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

seamus wrote: »

He might be getting confused with the older middle two-point seat belts which make it impossible to fit a car seat. If the middle seat is ISOFIX and/or has a 3-point belt, then it's legal.

There are actually some car seats when can be used with lap belts, mostly for 0-6 months.

Hi All,

Just looking for some help here too. Our eldest needs to move into a high back booster to make room for #2 who is getting too big for the rear facing one. Problem is we don't want to get anything too wide. All the latest ones seem to have these huge side cushions for side impact protection. Great in a crash but useless from a practicality point of view as it then makes the middle of the rear seat unusable. I have narrowed my search down to 3, the Britax Kidfix, Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro or the Jane Montecarlo R1.

Does anyone have any of these and if so how wide are they? If you could post up dimensions that'd be great.

Best group one car seat?
Will be moving her in soon as at almost ten months her legs way too long in maxi cosi! She's v tall!
Prefer one that's rear and forward facing if poss! Happier with her rear facing for now but want to keep my options open!

Wmpdd I bought that car seat yest, after both the sales people in mothercare and Halfords seperately told me I could leave it fully rear facing. My little girl is 6months and just 24 pounds so just out of her first car seat!

But googling is telling me I have to turn it forward facing at 9kg... Was your little girl under that still? I specifically said I wanted her rear facing for another while yet

And next time ill google before I buy!

hi, my little girl only 13kg at age 2.
She was went front facing around 16 months so i guess she was about 10kg. Little man is now in the first class rear facing at 10 months and about 7.5 kg.

How on earth is my baby so big?! Never thought of emailing britax ill do that I really like the seat I just would like to keep her rear facing for another while yet

I had the axiss for my 2 loved it but as head rest does not rise up very high both my kids were finished it by 2yrs old (my kids are tall)
So I would advise you look how high head rest s go up to
Loved the convenience of axiss I have to say

Can anyone tell me if the besafe izi combi isofix can be used in a car without isofix and still be rear facing - I know it can be strapped in but forward facing. My car has isofix but my husbands car does not - we are looking for a car rear that can be rear and forward facing in both isofix cars and non. We bought the besafe izi but have not unpackaged it and someone mentioned it can only be forward facing without isofix so now im worried. I might exchange it if this is the case. I want her rear facing until she is 2 and then I don't mind. She's one almost now. We are trying to figure out if we need a car seat for each car or if we can make do with one - the besafe izi combo was v expensive and so I'm terrified of having to spend the same again!! But we do both drive her and I'm not sure swapping cars would work logistically. And now I'm not e en sure the rear facing will work in his:(

Also am I right in saying the britax first class doesn't really recline - so if got that as a second seat it wouldn't be suitable for sleeping on longer journeys?

dublinlady wrote: »

Also am I right in saying the britax first class doesn't really recline - so if got that as a second seat it wouldn't be suitable for sleeping on longer journeys?

Grrrr! Had a comprehensive reply typed but the phone ate it :-(

I've only used the Britax First Class Plus rearfacing, and haven't changed the recline level since I first installed it, but it reclines a lot. I've no idea if it's in the most or least reclined position though.
Know nothing about it forward facing, but can check the manual tomorrow if nobody else has a better answer.

About the Izi Combo Isofix, you can download the manual from the BeSafe website, so maybe you'll be able to find the answer there.

This might sound like a simple question, but my son is 6 months old, about 20lbs but is very long. He's still in the carseat from his travel system with isofix base but I don't know how long more he will get out of it. Because he is so tall, will he have to go into a forward facing seat or do some of the next stage rear facing accommodate for this leg room needed?
I'm completely clueless as I haven't even started looking at the next stage seat yet!

Moonbeam wrote: »

Never worry about leg room but when his head is at the top of the seat it is time to move on to the next seat.

His head is not too far away from the top, that's why I wanted to start looking into it. I might pop into Halfords or somewhere and have a chat wit them!

dublinlady wrote: »

The besafe izi comfort that I just got has leg room and rear faces til 18 kg!
The other I got for hubbies car which has no isofix is the britax ash_lay recommended and has leg room and Is rear facing to 13kg.
The besafe is 450 and isofix and the britax is150

Thanks for that! I'll get googling

Hi everyone, no idea about car seats! Expecting twins in May. Buggy takes maxi cosi seats. Does anyone know if there is much of a difference between cabriofix and pebble? Shop says babies will be able to use pebble for longer. Thanks!

skit490 wrote: »

Did u find out if the beware ISI can be used rearfacing in non isofix car, I.e. seatbelt,
Finding this all very complicated. Not many options for keeping baby rearfacing . Also now understand why people with children going round in massive cars,

The besafe izi combi only suitable for isofix rear facing - we bought a britax first class which is non isofix for my OH's car and can be reclined rearfacing until 13kg. That was the best I could find rear faing non isofix time period!!

It's so complicated... U need to be sure of what u want and then visit somewhere good for advise like kealys and bring a pen & paper to help u remember the main points f each one... Otherwise u forget what's what!! Then u pick the one that closest fits ur needs!

We bought the besafe izi combi for my car - as its rear facing longer but my car has isofix. If I didn't I would have bought two of the britax - the non isofix is much cheaper - it's just not as safe I think!

Minefield!

skit490 wrote: »

Yes its a. Minefield! My little one is in hip brace at moment for hip dysplasia , which complicates things further. Wanted to buy a rearfacing one that wud last now but not sure I can now as can't be sure she won't b in a spica cast in years time. Have to take her out ofbrace to put her in her current group 0 car seat. Was going to get a britax first class, but although she fit in it with the brace on there was a gap o between her lower back and the seat so don't think it was very good fit. N the besafe fit but so expensive plus one car (main one I use)doesn't have isofix. Beware did look the beesknees though.

I read about a parent who had a child in a spica cast IIRC on the ERF page on fb. (Link Here) I can't remember what the seat was but it would be worth looking up

Edit: It was an adapted Britax Two Way Elite, ordered from carseat.se

Ginny wrote: »

Looking at the maxi cosi mobi, britax hiway or max way, anyone have any of these?

Sigh! Another post for me in the car seat mega thread. It seems that I've become quite a car seat geek

Yes, I have a Britax Max Way. It's a pretty compact sized seat considering that it goes up to 25kg. I have a Golf IV and it fits relatively neatly. Actually, at first glance, it wasn't much bigger that the Britax First Class Plus it replaced, but the seat is far wider and the back is higher. The front passenger seat needs to be pushed quite a bit forward but not fully. What is a pain is not being able to move the front seat at all because the Max Way is tethered to the seat in front for stability.

It's worth noting that fitting it is not a straightforward job. It's not particularly difficult but takes a bit of time to get it secure in all directions. I don't think it's a seat that you would regularly swap between cars (just in case that was something you were considering) . Maybe if you had a another set of tether straps that you could leave in the second car it would be a possibility. But, I think that this is probably a problem that you're going to face with every non-isofix rear-facing seat.

It reclines quite a bit, but because the back seat in my car slopes backwards, the recline of the Max Way got equalised, if you get what I mean. When my little one was younger, her head used to sometimes slump forward when sleeping so I put a folded up towel under the front of the (rear facing) car seat. I'm pretty sure that's not approved behaviour, though. Once she reached about 12 months, that didn't seem to be a problem anymore so I removed the towel.

We ended up getting a BeSafe Izi x3 Combi for my husband's car, and to be honest, for the easy of installation alone, I think I prefer that one. But, the clear advantages that I think the Max Way has over the Izi are higher sides and a belt release mechanism that doesn't hurt my nails evey time I press it.

Not really a question here but if someone is looking for the maxi cosi family fix base, it's reduced to £119.99 at the moment on amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002YK51YE/ref=s9_simh_gw_p75_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0D9T7A2RG4VGGQ154726&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=358549767&pf_rd_i=468294 (free shipping to ROI) . Haven't been able to find it cheaper than this at the moment. I've Asked flubit.com to improve, but will need to use parcel motel (if you don't know what these are do a search or check the bargain alert section on boards).