Advice needed - baby car seat questions (merged)

hollydays

Great advice from highly regarded Incar safety centre milton keynes-01908 220909

deanos

The Britax hiliner is £42.99 at Kiddicare inc delivery

http://www.kiddicare.com/page/home

SUPERJULES

I bought the Britax Hiliner today from Mothercare for only £34.99 reduced from £54.99 bargin! :j and they had lots of them.

It's a very nice seat, well padded etc.. :T

(Bought in store still£54.99 on website)

hellofreebies

i have the pink and grey britax high liner which i got from boots about 6 months ago for £35 incl a £10 off code and free delivery....my dd likes it as it has two compartments she can hide her sweets from her younger sister.....it is quite padded but not as cushioned as the more expensive models £100 plus but it is good value for money...it has a reclining position but has failed to work this out as with the seat belted i dont see how you can recline as it doesnt lock...the head rest positions works well when she falls asleep....all in all im pleased with mine.

linzdelene

Hi there,

My baby is coming up to the 9kg mark and has nealry outgrown her first stage car seat.

I'm looking into buying a second stage car seat, possibly a Britax - i think they came out best in Which? magazine.


I've been looking around and I'm not sure whether to get one in the 9months to 4years, the 9months to 6years, or the 9months to 11years catergories.

Has anyone got any experience in any of these? Pros and cons please!!

Thank you, Linzdelene

SoScrooge

Hi, Linzdelene

Try your local council for a 'Child Car Seat Centre'.

They have a huge selection of car seats for your kids to try and for parents to test in their cars. We also got a great advice on which models of Britax were complete replicas in Mothercare, etc

We live in Bromley and this is a link of their Child Car Seat Centre (just to give you a better idea) http://www.bromley.gov.uk/transportandstreets/roadsafety/child_car_seat_centre.htm

HTH ;-)

Gingham_Ribbon

If your car has isofix fittings, an isofix seat is probably best. Britax do one for 9 months plus. It's called the duo I think?

What you need is one that fits your car, is fitted PROPERLY and checked by someone trained who can show you how to fit it yourself (and who checks that you've done it right.)

I saw something recently that said that some shops are being pulled up because staff are letting seats go that are incorrectly fitted and therefore extremely dangerous.

Some tips:

Make sure the seat doesn't wobble or tip. When the straps are done up, you should be able to get hold of them and pull sharply forward without the seat moving. The belt buckle should not touch the seat or there's a danger of it coming undone in a crash. It's called buckle crunch I think.

As for the age range, some will come apart to leave a booster seat for older children. If you can afford it, go for whichever came highest in the WHICH tests that fits your car and then get a booster seat later on.

Hope that helps.

molerat

The 9 mth to 11 yr (evolva 123) seat does not recline. They are not really any good as the regular seat for long journeys because the child falls forward when asleep. I look on that type as a grandparent seat (short journeys and irregular use) that will last a long time thus good vfm.

The 9 mth to 6 yr seat (elite) is slightly better as it does have a fixed recline.

So on balance go for the 9 mth to 4 yr seat. It may work out as more £ per year of use (and age 4 is very optimistic for the life of the seat) but you will be able to recline the seat for a comfy sleep.

Go with your child and car to a dealer who is able to check the fit of the seat in the car. They will also adjust the straps of the seat if necessary. You can also look on the Britax website http://www.britax.co.uk to find out if there are any problems with fitting a particular seat in your car.

Hope this helps.

crispeater

i was going to purchase the 9mth to 11yr old for my son as he too is growing out of his 1st stage but now i have read the above im think im going to change my mind.
i cant stand it when your driving along and your childs head is stooped to his chin. looks so uncomfy!

£Ronnie

This is one area I would not scrimp and scrounge on. Pay what you can afford while bearing in mind that manufacturers make money out of your fear, as a parent. To save money, make your decision early and watch out for offers, rather than buy a less safe seat IYSWIM. I saw in Halfords the other day that Britax seats were half price, dont know how long that offer is on for though. I got DD's britax for £30 in one of their sales, it's original price was £75!

I would agree that it is worth the time and effort to go to one of the car safety centres where they take your child and car into account. Also have a think about whether you are likely to change your car soon as this can affect your decision.

HTH
Ronnie.