Advice needed - baby car seat questions (merged)

PetalOne

Help!! I am expecting baby number 3 in a few weeks and have a Jane matrix lie flat car seat which I bought for number 1 , however that was 3 years ago and I have since been reading that these are unsafe and not recommended,
(which is really annoying as when I bought it I was assured that it was 100% safe etc etc and if I'd have know this at the time I wouldn't have bought it in the first place...:mad: )

anyway does anyone know if they are unsafe in the upright position or just when they lie flat, or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new car seat, if so anyone got any recommendations?

Any thoughts or tips would be great.

thanks

djtonyb

thought this might be of use http://www.babyworld.co.uk/information/products/carsafety/lie_flat.asp

Justie

I think Which refused to test them in either position but you can do the free 30 day trial and have a look if you want to check. The Maxicosi came out best for an isofix and did well for a normal seatbelt fitting too.

I know it's a PITA but there is more and more research being done which means we're getting more aware of the best practice in terms of child safety. Like all risk though you need to weigh up the risks vs costs etc and make your choice. If you want a halfway house then I often see good car seats advertised on our local Freecycle - of course you then have to trust it when the person offering it says it's never been in an accident...

It's yet another area of parental guilt I'm afraid.


ETA all the Which tests were crash tests - I don't think they evaluated other pros and cons

BartGirl

As part of my new money-saving venture, I'm on the look out for a car-seat thru the Quidco website. I cant see much on offer there - but am determined to start money-saving and this is my one big-buy this month...
Or perhaps there'd be a better site to go thru other than quidco ?
Ideas guys...thanks!

Justie

you could get one from Littlewoods Direct, Mothercare, John Lewis, etc... you need to work out what car seat you want then do Kelkoo etc searches (may as well get your 10p ) to see who sells them then search Quidco to see which merchants are on there... it's worth checking the discount forum to see if there are any code as well as that can save you extra.

the_other_mce

Both my two could get out of their car seats when they were about 12 months - we only realised our oldest could do it when she answered a question and we realised she was sitting between our seats ( albeit in the back of the car!!!:eek: ). We were horrified and spent months cajoling/ coercing her to keep her shoulders in the straps. We started tightening the straps but she quickly learnt how to press the button to get out of the seat belt completely. In the end we had no choice but to buy a new car seat with a three point seatbelt (it had an adjuster to fit her size) like the sort of seatbelt we wore. This worked a treat and she always sat in her seat with no problems from that day onwards..... It wasn't our first choice but it was a lot safer than letting her roll around on the back seat when she wanted!!
DD 2 followed the same path but we were prepared for it second time around!!!!
Might be worth a try......

angchris

if you go through quidco to kiddicare http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10001&identifier=Half%20Price&categoryId=18102&top=Y&catalogId=10751 they seem to have good prices for car seats.

Corpus01

I have a disabled child who does the same thing. You can buy a car seat with a quick release buckle that links the two arm straps and stops your child getting out. I too was worried about what happens in a crash but am told that if the emergency services wish to get a child out of a car seat they cut the seatbelts and don't bother trying to undo the buckles. This is quicker and safer. As a safety precaution I have a sticker in the window telling them to cut the seat out. We got the seat from Britax but you have to do it via the company - call them and found out who the nearest dealer is who can sell you one. Unfortunately it was expensive but there is no value on your childs safety. Hope this helps.

(Land_of)_Maz

Halfords go via Quido i think.......?

grade15

toys r us as well..but its best you actually go and try out the baby seat, which fits into YOUR car..and shown how its done first and then go through quidco and the necessary company!