured in a forward-facing position using the adult seat belt, which feeds over and through a special ?body shield?, designed to spread the loads transmitted to the child in a crash. Consequently, the Infinitypro?s front crash rating is good, with the child well protected from the risk of serious injury. It does even better in the side crash, where this seat scores top marks for protecting the child.

The Infinitypro is also commendably easy to fit. It?s a very lightweight seat, so it?s easy to handle. Feeding the seat belt over and through the seat?s ?body shield? is very straightforward, as is buckling it up with the child in position. All this is aided by very clear instructions, minimising the chances of it being fitted incorrectly.

It has excellent padding, while leg and head support are very good. The seat cover is machine washable and the overall finish quality is sound.

Pros: Excellent side crash protection. Good front crash protection. Clear instructions

Cons: None"

This is how Kiddy explains the impact cusion: up to now you have thought that a 5-point-belt system is the safest system for children from approx. 9 months to 4 years? But did you also know that in case of an emrgency the most severe cervical vertebra injuries can arise with a 5-point-belt system?

The head of a small child is seven times as big and heavy in comparison to the rest of its body compared to an adult's. This means that in case of an accident the head moves forward with very high acceleration. However, a 5-point-belt system holds back the rest of the upper part of the body so that the head area and the cervical vertebra area are exposed to enormous impact forces.

However, by using an impact cushion the complete upper part of the body can unroll on the cushion in case of an accident and the impact forces will be spread more equally. The sensitive cervical vertebra area will not be strained to such an extent.

Studies have shown (e.g. "Uniklinik Hannover") that not a single injury of a child which has been secured by an impact cushion system in a child seat has occurred. Independent security experts (e.g. "ADAC") recommend impact cushion systems as the safest method for the age group I (9 to 18 kg).