Car seat question

[Lisa1302]

Now some have benefits, like say side impact protection that we know is a safety benefit but it still can't be marketed as a safer seat.

See, I really do wish I could show you this video with the difference in how a SIP and non SIP seat performs. I would consider it an absolute must, not a benefit. The dummy's head would have smashed a side window and thumped on the car door.

But I have a hard time believing that all of the seats available for rear facing are not good, if that was the case how did they pass the safety tests? If using the seat installed in your car properly and it fits your child correctly it should be very safe. And any rear facing seat being used properly against a forward facing seat used properly for this age group they are much safer rear facing. No seats for sale should be "unsafe", its about using them correctly so they are safe, it's usually user error that makes seats unsafe....if they passed all the safety tests, aren't expired and all that.

Again, I'd love for you to be able to read this piece. I'm not sure, can I quote something off of it? I suppose I can if I don't say which seat it is about..

For group 1 it is installed rearward-facing, and for group 2 use it fits forward-facing. The seat takes up a lot of space in its rearward-facing position, which can cause problems in smaller cars.

Unfortunately, in trying to cater for different uses, it makes too many compromises. This results in poor protection, with the child exposed to fairly high loads in a front crash.

Despite having fairly clear instructions, it is also very complicated to install in the car, making the likelihood of getting it wrong unacceptably high.

Would you want to buy that?

For another one, it says the risk of installing it wrongly is so high, the safety benefits outweigh them. If installed properly it only gives a satisfactory rating.

I don't think it is a case of being "unsafe" but some are definitely safer than others, and in the case of the rear facing ones, the difference between the best performing front facing seat, and the rear facing ones on the market, mean that any benefit from rear facing is all but wiped out.

out of curiosity what does Which say about the Britax First Class? Which is suitable until 13kg as rear facing (most babies that is until around 2 years old) - it has SIPS?

 

[Foogirl]

Britax is no safer (proven atleast) than our cheapest seats. Like we have a $40 seat a Cosco scenera that is just as safe as my $300 seat. In studies and what we know...we can speculate that due to the added things and materials used to make Britax that it might be safer but there is no proof to that.

See, that's the difference, here some seats are testing more safe than others. I don't need to speculate, I have a reliable, trustworthy and respectable organisation testing them for me!! Certainly the £25 quid car seat was given a "don't buy" status from them also.

Actually that got me thinking and I had a look at the figures. At least the best rated rear facing seat, is MUCH safer than the worst rated front facing seat.

Here's a quote about it

The xxxxxxx uses the adult seat belt for a 9kg child (around 9 months) – in our test, the dummy slipped out of the seat belt. Check out our 'Crash test video' to see for yourself.

This is a car seat, which passes the Eurpoean Safety Standards, which is little more than a booster seat for a 9 month old. There is no additional harness, the child is restrained by an adult seatbelt, which clips into the seat. On sale in the UK. I'd say that counts as unsafe......

I totally agree with that, everyone should have access to good, high weight rear facing seats. There is so much research and evidence showing that it is by far the safest and knowing that they should be providing everyone with the seats necc to keep our kids the safest. I wish we could get the Swedish seats over here....they go to 55lbs

Well, they've made it law over there, so they had to make sure the seats were available. My best friend lives there and it drives her nuts because her 2 year old hates being rear faced (and has really long legs!)

They are thinking of doing that here, so I can only hope the manufacturers have these seats available in the UK soon.

 

[Lisa1302]

My OH is Swedish - so I do look at what they say a lot - they have their heads screwed on over there!

 

[mommyof3co]

Ahhh I see! Here they don't test seats against each other. That makes more sense now. If they are testing like that, they should raise those standards if seats are being passed and sold for babies that actually don't do well

Here the law now is 1yr and 20lbs...but the recommendation is atleast 2yrs old or the limits of a convertible carseat (30-45lbs)...I do hope they change the law to atleast 2yrs old though. It's becoming a bit more well known though lots here barely make it to the one year law. Right now they are changing laws for booster seats for older kids, hopefully after that they will go for the rear facing seat laws.

Hayden's tiny so I don't know how long I'll leave him rear facing, he is just now exactly 26lbs and he's 33 1/2 in...at almost 27mo.

 

[mommyof3co]

Double post...it keeps doing that to me

 

[Foogirl]

out of curiosity what does Which say about the Britax First Class? Which is suitable until 13kg as rear facing (most babies that is until around 2 years old) - it has SIPS?

I'm trying to find it on the site. Annoyingly Britax appeared to have re-named all their car seats recently! I will keep looking, but it is likely to be good as all the reviews I have in front of me (15 of them) are good. Ten of the Which? "best buys" are Britax and all of them have at least four * for front impact and 3* for SIP.

 

[Foogirl]

Ahhh I see! Here they don't test seats against each other. That makes more sense now. If they are testing like that, they should raise those standards if seats are being passed and sold for babies that actually don't do well

The tests against each other aren't the legally required ones, there is a separate consumers association who test all sorts of things against each other. I don't even buy a toaster without checking what Which? says about them!

Right now they are changing laws for booster seats for older kids, hopefully after that they will go for the rear facing seat laws.

We do have laws for booster seats for children up to a certain height/age. My sister was pleased when it came in because her 9 year old used to get ribbed by his mates for having to sit in a booster seat. She wouldn't let him in the car without it. He laughed at them lots when they then had to use them too!

The age is 12 and the height is 4ft 10. That always makes me laugh as, I'm only a couple of inches taller than that, Mr Foo threatened to go out and buy me one!

 

[mommyof3co]

Yep here they just changed it to they have to be 8 or 4'9 to get out of a booster seat, sadly VERY few of Landon's classmates (1st grade so 6 and 7) actually ride in boosters. My boys will until they are 4'9 no matter what age that is, because that's when the adult seat belts would fit...or when they pass this test

https://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm

 

[Foogirl]

or when they pass this test

https://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm

I don't think I pass that test!

 

[Abz1982]

Well, the seat has to fit a

Puget 106
A mercedes E class
Jeep Grand Cherokee
New style Renault clio
Nissan Micra

as those are all the cars my family has and she will be in at some point.

I really do want ehr RF as longs as possible, but I have a hatchback, so not sure how easy a RF one would be, I would probably have to have her in the front in a RF seat.

Also, just having a read of this:

https://rearfacing.co.uk/

I like the look of this one:Buts it forward facing

https://www.janstewartprams.com/page28.html
https://www.janstewartprams.com/wpimages/wpd1874a13.jpg

I think I will end up getting one of these:

https://www.carseat.se/store.html

 

[mommyof3co]

You should totally get the Britax Multi Tech!!! I've known people that actually order it into the US...though it is illegal to use it because it's not US certified but we know how safe it is so some are fine using it anyways but I've heard really great things about that one. I've heard good things about the Hi Way too but it seems like most prefer the multi tech...just from what I've seen.

 

[k8y]

I have the concord ultimax and I really like it