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Car seat advice please

Hi Everyone Happy New Year,



I hope you can help with a little bit of carseat advice please, am posting this in Toddler as well as its for both of my children.



Henry will be 23 weeks on Wednesday, he weighs nearly 22lbs and is very long - he is comfortably in size 6-12 month clothes and has been for a while (Dr projects his adult height to be about 6"3). His carseat (Maxi Cosi cabriofix) is getting very tight and his head is right at the very top of the seat which makes me think he is going to need a new one fairly soon. Neve is 3 (today!) and is 31lbs heavy and 98 inches tall, she is in a Mamas and Papas Pro-tec and it fits fine.



My problem is this - what do I put Henry in? Do I buy Neve a booster seat suitable for age 3.5 up



http://www.mamasandpapas.com/product-cybex-solution-xfix-grenadine/119228000/type-i/



and then give Henry her carseat in hopefully in a month or two? I worry that it doesn't recline enough (the recline on it is not great) so have been looking at this one (my sister has it and the recline is very good)



http://www.maxi-cosi.com/gb-en/carseats/toddler/tobi



If I buy the Tobi I can keep Neve in her current carseat until she is 4 which I am inclined to think is a better idea.



Has anyone had this problem or do you have any of these carseats, or can you just tell me what you would do if you were me - all opinions welcome lol!



xxx
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Replies

  • No advice hun, but the tobi's on offer on amazon for ??135 this week. We managed to get the maxi cosi priorifix for ??138 yesterday (from ??270!) but it's unavailable now x
  • hello



    if you little girl meets the requirements it might be worth just getting a booster instead of buying another seat, your LO seems to meet the stage 1 requirements but weight and height, we moved our LO before 9 months as he was so tall and not supported by the infant seat



    saying that if shes not ready for a booster it might be worth investing in another stage 1, we have the maxi cosi proir xp which reclines, i think its fab x
  • You can't put him in the Protec in a month or two as he's far too young to go forward facing, regardless of his weight or length.



    Neve is fine in her Protec until she's 18kg, shes only about 14 right now so she'll be in it for a while yet. She's too light to go into a HBB, whilst the one you linked says from 15kg, it's better to wait; as with a HBB it's the child's weight that holds the seat in pace in the event of an impact - a child who is 18kg+ is going to be a lot safer in one than one who is 14-15kg.



    What I would do is buy a combination Group 0/1 seat like Concord Ultimax, Britax First Class, or Jane Racing. They will suit H now, rearfacing, and you can keep him rearfacing longer, which is infinitely safer. Then you can turn him around and it will last him, FF, until age 3 or 4, at which point he'll be ready to go into a HBB.



    Meanwhile, keep N in her 5-point harness group 1 seat that she has, for as long as you can (until she is 18kg or her ears are above the top of the seat). Then buy her a HBB. By the time H is ready for a HBB, he can have the one you've bought N (so get a gender neutral one!) and she will probably be old enough for just a booster cushion to see her until she reaches the legal age or height limit.



    Edited to add that we used the Ultimax for DD until she was heavy enough for a HBB, and we use them now for DS and I think it's a brilliant seat. DD now has a Graco LX comfort HBB in each car and again,I'd recommend it as it's a great seat and very comfy for her. She also appreciates the 'snack pots'...



    http://www.mothercare.com/Graco-LX-Comfort-Orbit/dp/B003EGIPIG/sr=1-5/qid=1294176439/ref=sr_1_5/277-8155706-7740827?_encoding=UTF8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&n=118864031&mcb=core
  • Blake has been forward facing since 6 and half months as he was way to big and long for his rear facing seat (his legs were nearly up round his ears, and his head went over the top)we very rarely use a car so just wanted a seat for occasional trips. we bought a Nania car seat from Asda for the bargin price of ??25 and I am very pleased with it. It has side head impact cusions and Blake is very comfortable in it. If we had our own car I would def invest in a Maxi cosi. Anyway, regarding your issue, it might be worth buying another stage 1, like piggypops suggested.
  • Is it the Nania Trio? You can put him rearfacing in that and I'd suggest you think about doing so.
  • I was told that if there head is at the top of the seat they need a new one - Aila hasn't quite got there yet but she looks so uncomfortable in her infant carrier so we bought the Britax First Class PLus she looks so much more comfortable. Its suitable from birth as RF seat and then changes to FF that way he can be in RF for longer
  • Can't put Blake rear facing, his legs are way to long, they hang over the new car seat. I checked it all out with my HV and she said as long as he was the correct weight for a forward facing and had excellent head control(both of which he did) the going forward facing was ok. I wouldn't have changed him over otherwise. Also, it only takes babies rear facing up t0 10kg. Blake is over 11kg.
  • My ds1 was in ff from 6 months as the seat stated that was fine, so no he isn't too young to be ff in a month or two. I would be tempted to leave Neve in her current seat as I'm not a fan of booster seats, I think the full seat is far better and safer. Ds1 has a full seat but the 5 point harness comes off and he uses just the normal seat belt with his seat (not sure what seat it is but it's a britax and lasts until they are 11 ish). Ds2 is still in his carrier as is only 6 weeks but will be going in ff when he is too long for rf, but not before 6 months.



    Xxxxx
  • It doesn't matter if their legs are bunched up against the back of the car's seat. Regardless of leg length hey are still not safe forward facing at six months of age. Recommendations are 9 months minimum, most experts agree that that is still too young. Head control is irrelevant. The best head control in the world won't stop their spinal column stretching and snapping in the eventof their skull being thrown forward in an impact.



    This video demonstrates quite effectively why children should be kept rearfacing as long as possible.







    http://www.youtube.com/user/luv2bfishin#p/a/u/0/Q8gU9zzCGA8
  • Maenad, as someone who's clearly done their research please can I ask you a question? My daughter is a little lady and at nearly 11 months still has plenty of room in her first car seat so I plan to keep her in it until her head reaches the top. Me and hubby did have a chat to a lady in mothercare though regarding the RF to FF seats and I asked how the safety of RF compared to the safety of Isofix seats. Her advice was that we keep dd in her current seat as long as possible and then go for an Isofix FF as it doesn't rely on the seatbelt and fitting for safety. I admit I haven't come away and done my own research as it's not something we have to sort out right now, but I was wondering if you've come across anything that supports what the Mothercare lady said or if research shows RF would still be safer even fitted to the car with the belt rather than Isofix?



    Sorry long question and also sorry to hijack your post LottieNH!

    xxx
  • We had this exact same problem. DD is 5 and half months and way too tall and squashed in her first car seat. We went to Mothercare who told us she could stay in their till 29lbs but she literally could not move!! She can happily sit unaided, great head control and weighs 20lbs. Although she matches some of the criteria to go in a forward facing seat we were told it was far safer to keep her rear facing. In the end we opted for a Britax first plus which can go both ways and will last until she is 4. Although she has got great head control she would not stand a chance if she was forward facing and we were hit from behind!



    I totally understand it can be confusing because we certainly was but it is better to be safe than sorry. xxx
  • Thank you for the advice ladies - Maenad thanks for being so thorough. Neve is staying in her Protec and I have ordered a Maxi Cosi Opal for Henry which seems to be what I am looking for - I should be able to keep him rear facing for a lot longer now.

    xxx
  • That sounds like a brilliant solution Lottie!



    MA, if your DD is well below the maximum weight limit for her infant carrier and her head is still below the top, it is safest to keep her in it as long as she continues to fit.



    However, regarding isofix vs seatbelt, it's not really that cut and dried. Some experts say that Isofix is actually less safe, as a seatbelt fitting flexes slightly and absorbs some of the shock of the impact. There's absolutely no doubt that a young child who is rearfacing will be at lower risk of injury than a child who is FF. Isofix seats are EASIER to fix than seatbelt, they remove the risk of human error which leads tosome people saying they are safer, but I think it's more complex than that.



    My personal view is that if you can keep a child RF to 18 months or so, dependent on their weight for a group 0/1 seat, you're doing a tremendous amount to protect them, and after that if you don't have the funds for a specialist RF seat like the Brio, then a good seat, FF and correctly fitted, will still keep them really safe. The safest seat, at the end of the day, is one which fits perfectly in your car. The best RF seat in the world is useless if it doesn't fit properly- whether it's FF,RF, Isofix or belt fitted. As an aside, I've found Mothercare useless for seat fitting - do you have a decent independent nursery retailer near you?
  • Maenad, with all due respect, as much as I do generally value your opinion as you do have some very good ideas and offer good advice, I was only offering the OP my opinion and did not ask for a lecture on the safety of my sons car seat. I am quite awear of what all the 'experts' say, but followed the guidelines on the car seat its self as well as gaining opinions from health professionals. I wouldnt advice just putting a 6 and half month old in a forward facing car seat. Its just that Blake was over the upper limit weight wise for rearward facing in the Nania car seat and his group 0.
  • Has anyone got experience of how kids interact if one is RF and the other child is in FF?



    At the moment, DS1 is in his Maxi Cosi XP and FF at 22 months and Ds2 is in his Mothercare rear facing carry carseat - 0+

    DS2, is 17 weeks and I have been looking at a Concord Ultimax, so that I can a)leave it in the car knowing both the seats for the boys are fitted safely and b)not have to worry about when to move him from one carseat to another as it is fine from birth.



    I want the boys to be able to interact though, especially as ds2 gets older - and wondered if they'd be able to even see each other like this? xx
  • sarah, when Blake goes in the car with one of his little friends who is younger than him and who is in a RF seat, they interact really well. They seem to be able to see eachother ok.
  • Thanks hun, it is only because in his baby carseat, ds2 seems lower down. I expect when in a RF combo' carseat, he will be higher and able to see his big brother!! xx
  • this is interesting...



    i must admit i didnt pay much attention to the whole rf v ff stuff until recently when i started looking at next stage seats.



    my dd is only 6.5 months and in a maxi cosi cabriofix (isofix base) and although she can be in it until 29lbs i dont think we'll get until she is a year old before needing the next seat, my plan was to replace it with a maxi cosi priorifix as it gets good reviews and so as isofix is important to me. yes its easier lifting them in and out at the minute and although the next stage seat would be staying in the car thats not why i like the isofix - my personal opinion is that it is safer as there is no human error and its right into the car chasis and also crash test research seems to promote this so i want to stay with an isofix but priorifix only goes ff and seems to be only isofix one so im stuck now.



    i dont like the britax seats - we previously had a baby safy plus with isofix and werent impressed with the quality and much prefer maxi cosi so can anyone recommend another brand which does a rf isofix seat? my plan is now to buy one of those and keep dd that way (if i can) until she is 1yr-18months then replace it with the priorifix which seems to get good safety reviews.



    sorry for hijacking thread,



    Lx
  • DD is FF in a HBB (she's 4.5) and DS is RF and they interact very well. I have a mirror so I can see him, but she's very good at, for example, pulling his hat off his eyes when he's yanked it down to his nose and is yelling becausehe can't see! I actually think they interact better than if they were both FF.



    Lauz, I don'tknow of any combination 0/1 seats that are isofix, simply because by their nature they are fitted both ways round. I don't claim to know every car seat on the market though! You can get isofix rearfacing group one seats - suitable from 9 months to 4.5 years - the Recaro Polaric and the Besafe Izi Combi Isofix arethe two I know of.
  • thanks maenad i'll have a look at those 2 then. they dont need to be combination - i am happy to buy one now (rear facing isofix) thats suitable from 9kg so dd can stay rf when she out grows the cabriofix then i'll replace it with a ff priorfix when the time comes as thats my prefered one for long term use. i dont want a non isofix as thats my personal preference whether its safer or not - there just doesnt seem to be much choice for rear facing isofix.



    that prob sounds like a silly plan but to me its what i think would be best for my dd and cost isnt a problem - i would rather buy 2 than move straight to ff at 10/12months or wenever.



    Lx
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