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Original poster

Car booster seats - is there any difference between the £8.49 ones and the £17.99 ones

17 replies

Snowstorm · 08/05/2009 19:08

Want to buy a couple of the booster seats (just base, not the back bit) for my DD's for use a couple of times of year at their grandparents.

Halfords sell a £8.49 one and a £17.99 one but I can't really work out whether the increase in cost makes any difference, safety wise, if it's just for occasional use and for raising the child so that the safety belt is in the right place.

Does anyone know?

OP posts:
brimfull · 08/05/2009 19:10

get the cheap one

I made the mistake of buying the expensive one and it is wider and harder for ds to get the belt in the slot

it does have slightly more padding though and a slot for drinks if that sways you

DoNotAnnoy · 08/05/2009 19:14

I have just had a look on the Halfords website and the only one I absolutely wouldn't buy is this one. You have to ensure that you have deep arms to keep teh seatbelt low.

Flibbertyjibbet · 08/05/2009 19:28

They do all have to conform to safety legislation so I think its only design features/fabric/drinks holders etc that makes one more expensive than another.

However I was asking a few weeks ago about when I could put my tall ds's in just booster seats and not high backs, the answers were that the high backs should be used up to 22kg.

So best put your dd's in those if they are not 22kg yet.

gscrym · 08/05/2009 19:33

I just looked at the last page. There's a seat for £499.99. For that, I'd want a car thrown in.

DoNotAnnoy · 08/05/2009 19:39

Yes they all have to onform to minimum stafety standards - some are safer than others though.

geekgirl · 08/05/2009 19:40

One problem I've found with the cheap ones is that they're often made of styrofoam, which breaks when you try to move the seat whilst the child is sitting on it. Moulded plastic is more durable.

geekgirl · 08/05/2009 19:43

I meant polystyrene - which is what the seat is made of. It'd probably be completely fine if used only occasionally, but it is really difficult to shift these kinds of seats, to belt the child in for instance, without breaking the base.

DoNotAnnoy · 08/05/2009 19:46

Also some bases can be really slippy and slide forward on teh seat.

The arms are important.

FabulousBakerGirl · 08/05/2009 20:22

The back bits are important imo. They give more support. You can't put a price on your child's safety.

Original poster
Snowstorm · 08/05/2009 21:03

No, you can't put a price on your child's safety but practically speaking, IF they are old enough to be put on these booster seats themselves, for just 4 days in one year, then I cannot be the only person who does not fork out the extra £100 or so per seat (and I need two) in order to ensure that I can get somewhere by train and have someone with booster seats collect us?

OP posts:
FabulousBakerGirl · 08/05/2009 21:47

What other people do is irrelevant. You have to do what you think is best for your child.

FWIW I have 3 children and have bought 10 seats over the years. I would never compromise on car seat safety but if you are happy with just bases then that is up to you.

Flibbertyjibbet · 09/05/2009 00:04

I never paid over £35 for our high back seats. All from mothercare or argos.
Have a look on ebay there are some good prices from the online shops, have them delivered to your parents et voila ready for when they pick you up.

JodieO · 09/05/2009 00:09

Agree the back parts are the most important, imo you may as well not bother with a booster seat at all unless it's a high backed one. The point of those is or side impact crashes (which is why you want the deep side ones and also because they are the kind of crashes that kill) and short journeys are where most crashes occur too. Sorry but I wouldn't risk ny children's safety for the sake of a few pound notes. It doens't matter how few times a year they use it, the point is that it provides a safe trip for them in a car.

I wouldn't buy a cheap one especially as they last for years. The side wings protect their heads from smashing off the windows (worst damage is side to the head) so they are well worth it. Forget about scrimping on car seats imo, I wouldn't do that ever.

HappyMummyOfOne · 09/05/2009 09:27

I'd buy high back ones too, I agree with the other posters re not scrimping on car seats.

Whilst they all have to conform to a set standard, some are very poor in crashes and others very safe. Have a look at the Which site - its very good and shows just how poor some rate in safety tests.

If they will only be used a couple of times a year can you simply not use the seats you have in your own car - not too much of a pain to move them the odd day of the year.

sazm · 09/05/2009 12:47

yep,we got our britax high backed seats from halfords for £20 each,they are great, and for an extra £13 than a cheap basic booster seat its well worth it,

Original poster
Snowstorm · 09/05/2009 16:18

Can't take our normal car seats as would be going down by train. We obviously have full sized ones at home and I've bought full sized ones for one set of grandparents and I was just going to put them on boosters for this trip to the other grandparents (no way of getting the extra set from one lots of grandparents to the other either). Will take a look at the Halfords Britax ones.

OP posts:
Flibbertyjibbet · 09/05/2009 21:34

Then buy some car seats from a supplier that will deliver, or get gps to pick up from their local halfords.

Whether the gps will want car seats etc hanging round their house for the sake of a few days a year is another matter....

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