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Im so confused.

So my little man is now 6 months old and weighs about 10kg (22lbs) and is really looking uncomfortable in his car seat. His head is about an inch from the top of the car seat, and his legs do hang quite a bit over the end of the seat (but I have heard this is not a problem)



Anyway I have been looking at the next stage car seat for ages, and knew that I wanted a rear facing seat for safety reasons. HOWEVER I have now been to mothercare and Halfords and been told at both places that this is not the best option. I have seen some terrible videos showing what can happen to if a baby is placed in a forward facing car seat, but when i told this to the manager of Halfords he told me that in a proper fitted car seat, the baby would have no extra protection if the car seat for rear facing!!! He said that by buying a car seat that is rear and forward facing like the Britax first class (that we were looking at) we would be jeopardising the overall safety because it does not offer the best protection rear or forward facing, as it is trying to do both. The lady in Mothercare was also of this opinion.



So now I am so confused. I just want what's best for my baby. I was in a nasty accident when I was younger so I know these things do happen and the consequences of such things.



He suggested the Maxi Cosi Tobi....



What would you all suggest? Dxxx

Replies

  • Well I'm no expert, but I don't understand how they can come to this conclusion??

    Surely, a rear-facing carseat would be the safest mode of travel, so the baby has a supported head if in a collision?



    Looking at YouTube videos, showing what happens to a child when in a head on collision in RF and FF, it seems the impact on a child's body, neck and head is dramatically increased if F-Facing?



    I can't see how it then being turned around to be FF makes it less safe either?



    Sorry, no help in your confusion... maybe someone else can be. But I just don't understand the assistant's reasoning on this one!! xx
  • I fail to see how a seat which is both forward AND rear facing is less safe than one which is only ff, they both fasten into the car in the same way, via the car seat belt. It's obviously safer for the child to be rear facing for as long as possible, but I can find no evidence when searching online to support the a seat which is both ff and rf is less safe than one which only does ff and would personally pay no attention to that advice without anything to back it up. As I said, which ever seat you pick, barring an isofix, is strapped into the car in exactly the same way. I shall be opting for a ff and rf seat unless evidence can be provided to prove a ff only is safer.



    Xxx
  • He is talking tosh.



    Children are far, far safer rear facing, and provided that a seat fits correctly in your car it doesn't matter if it's purely rear facing or a group 0/1 that goes both ways. A rearfacing child in a properly fitting seat is MUCH safer than a forward facing child - at 6 months your child does not have the neck strength to withstand a substantial rear impact and is at risk of internal decapitation.



    We use the Concord Ultimax which has excellent safety rating in Which testing both rear and forward facing.



    I would suggest going to an independent nursery store for fitting, even if you then buy online or elsewhere. Halfords have a terrible reputation for car seat fitting, which is justly deserved IMO; and I've had bad experiences with Mothercare fitters being utterly useless too - I wouldn't trust either.
  • Aaaargh I have just started using the Britax First Class plus I'm going to worry now!
  • The First Class is an EXCELLENT seat. It has a really good safety rating. Aila is really safe in it. Stop worrying!
  • This is what I found about the combination seat:







    What about combination seats (seats that can be rear facing up to 10 or 13kg, and then turned forward facing), are they as safe?

    Safety experts are negative to combination seats. Partly because they advocate rear facing for longer than the specified 10 or 13kg, and partly because the seats have to be more complicated, they have to make compromises for both directions, and there is a greater risk for misuse. If you have a combination seat you can not keep the child rear facing when s/he is heavier than the specified weight limit. It is dangerous as the seats have not been tested at all under these conditions.



    The best seat for your child is a rear facing 0-1 seat, or even a 0-2 seat (0 to 25kg). Keep your child rear facing for as long as possible in a seat approved for our child's weight.









    It is so confusing. Laura I was going to go for that car seat as it has fab reviews, so dont worry. I have now been looking at rear facing seats until he is 4. We have the incarsafety centre in milton keynes so I am going to pop down there next week and see what they say. The Halfords guy was a bit pushy and just left me feeling really worried.



    Dxxx
  • concord ultimax is amazing



    it is a legal requirement in some countries that the child is rear facing till they are four becasue of the damage an impact could have on them.



    I hope it becomes illegal in this country too to have forward facing so young.



    That said the chance of an accident is minimal and the chance pf a high impact is minimal - however if you know the facts that will help you make up your mind x x
  • Very true Summer. Now I have been reading up a little more, there is no way I will be putting him in a forward facing model before he is at least a year old. My husband thinks Im just being over protective but TBH I think I will go for a rear facing only model. I think its my past experience of the RTA I was invovled in (a family friend was killed) has just made me very concerned and maybe a little paranoid over it all.



    Dxxx
  • Personally, after hearing people's opinions on here, seeing such fantatsic reviews online and seeing some pretty horrific vids on YouTube;

    I am sticking with my decision to buy the Britax First Class Plus combi' seat.



    I will ensure the seat is safely inserted into the car and that I check it daily (As I do with ds1's seat)

    But to me, the risk of a collision and the damage it could do is so scary - I'd rather not take the chance.



    Let us know what you find out when you go to the Incarsafety Center hun - would still be interested to know xx
  • Can I ask where you found that? It doesn't make any sense!



    Firstly, most 0/1 seats are rated FF until 18kg - the Ultimax certainly is - so what is the 10/13kg they reference? 'Specified' by who? Then they go on to say that the safest way to travel is in a rearfacing seat rated for your child's weight - which a First Class or Ultimax would be!



    I do agree that keeping a child RF in a 0/1 seat longer than the upper weight limit for RF isn't safe, but that's not at all what you're doing. What 'compromises' are they talking about? Anyone who's ever used an Ultimax will know that they just don't budge once fitted correctly, I don't understand what on earth they mean!



    Meh.



    Anyway, good luck in your search for a seat. I've heard good things about the Recaro Polaric if you're looking for a purely RF seat. I'm thinking about getting DS one for my car, so he can stay RF longer.
  • I will do Sarah.



    It was from here Maenad http://www.rearfacing.co.uk/faqs.php#uk



    I had a look at the Recardo but its Isofix which my car isn't.



    Britax do 2 rear facing - multi tech and Secura Hi-way, so I will have look at them.



    I have also looked at the Ultimax, and it does apprear to be able to be used rear facing for longer than most so again this could be an opition.



    Its a minefield!!! Dxxx
  • I've not read all the replies, but I did a lot of reasearch on this when Abby got to that age (including talking to my local fire station, and a friend who is a paramedic). This was the conclusion I came to.



    If you can safely go RF then that is the best option. BUT if your child is too heavy or too long (i.e. their head is at the top - it doesn't matter about their legs or if they look a bit squashed) for the seat, then it becomes completely unsafe and must be changed. FF is safer than RF in an inapropriate seat.



    A seat like the Britax first class (which is FF and RF) might be safer (in RF mode), than a FF seat before your child is ready, but there are safer FF seats out there. if that makes sense.



    Having said all that - it can take a while for them to grow that last inch. So you might have a few months yet. With Abby her head got to the top at 8 months, so we just put hre FF then, in the safest seat I could find (Britax and Maxi-cosi are the best makes - according to Which?).



    HTH.

    Nx
  • We have the britax first class and so do my parents in their car and it was the one most recommended by our local mothercare fitter who is extremely good so I'm confident its a safe seat - we never used it rear facing though - we bought it when we wanted a forward facing seat.



    On the subject of rear facing being safer.. I actually finally remembered to ask my dads opinion on this as he is a highly qualified safety consultant and he said that the only way that rear facing is safer than forward facing (providing the rear facing child is still correctly fitting in the seat) is in the event of a direct rear impact. If you were hit head on or side on then theres no difference between forward and rear facing. Just thought I'd mention that
  • That's true Kia but the majority of accidents ARE rear impacts, so it makes sense that a) if RF is safer in that circumstance and the same in head on/side impacts then clearly it's safer overall and b) you're then prepared for the most common type of accident.
  • Its all so confusing isn't it. We had this problem with Blake. He was too tall for Group 0 (head over top) and was over the upper weight limit for his group 0/1 to be RF so had to FF him from just before 7 months. I've heard Britax is really good!
  • Are there some kind of accident statistics that confirm that? Just curious cause then I can ask my dads professional opinion again cause his is the opinion I trust the most
  • I agree with Maenad tbh, the statement seems slightly contradictory and doesn't make sense. It says the seats that are rf/ff have to be more comolicated but ds1 ff is just as complicated as his rf/ff seat, so not sure that is entirely correct. From what I can see the information is based on Swedish authorities etc, which I know is just as relevant as if it was uk, however, the car seats have all passed uk safety regulations and as long as they are installed as per manufacturers instructions and used as per same then the child will be safe. If there was any doubt as to the safety then one would assume they would not have been given approval? I will still be using a ff/rf seat for ds2, as I did with ds1.



    Xx
  • How can the majority of accidents be rear collisions when there has to be someone having a forward collision at the same time for rhe rear collidsion to have happened in the first place? image
  • mummyliz, that's such an obvious point but one that didn't occur to me! :lol:

    xxx
  • Ha ha very true. My husband has been saying the same thing. Oh its far too confusing. I'll wait and see what the in car safety centre say next week. Thanks ladies. xxx
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