Advice needed - baby car seat questions (merged)

Minerva69

Hi again, sorry this is a bit long!! We went to Halfords today to have a look at car seats, we haven't got our car yet but thought we'd go and have a look as they have a "pretend" seat that you can fit car seats to and try them out.

The person we spoke to was a trained car seat fitter, we weighed our daughter in the shop and their scales had her nearer to 17kg, although she had her coat & shoes on. The fitter said that the Evolva 123 Ultra wouldn't be suitable because Britax don't recommend the use of a 5 point harness for children who are 17kg, and it wouldn't last us long anyway.

He suggested we'd be better off with a Group 2/3 car seat, but these are meant to be for children from 4 years upwards and our little girl is only 2 and a half, so I'm a bit concerned that it wouldn't be safe for her and she might be able to wriggle out of it. We did try a Britax Hi-Liner seat in the shop and she did seem to fit in it though. I was also concerned that this seat would only stay put when my daughter is fastened into it, when she gets out it will move and I'll have to try and get it back in the right place again when she gets back in! Might be a bit difficult when I'm out with her on my own.

If we are going to get a Group 2/3 seat, I've found this Isofix one, which will stay put in the car even when the seatbelt isn't fastened round it (and it's a Which best buy): http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruOrFindUsing/BruAZOfBrands/BruTravelBritax/725218?ref=735671 We don't live near a Toys R Us and I can't find it in any local shops, so would have to get it online. Would this be the best one to get or should I go back to Halford and get the Hi-Liner?

Thanks for reading this far! I'm just completely clueless about all this as this is our first car and our daughter has never been in a car before!

dawnybabes

This is the car seat we have got. I love it and have always had the Isofix one.

For ref my DS is 4.3/4 and just weighs 17kg now and hes been in the seat for 4 months.

tieg3

Don't worry about the age for a carseat as you have found out that not all children are average (sure to hell my dd is nowhere near an average sized 5yr old, any stranger thinks shes 7-8)
Its the weight & length of the body thats important with carseats.

This one seems to be ok but, when it comes you need to put it down to the lowest setting and check that the bit at the top where the seat belt comes across her shoulder is actually level with her shoulder and not above it, because althogh she's the right weight for the seat she may not be tall enough. It will have diagrams in the instructions to help you see what I mean.
Hope this makes sense:D I do tend to babble

Minerva69

Had an email from Britax today, now I'm getting fed up about this whole car seat thing!

Britax have said that we shouldn't use a Group 2/3 car seat with a high back at all because they said children shouldn't use them until they are at least 4 years old. They said a 2 or 3 year old could easily wriggle out of a seat that is only fastened by an adult seat belt, and they recommend that children stay in a seat with a 5 point harness for as long as possible.

They have recommended we get the Britax Junior Traveller, which has a 5 point harness and is suitable from 9kg-25kg. It's meant to be a seat for children with special needs, so it's difficult to get hold of on the high street and seems more expensive than other seats. Does anyone have any experience of this seat? Which didn't test it in their product tests and I can't find out much info about it.

Woby_Tide

we've a tall 2 1/2 year old also and were caught out with the weight limits on teh 5 point harness giving us only a few months use on an expensive seat. We ended up with a Maxi Cosi Rodi using the adult belt. We sat him down and explained how important it is he stays in teh seat and he has been good as gold. Whilst some may regard it as dangerous, we also regarded it as dangerous that people still base their decisions on car seats by age rather than weight, thats the no1 important factor to consider.

The special needs model you have been recomended was the only one we could find with an extended weight limit for a 5 point harness despite lots of searching

Violetta_2

Hi Minerva we are in a similar position my dd has just turned 2 is tall for her age and weighs 20kg it is so confusing , yes she is big but this whole car seat thing makes her seem like a freak ,she will never be a delicate petite thing but she is just my gorgeous chunky monkey, anyway sorry thats no help. I got some advice from the local Police Road Safety officer might be worth looking on your areas police website, they also put me in touch with someone from the In Car Safety Centre who advised the Britax Junior Traveller but like you say that's just up to 25kg so I'm worried how long that will keep my dd safe. Sorry I've no answers but hopefully we will come up with something soon, keep me posted.

Littlebean_2

As Violetta said - try your local Road Safety Officer. I found out about ours through my health visitor and the RSO does home visits, or you can pop in to their offices where they have a range of seats to try out. They really do know their stuff and can give good, free advice. I appreciate that this service may not be available in all areas (I'm in Essex) but it's worth a try.

tieg3

My dd has been in a highback booster since she was around the same age, and we have never had a problem with her playing around with the belts. I take it she knows about road safety and understands what would happen if someone is hit by a car, so explain that its the same in the car and thats why its important that people wear seatbelts. Personally I would stick with your original choice of the Evolva2/3. At the end of the day you are her parent and you know her best and what she understands.

daveyjp

One warning with ISOFIX - do not buy an ISOFIX seat until you get your car, regardless of what any fitting guides say. We found one which stated it would fit in my Audi and my wife's Toyota - it fitted neither!

We were very disppointed with ISOFIX and the excessive cost that we opted for a Maxi Cosi seat belt fastened seat for the Toyota. When fitted correctly they are as a solid as an ISOFIX seat.

I negotiated a free seat as part of my new car deal, but I also opted for a seat belt fastened seat, although it's a Recaro and not as good as the Maxi Cosi.

Minerva69

Picked up my car today but it doesn't look as though I'll be able to take my daughter in it without putting her at risk of injury in an accident!

I rang the Britax helpline and they said a Group 1 seat isn't suitable for her as she's 17kg. The only one they could recommend was the Elite, but when I asked if it would fit in my car they said no. I asked if I could put her in a Group 2 or 3 car seat and they said no because she isn't 4 years old. They were basically saying that I can't take my daughter in the car at all.

I also read on another site that a child under 4 shouldn't be put into a Group 2 or 3 seat because the adult seat belt could cause them internal injuries in an accident as their bodies aren't strong enough to withstand the impact.

Might as well get rid of the car and go back to public transport! :rolleyes: