Baby Car Seat Advice

GobbledyGook

Sagaris wrote: »

Check the Which? report for that seat before you buy it - I don't think it came out very well, which is surprising as it's a Britax!

However when you read the Which? report bear in mind how it was tested. Some (possibly all, but I can't remember) of the RF seats were tested forward-facing which is responsible for skewed results.

For RF seats you are better checking online for US and Swedish tests/reports on them because there are a lot of people lobbying Which? for more accurate testing on the RF seats.

Bunny

I've had a look at that which report and I have to agree with Gobbledygook, they aren't accurate for rear facing seats above Group 0.

Britwife

pigpen wrote: »

Britwife.. did you see they are trying to make it law that all children under 4 have to be rear facing in the States? is it up to 2 at the moment?

Over here children are still seen as a nuisance rather than the future of the country and their lives are given very little value (check out how much a standard insurance policy will pay out on a childs death!) In other countries they are a joy and a delight.. here they are still to be unseen and unheard.. it is quite disgusting.

I have seen that and I'm sure it will end up passing. Car seat laws over there are very strict. It saddens me here to see parents facing their children forward at 9 months because that's what the seats state and it's kind of a toss up. Parents should research safety seats but at the same time, they are doing this based on the car seat information themselves.

And funny you should bring up how children are looked at here. Babies and children are loved loved loved in the states. You go out with a new baby in the states and you better be prepared to allow more time out because you are constantly stopped. My dd was born here in 2008 and never once were we stopped or was she oogled over. I'm not bringing this up because it bothers me, but rather something I noticed because there is such a huge difference in how babies and children are looked at. I don't know if it's because the British are just more reserved and they are just oogling inside. I don't feel that babies aren't loved by the people here but it is different.

But back to the car seats...I would just love to see better laws. What is out there, isn't enough. There is no mention of weights or ages other than having the correct seat.

And I'm so glad to see others talk about the BeSafe IZY seat. I love this seat!!! We have another baby due in Sept and I'm going to check that link out. As I said above, my dd just turned 2 at the end of Nov and she's only about 25 pounds so I just feel safer having her rear facing. The great thing about the Besafe is they really sit up so high so she still has a great view. They make an infant seat as well under the BeSafe name and one under the Sokke brand but the Sokke name on it nearly doubles the price.

GobbledyGook

Part of the problem here, imo, is that the standard of some of the Health Visitors is shockingly bad. I had one say to me when my boy was only 4 months old "Are you still breastfeeding?".

When you have HV's who suggest putting babies into their own rooms earlier than guidelines, suggest ending BF'ing MUCH earlier than guidelines suggest, suggest weaning earlier than the guidelines then it's not really a surprise that some people don't take too much heed to the guidelines for car seats. Especially when if you stick to the 9 months thing it's probably the only age guideline your HV has suggested sticking too so they believe that is fine.

People can only research things like rearfacing seats for older children if they know they actually exist. My eldest was forward facing at around a year old when she grew out of the carrier style seat. I had no idea that RF seats existed. Even when you look online at the big places to buy new car seats there isn't an option for older RF'ing ones. It's only through a former friend of mine who had a Swedish Nanny who was horrified at the thought of putting an 17 month old in a FF seat that any of the people in my circle of friends knew anything about RF seats. Once you know they exist then you can research about the safety etc.


I think rather than thinking that children should be seen and not heard the problem here is we put far, far, far too much faith into what we are told by people like HV's. If people knew that HV's can be rubbish and clueless then they might not take their word as gospel. I was really gobsmacked when my first HV told me breastfeeding didn't offer any goodness after 12 weeks and I was [..] close to giving up because I thought there was no way I, a young first-time Mum, could know better than a professional. I only questioned it and double checked because she also suggested putting my DD in her own room and I knew with my families history of cot death that was wrong. When I checked I discovered a lot of her information and knowledge was outdated and wrong. If I hadn't had that family history I would have believed she, with all the experience and training, knew much better than me. It's scary to think some young women with no family and no internet access have to rely solely on that.

pigpen

GG.. HV's and MW's have an appalling lack of training when it comes to breastfeeding and most things really.. just a couple of hours and it is not enough at all. I as 17 when I had my oldest and the HV came round and asked me 'did it hurt giving birth'? ... erm.. are you insane? I did end up throwing her out after a catalogue of idiotic questions and I rang the office and complained and suggested she was sent back to school! Given my experience of HV's I have found 2 in 20 years that actually had an iota of common sense.. and one of them dropped DS3 on his face so he had a carpet burn up his nose (I told her if I did that she'd have been sending in the SS) They often are told about training courses to update their knowledge but they are during work hours and unpaid and they are only allowed so many hours 'free' training and then have those hours taken up with compulsory courses like child protection, first aid, form filling etc so important stuff that parents need to know isn't updated... so while I think they are completely obsolete it isn't entirely their fault they are not up to speed on the latest requirements and guidelines.. they should read their own leaflets lol

I've never had a car with my older children so all this car seat stuff was new with Squeak and I am so incredibly anal everything is researched in fine detail. OH has a few Swedish friends who are horrified to think of 9 month old babies FF. And I am horrified the woman at school who had her 6 month old FF because he was too FAT (not tall just fat) to fit in the infant seat.. maybe she shouldn't give him chocolate at 8:30am!

GobbledyGook

pigpen wrote: »

And I am horrified the woman at school who had her 6 month old FF because he was too FAT (not tall just fat) to fit in the infant seat.. maybe she shouldn't give him chocolate at 8:30am!

That sounds similar to someone I had the 'pleasure' of sharing a train carriage with recently. On a two hour journey her LO (who was about 3 ish) consumed a can of coke, a huge bag of haribo, another fizzy pop drink and a huge chocolate biscuit, yet after an hour she was complaining to her companion that he was "always f****** hyper for some f****** reason" and stated she was taking him to the Dr as she was sick of it. It was sooooooo tempting to point out that the ten tonnes of sugar he'd just consumed may be part of the reason that he is 'f****** hyper'.

I could just weep for anyone who doesn't realise that what HV's tell you is not the rules or sometimes not even for the best. My last one branded homebirths as 'dangerous, irresponsible and certain to end in tragedy' and was a bit stumped when I pointed out all 3 of mine were born at home and were safe and well.

Plus one nearly barred me from the post-natal baby group because I questioned her when she spouted nonsense about weaning early helping them sleep, breastfeeding being more of a faff than bottles and always painful, swaddling doesn't work and babies should go in their own room at 4 months. I complained to the practice in the end because some of her 'advice' was actually dangerous.

pigpen

I was kicked out of the breastfeeding support group after saying to a mum who really had had enough of struggling to BF that she should do whatever she felt was right for her and her family and while she knew the benfits of bf she had tried very very hard and should not feel guilty if she decided to give formula.. so long as baby and mum are happy and cared for formula is an adequate form of nutrition and she should trust her own judgement. Poor woman was beside herself.

I don't know what is worse, the fact the training is offered in theory but made impossible in practice or that there is such a lot of wrong and conflicting advice everyone is confused.. I think the HV's and MW's are confused half the time.. I had to explain to my MW what antibodies were!!!!!!!!!!!

I am still browsing car seats unsure which one to get..

valkirn

Reading some of your posts Pigpen And GobbledyGook i really wish you could have my Midwife and my HV They are fantastic ive so far had them for all 4 (well soon to be 4) of my kids and never had anything but support from them, yes i do get the guidelines say crap but then my hv will look at me and say but your not going to do as the guidelines say are you lol.

I think the best bit of advice my HV ever gave me was .. your a mum what do you think/feel you should be doing for your child right now, this was regarding weaning

As for the car seats i have always kept my children rear facing for as long as poss, and have used the britax si from birth, but thanks to who ever put the link up for the rear facing car seat from birth to 6 (i think it is) i have just ordered that for this baby.. its a lot of money but worth every penny imo

sarahevie

I have the britax eclipse, rear facing for both my girls. Aged 30 months and 10 months.

I didn't know whether to move DD1 into the stage 2 car seat and use her eclipse for the youngest, but she was so tiny in the next stage. Only 24lbs.

So had to bite the bullet and for a while they will both be in stage 2 seats. We had to buy two cots as well as again, DD1 was still in hers so needed one for DD2.