Car Seat Mega Thread! Please post all your car seat questions here!

Whirl_wolle · 23-06-2018 10:03PM

Hello,

I'm looking for a new car seat and my head is melted with the selection. It's for a tall 3.5 year old who weighs 15kg. I'm looking for a seat with a 5 point harness that can be secured using isofix and the cars seat belt.

I was originally looking at Britax advanasfix. I had a look at a YouTube video online. It was fitted into a car using all three methods - isofix, seatbelt and top tether.
Would it be safe if I was to use only the isofix and the cars seat belt.

Checking on different online shops and one shop says it's isofix and top tether.

Also I read online, the seat/harness can be up to 25kg and then on some online shops, it says 18kg.

Does anyone else here have the Britax advanasfix? Any recommendations for another seat suitable for my needs?

Millem · 23-06-2018 10:18PM

Whirl_wolle wrote: »

Hello,

I'm looking for a new car seat and my head is melted with the selection. It's for a tall 3.5 year old who weighs 15kg. I'm looking for a seat with a 5 point harness that can be secured using isofix and the cars seat belt.

I was originally looking at Britax advanasfix. I had a look at a YouTube video online. It was fitted into a car using all three methods - isofix, seatbelt and top tether.
Would it be safe if I was to use only the isofix and the cars seat belt.

Checking on different online shops and one shop says it's isofix and top tether.

Also I read online, the seat/harness can be up to 25kg and then on some online shops, it says 18kg.

Does anyone else here have the Britax advanasfix? Any recommendations for another seat suitable for my needs?

the old advansafix harness went up to 25kg the new one only goes to 18kg

Look in your boot for tether points. They look like hooks.

Whirl_wolle · 23-06-2018 11:17PM

Millem wrote: »

the old advansafix harness went up to 25kg the new one only goes to 18kg

Look in your boot for tether points. They look like hooks.

I had a look in the boot but I can't find tether points. There's nothing on the back of the seats. There's far too much crap on the floor of the boot to see if there's points on the floor of the boot or to lift the floor to see if there's anything under. There's nothing to the sides in the boot. I did find a nylon strap located on the sides towards the end of the boot or the boots opening. I doubt those would be the tethering points.

jlm29 · 23-06-2018 11:17PM

What do you have at the moment? It’ll probably take ages for the child to get to 18kg (you can plot it on a hse growth chart). There’s no evidence to say extended harnessing is safer than a 3 point seat belt once the child is old enough to sit properly.

mirrorwall14 · 23-06-2018 11:29PM

Whirl_wolle wrote: »

Hello,

I'm looking for a new car seat and my head is melted with the selection. It's for a tall 3.5 year old who weighs 15kg. I'm looking for a seat with a 5 point harness that can be secured using isofix and the cars seat belt.

I was originally looking at Britax advanasfix. I had a look at a YouTube video online. It was fitted into a car using all three methods - isofix, seatbelt and top tether.
Would it be safe if I was to use only the isofix and the cars seat belt.

Checking on different online shops and one shop says it's isofix and top tether.

Also I read online, the seat/harness can be up to 25kg and then on some online shops, it says 18kg.

Does anyone else here have the Britax advanasfix? Any recommendations for another seat suitable for my needs?

In general isofix only goes to 18kg. There are certain seats usually belt fixed which can be harnessed to 25kg (often depends on whether it’s being used forward facing or rear facing). The advancesfix appears to be harness with isofix until 18kg forward facing. The seat belt would be needed then instead of the harness because they’re above 18kg

jlm29 · 23-06-2018 11:42PM

The only three 25kg forward facing harnessed seats are the joie bold, the diono radian 5 and the cosy and safe Excalibur. They all need a top tether though

Whirl_wolle · 23-06-2018 11:48PM

jlm29 wrote: »

The only three 25kg forward facing harnessed seats are the joie bold, the diono radian 5 and the cosy and safe Excalibur. They all need a top tether though

Thank you for this information. I will have to stop being fussy and drop down from 25kg to 18kg.

It will probably take a few more months to reach 18kg and then hopefully whatever seat I pick, can be converted to a high back booster.

jlm29 · 23-06-2018 11:53PM

Whirl_wolle wrote: »

jlm29 wrote: »

The only three 25kg forward facing harnessed seats are the joie bold, the diono radian 5 and the cosy and safe Excalibur. They all need a top tether though

Thank you for this information. I will have to stop being fussy and drop down from 25kg to 18kg.

It will probably take a few more months to reach 18kg and then hopefully whatever seat I pick, can be converted to a high back booster.

I’d say it would take way more than a few months for a child that age to gain those kgs. Their growth really slows down by then! You could look at the joie stages isofix, or the every stage fx, the joie seats are usually reasonably priced!

angeldelight · 24-06-2018 08:16AM

Yep my 3 year old is between 50-75 centile for height and weight and is almost 15kg but she probably won’t get to 18kg for a year assuming she stays on the same centile (which I’d imagine she will as she has been on it since birth)

mirrorwall14 · 24-06-2018 08:32AM

If you know the height/weight/centiles the Ireland ERF group on Facebook will calculate when they’ll outgrow approx. We’re on the small side so should get to at least 4.5 on height and 5.5 on weight in our 18kg rear facing seats

Whirl_wolle · 24-06-2018 03:13PM

I spent the morning eyeing up the Joie bold online however after checking the joie website my car isn't listed for compatibility. So it's back to the Britax advanasfix III. I read a few things online about the seat. One post says that its isofix and seat belt compatible and no need for top tether however on online shops under product description it says it's top tether.

I send emails/messages to a few different places:
I contacted Britax on Facebook to see if they can clear it up for me.
I contacted the car dealership to see if they can fit a top tether anchor.
I emailed the car safety UK site to see if they can recommend me a seat.

Currently waiting for replies and I suspect it may be tomorrow when and if I hear back.

Whirl_wolle · 24-06-2018 03:16PM

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

If you know the height/weight/centiles the Ireland ERF group on Facebook will calculate when they’ll outgrow approx. We’re on the small side so should get to at least 4.5 on height and 5.5 on weight in our 18kg rear facing seats

I'm hoping to find a seat that can be converted to a high back booster.

sillysocks · 24-06-2018 03:38PM

Whirl_wolle wrote: »

I spent the morning eyeing up the Joie bold online however after checking the joie website my car isn't listed for compatibility. So it's back to the Britax advanasfix III. I read a few things online about the seat. One post says that its isofix and seat belt compatible and no need for top tether however on online shops under product description it says it's top tether.

I send emails/messages to a few different places:
I contacted Britax on Facebook to see if they can clear it up for me.
I contacted the car dealership to see if they can fit a top tether anchor.
I emailed the car safety UK site to see if they can recommend me a seat.

Currently waiting for replies and I suspect it may be tomorrow when and if I hear back.

I have the older Advansafix which uses the harness to 25kg. From memory I think the top tether is needed because Isofix isn’t used over a certain weight. So perhaps the newer Advansafix that has the lower weight limit doesn’t need the tether but the older one does. Confusing that they didn’t jut rename it when they changed the weight limit!
My problem is now that my 18 month old is taking her arms out of the straps and because of the chest pad we can’t fit any of the Houdini clip type things on.

Millem · 24-06-2018 03:52PM

sillysocks wrote: »

I have the older Advansafix which uses the harness to 25kg. From memory I think the top tether is needed because Isofix isn’t used over a certain weight. So perhaps the newer Advansafix that has the lower weight limit doesn’t need the tether but the older one does. Confusing that they didn’t jut rename it when they changed the weight limit!
My problem is now that my 18 month old is taking her arms out of the straps and because of the chest pad we can’t fit any of the Houdini clip type things on.

did you try the besafe clip?

sillysocks · 24-06-2018 04:18PM

Millem wrote: »

did you try the besafe clip?

Yeah I went to a baby shop yesterday and they don’t think there’s anything we can get. You can see from this pic the pads go down very low so there’s barely any strap that you could attach anything to. Also the pads are very thick so not like a thing padding, maybe half an inch so can’t attach anything to them either.

https://goo.gl/images/9y8Zg5

Whirl_wolle · 24-06-2018 04:52PM

sillysocks wrote: »

Yeah I went to a baby shop yesterday and they don’t think there’s anything we can get. You can see from this pic the pads go down very low so there’s barely any strap that you could attach anything to. Also the pads are very thick so not like a thing padding, maybe half an inch so can’t attach anything to them either.

https://goo.gl/images/9y8Zg5

Are the pads removable? If they are, maybe replace with other pads. Surely the straps on the harness should be standard in size/width and maybe other pads might work instead and then you could fit the Houdini clip.

sillysocks · 24-06-2018 05:17PM

Whirl_wolle wrote: »

Are the pads removable? If they are, maybe replace with other pads. Surely the straps on the harness should be standard in size/width and maybe other pads might work instead and then you could fit the Houdini clip.

I must contact Britax and ask, the shop didn’t offer that as a solution , they just said it wasn’t possible Because there was no strap spare to attach it to.

Millem · 24-06-2018 05:30PM

sillysocks wrote: »

I must contact Britax and ask, the shop didn’t offer that as a solution , they just said it wasn’t possible Because there was no strap spare to attach it to.

Did the shop check the position of straps on the child’s soulders?

Whirl_wolle · 24-06-2018 06:39PM

sillysocks wrote: »

I must contact Britax and ask, the shop didn’t offer that as a solution , they just said it wasn’t possible Because there was no strap spare to attach it to.

I'm just after checking installation video on youtube of the Britax advanasfix III . I have my eye on this seat and just waiting on some replies back for now.

From the video on YouTube, when the seat converts to booster mode, you need to slide the straps out from the back and the pads come off and I didn't finish watching the video. The straps will hide away somewhere. So it looks like the pads can be removed. I don't know what it would be like putting the straps back in.

I doubt a manufacturer or supplier would recommend it just in case there is an accident and they are held liable.

If you do attempt the job, wait until you have time off and don't have to rush anywhere in case it's a slow job putting it back together.

jlm29 · 24-06-2018 07:59PM

Whirl_wolle, you should email in car safety in Belfast. They’re very good with all car seat queries, and will probably be able to recommend the best seat for your car and your child

sillysocks · 24-06-2018 08:17PM

Whirl_wolle wrote: »

I'm just after checking installation video on youtube of the Britax advanasfix III . I have my eye on this seat and just waiting on some replies back for now.

From the video on YouTube, when the seat converts to booster mode, you need to slide the straps out from the back and the pads come off and I didn't finish watching the video. The straps will hide away somewhere. So it looks like the pads can be removed. I don't know what it would be like putting the straps back in.

I doubt a manufacturer or supplier would recommend it just in case there is an accident and they are held liable.

If you do attempt the job, wait until you have time off and don't have to rush anywhere in case it's a slow job putting it back together.

Yeah I’ve contacted Britax now just to see what they say and see if they have any recommendations. I think the pads actually make it easier for her to get her hands out than normal straps would because of the shape of them. I’m pulling them as tight as I can though. The shop didn’t check the fit so might be worth doing.

Whirl_wolle · 25-06-2018 08:49AM

jlm29 wrote: »

Whirl_wolle, you should email in car safety in Belfast. They’re very good with all car seat queries, and will probably be able to recommend the best seat for your car and your child

Thanks for that. I read about them here while reading a lot of this thread and I emailed them on Saturday night and I'm waiting for a response for a car seat recommendation so I'll will hear from them today.

Whirl_wolle · 25-06-2018 08:54AM

I'm just after getting a reply back from Britax and they say the Britax advanasfix III must be used with isofix and a top tether at all times.

Hopefully I will hear back today from incarsafety with a recommendation for a car seat.
Hopefully I will hear back from the car dealership too to see if they can fit anchoring points to the rear of the car.

lazygal · 25-06-2018 09:17AM

Due number three and there's no combination of car seats that will fit across our Skoda Octavia without a squeeze I'm not happy with. Can anyone recommend a car that fits three across the back comfortably (we will have new one in extended rear facing until four once they outgrow baby seat) or any seven seater cars?

bee06 · 25-06-2018 09:41AM

Lazygal, if you’re on Facebook you could join the Ireland -rearfacing car seats group. There is a thread on there with all the cars that people have gotten 3 seats into and it gives the seats as well. If you don’t like the seats given you could ask the admins to recommend an alternative that would also fit. They’re very helpful.

lazygal · 25-06-2018 09:51AM

bee06 wrote: »

Lazygal, if you’re on Facebook you could join the Ireland -rearfacing car seats group. There is a thread on there with all the cars that people have gotten 3 seats into and it gives the seats as well. If you don’t like the seats given you could ask the admins to recommend an alternative that would also fit. They’re very helpful.

Thanks, will do.

drunkmonkey · 25-06-2018 10:09AM

What ages are the kids? We've 2 of these https://www.britax-roemer.co.uk/car-seats/toddler/dualfix/1870.html the first guy was only rear facing until he was about 2 and the same with the second guy, the 3rd is in a maxi cosy were still using one of the Britax but the 4yr old had grown out of it by 3. There expensive but they pop up on adverts and done deal a bit for small money. The swivel makes it very easy for getting them in and out of. Current set up is one maxi cosy, recaro Monza for the oldest guy and the 2yr old in the Brittas. We've only 2 isofix on the back seat of both cars though so maxi Cosi in the middle, oldest guy will be on a booster once the baby is ready to go into the Brittas.

jlm29 · 25-06-2018 10:30AM

lazygal wrote: »

Due number three and there's no combination of car seats that will fit across our Skoda Octavia without a squeeze I'm not happy with. Can anyone recommend a car that fits three across the back comfortably (we will have new one in extended rear facing until four once they outgrow baby seat) or any seven seater cars?

I love my smax lazygal. I’ve three kids, 6,2,1 and there’s plenty space. I currently have a minikid and a joie I anchor advance, side by side, and I actually have a cabriofix in the third seat, because I just haven’t taken it out yet since baby finished with it. I’ll probably swap the joie for another minikid in due course, but the isofix is handy while they fit it.
I usually keep the booster for my 6 yr old on the outside seat so we can access the boot seats if needs be (but we rarely use them anyhow). Could live in the boot it’s so big!
My oh is very tall and we’ve plenty leg room in front of the erfs. It’s a good size car, but not too big, and it’s reasonable to tax too.

Whirl_wolle · 25-06-2018 12:34PM

I rang the car dealership to see if they can help with anchoring points.

I didn't have much luck. It was a new issue for him and something he didn't hear about before. I suppose it does make sense because some isofix is a base with a leg to place on the floor for baby seats.

He did say there are kits available for anchoring and for installing yourself or for a mechanic. I will browse around online for a while to see if I can find something.

Still waiting for a response from the incarsafety.

Whirl_wolle · 25-06-2018 12:35PM

At this stage I may need to take my eye of an isofix seat and go for a group 2/3 seat that will be installed with the seat belt but I will wait until I hear from incarsafety.

Car Seat Mega Thread! Please post all your car seat questions here!

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