Advice needed - baby car seat questions (merged)

plane_boy2000

We have got one of these:

http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_904+936_10751_-1_14552_49866_10001_14552

pleased with it and the kids says its comfortable - lots of adjustment plus can be slightly reclined if they fall asleep

Gingham_Ribbon

At this stage, the isofix only has one benefit and that's that it stays in place whether the child is in the seat or not. It doesn't add any additional safety to the child. (I phoned Britax and they confirmed this. The seat is as safe with or without isofix.)

The evolva performed VERY well in the WHICH crash tests as did the Britax Hi-liner, which was £40 in Halfords recently but unfortunately it's back up to its normal price. Still worth looking for a deal on one of them.

Isofix main advantage is that it removes the worry of incorrect fitting, but with this stage, the CHILD is strapped into the car, not the seat.

dangers

We had one of the original Octavias and had an Isofix car seat from the dealer. One of the main advantages is that with an Isofix car seat, it is attached to the chassis of the car. I would think that would be slightly safer than just a seat belt holding the car seat and child in place in the event of an accident

dooj

sometimes you dont have a choice about isofix, we wernt bothered about isofix or not wen we went for our stage 2 car seat however it was the only car seat that would fit properly in both of our cars. Its so easy to fit and im now glad we got it. Also i believe that every isofix car seat is actually tested where non isofix arnt (not sure if this is true or not)

squashy

Forget travel systems. Buy a carseat that fits your car (check which? etc and manufacturers websites). Then think about your pushchair or sling as a seperate entity. Lots of good advice above as to what to look for. I bought a Hauck Infinity as it has a carrycot attachment which can be removed and replaced with a forward or rear facing seat as the child grows. I couldn't bear to put a tiny baby facing away from me even if the label said it was lie flat and safe!

I use a lot of buses, luckily most are "low-liners" but I quite often wear a proper sling as it's far easier.

chivers1977

shameless bump!

Gingham_Ribbon

dangers wrote: »

We had one of the original Octavias and had an Isofix car seat from the dealer. One of the main advantages is that with an Isofix car seat, it is attached to the chassis of the car. I would think that would be slightly safer than just a seat belt holding the car seat and child in place in the event of an accident

No.

In earlier stages, this is correct as the SEAT is held in place by either the isofix or the seatbelt. At this stage, the CHILD is held in place by the seatbelt. It doesn't matter whether the seat is attached to the car or not. The seat isn't keeping the child in place - the seatbelt is.

Gingham_Ribbon

dooj wrote: »

Also i believe that every isofix car seat is actually tested where non isofix arnt (not sure if this is true or not)

No. All car seats have to conform to a set of standards. However, they are not tested in every car, which is why they must be fitted by someone who is trained to do so. Isofix makes the fitting easier and safer. But at this stage, the seat isn't held in place by the belt, so that isn't an issue.

td

I printed off alist of rec car seat from aged 9 months and my daughters ripped it up and destroyed some of it I wondered if anyone could help me fill in the gaps - my membership has run out now.

I know the maxi cosi priorifix came top for isofix - but which was the best without isofix my list seems to indicate mamas and papas pro tec - but I have a feeling this isn't right and my list is now missing the rating for this seat.

thanks

td

Jakeysmum

Hi,

I really need some help with my sons car seat. Its a Britax Eclipse, not the new SI, just a plain old eclipse.

Today he was throwing a fit in the back of the car because he wanted out. Admittedly he was going crazy, but when I stopped the car and lifted him out I discovered that the harness/belt had actually come free from the bottom of the seat and he was almost able to get out of the straps.

If you know the car seat, you will know that on the base of the seat, the straps thread through a metal buckle, well now if you wiggle it vigorously the buckle comes through the hole in the seat and the strap becomes free.

I know that I took the seat apart a few months ago to wash the cover, now I am wondering if I have put it back together wrong, or whether there is a general fault with the seat.

I would really appreciate if anyone has this seat, if they could look at the bottom of the straps and tell me how it fits together. Better still if anyone has a copy of the fitting instructions I would be so so grateful. I have already emailed Britax, but I have heard they can take ages to respond.

Thanks for reading this!