Please please help with newborn car seats

twigpig

Thanks for the replies.

Heretolearn - you're saying exactly what I'm thinking.

I'll head down to Halfords and check which ones "fit" my car. Thank you all.....

Fairie

Hi

unfortunately i cant be much help on these specific makes and models, however thought i would just let you know when my health visitor came round she gave me a home safety pack as part of her leaflets, it stated in there that the local fire station does seat safety checks for free, might be worth a look into or a phone call for enquiries - they might be able to shed some light on the issue.

Fairie

dean2oo6

heretolearn wrote: »

I think yo are getting a bit hung up on this.

Isofix is an international fitting system for car seats. All systems you will buy in the UK will have passed all relevant safety standards and tests, both the isofix itself and the car seats.

there is no need to test every possible combination of the two together - can you imagine the logistics of that? Every model of car with every model of car seat? Constantly all the time every time a new car or car seat is released? The fact that the isofix system is approved and sold, and the car seat is approved and sold, means the two will be perfectly safe together.

All this teaming up of car manufacturer and car seat manufacturer is just marketing. There is a deal to recommend these particular products. In the same way that washing machine manufacturers recommend a particular brand of washing powder for 'the best results in our machine' it's just twaddle (yeah right, no other washing powder works properly in that machine?). Presumably Mazda and Britax have a mutual marketing agreement. Honestly believe us, it doesn't mean that other brands of car seat are not safe in Mazdas. Really think about it for a minute. Seriously you think that a car set will be passed for sale if it is secretly only safe in some car brands but isn't safe in other car brands? Acar seat is a car seat is a car seat. They will fit differently in different cars, so that's why you shop around, but the safety of the actual fitting is the same.

This is really bad advice. As a car seat expert I say do not listen to this and pop down to your local Mothercare, Halfords, council expert to confirm that not all isofix seats fit all isofix cars safely.

GobbledyGook

If you are anywhere near Milton Keynes or Belfast then I'd highly recommend http://www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk/about.html

If you go to a big chain store ask for the person who has been specifically trained in fitting car seats. I'm not going to say which as I'm told it was a one-off, but mine was appallingly fitted by someone in one who had zero training in fitting. If your gut instinct tells you it's not right then trust it.

daveyjp

heretolearn wrote: »

I think yo are getting a bit hung up on this.

Isofix is an international fitting system for car seats. All systems you will buy in the UK will have passed all relevant safety standards and tests, both the isofix itself and the car seats.

there is no need to test every possible combination of the two together - can you imagine the logistics of that? Every model of car with every model of car seat? Constantly all the time every time a new car or car seat is released? The fact that the isofix system is approved and sold, and the car seat is approved and sold, means the two will be perfectly safe together.

All this teaming up of car manufacturer and car seat manufacturer is just marketing. There is a deal to recommend these particular products. In the same way that washing machine manufacturers recommend a particular brand of washing powder for 'the best results in our machine' it's just twaddle (yeah right, no other washing powder works properly in that machine?). Presumably Mazda and Britax have a mutual marketing agreement. Honestly believe us, it doesn't mean that other brands of car seat are not safe in Mazdas. Really think about it for a minute. Seriously you think that a car set will be passed for sale if it is secretly only safe in some car brands but isn't safe in other car brands? Acar seat is a car seat is a car seat. They will fit differently in different cars, so that's why you shop around, but the safety of the actual fitting is the same.

The above should be deleted. It is wrong.

ISOFIX is a standard for a fixing system, but there is no ISO for car interior or seat design.

If a manufacturer wants type approval for ISOFIX in a car the seats they want to fit must be type approved. Yes, each and every seat in each and every car. That's why there are gaps in the fitting lists, seat makers won't type approve for cars with low volume sales. Some car manufacturers pay for testing to offer an ISOFIX option, but only sell approved seats through their own dealerships.

It also explains why ISOFIX seats are more expensive and only a few manufacturers bother doing ISOFIX seats. Testing isn't cheap.

Bufger

I think you've done a little too much research and confused yourself there. My cousin has a mazda 2 and she bought a silver cross 3d buggy and car seat (click and go set). I didnt check what my manual said in my car and went to a well known baby centre and had the same 3d system fitted for my first born. It was safe and secure (Kia Ceed).

Obviously we havent impact tested our vehicles but if there was an approved only policy then the shops fitting them would have to have a list and know whats approved for what otherwise they could be liable for selling you a system that wouldnt be safe.

Perdi

Hi, we have a Mazda 3 & bought a Cabriofix with a Familyfix iso base. We went down to Halfords to buy the base, who did a check that it was compatible and we just went with that, no-one suggested it wasn't safe to us!