Rear-Facing Support, Questions & Answers

[twiggy56]

Ok so the "Besafe Izi Combi X3" is really safe and would fit in the car...(oh we have a Bravo not a Brava )

Does that change things?

Is the Britax 2 way a safe one? I want her to RF until 4-ish...and if its only seatbelt fix then thats ok i suppose...cant go for 100% isofix as grannies cars dont all have it!

 

[twiggy56]

Also that Britax 2-way Elite has straps under the seat infront of it?! Is that a UK fixing one?

The straps are confusing me

 

[Eala]

Oops, sorry... darn those Italians and their 1-letter different carnames

According to the car list, it'll fit a Bravo as well - https://www.securatot.co.uk/images/manuals/Securatot_iZi_Combi_X3_car_list.pdf

Just had another look on carseat.se... They do the Graco DuoLogic 1 which is apparently identical to the DuoLogic 2 that we have, for £266 shipped (which is only £6 more than the Izikid, and I don't know what Securatot charge for delivery).

Just thought I'd mention it, as the DuoLogic 1 (like the 2) does both seatbelt and isofix...

 

[Eala]

Aah, and I've figured out the difference. The DuoLogic 2, you can take the seat part off and use it as an infant carrier (including fitting it without the base, if you had to). We liked this idea, as Roo is so dinky that it's been useful sometimes to (for example) take her into the house in the seat! The DuoLogic 1 doesn't do this, but I can't imagine that being a problem, as Abi is presumably getting beyond her infant carrier anyway

 

[mandarhino]

The 2 Way Elite has tether straps that attach to the front seats. It is very solid. We've got ours in the middle, which the In Car Safety Centre said was safe.

 

[twiggy56]

ahh, I see...do you know if the Izikid is really big and bulky? If it is then id probably give it a miss...my OH would just get really fed up with the leg room issue.

At the end of the day though if I told him it was safe and best value for money then he'd go for it too...

are they my options do u reckon?

What ones do I have the options of? Just so I can go and do a bit of research apart from just hounding you all for an answer

 

[twiggy56]

can these 'teether' straps be fitted to any front car seats?

My options are between the Izikid, the Britax 2-way Elite and the DuoLogic 1 then?!

 

[Eala]

Hopefully someone on here will have experience of the Izikid, as I just don't know how it fits. You could try e-mailing one of the sellers (like securatot) to see what they say?

The Graco ones are compact. When I e-mailed Hakan about seats, he said that they are as compact as a Britax Hi-way (which is popular as a small-fitting seat). I've had it in my Dad's C4 with plenty of leg-room in the front. I'm planning on trying it in a Honda Jazz the first chance I get, and I'm betting it'll fit

It seems like you could be looking at the Britax Hi-Way, the Graco DuoLogic 1, Britax 2-way Elite, or there's the Britax Multitech as well, which is £250 on securatots. Apparently it is compact despite being a great seat for keeping kids rear-facing up to age 5 and beyond; carseat.se say that it fits comfortably in "normal mid-size cars" which I guess the Bravo is? Am I right in thinking it's a 5-door hatch about the size of a Ford Focus?

 

[mandarhino]

yes I'd assume so. I'd call the In Car Safety Centre or the Essex Road Safety people. I spoke to the Essex ladies to get their advice on what would fit in my car. They're attached to the local council and are rear facing specialists. Should be able to find their number by googling, that's how I found them and I don't have the number anymore. They were really helpful.

Also you can always try asking on the rear facing forum.

 

[Eala]

And yes, the Izikid lol. Although if you've seen reviews saying it's big, I'd really check it out. I mean, I thought "how bad can the Recaro be?!" as it was one of the only ones I could get around here that I could actually walk into a shop and buy. But it is HUGE! I don't know if we'd have gotten it in our old Volvo 850 without having the front seat significantly forward

 

[Eala]

In terms of ticking all your boxes though (including the one of it being both belt/Isofix) the only one which does that is the DuoLogic 1 But only you know how much that matters to you in the grand scheme of things

 

[Eala]

Feel like I'm spamming a bit here

I couldn't find an English video of the belt-fitted one, but here's a (Norwegian!) video of how to fit the Izikid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GHR_oOPC44

It doesn't look as big as I thought it might... But having watched that video I just think "Zomg, how complicated is that to fit?!" That's just me though, I'm lazy I loved that even when I was using the belt to fit our seat, it took about a minute to do, and you always knew if it was done correctly or not.

 

[twiggy56]

hmm that looks big to me? Maybe I just havent looked at enough demo vids...

do u know where thers info on the Graco DuoLogic1? Not alot comes up when I google?


Im also thinking the Isofix fitting AS WELL as the seatbelt isnt as important anymore

 

[twiggy56]

oh and abigail is a bit of a chunk so im guessing the Britax 1st class+ isnt going to work for us as its upto 28lbs odd?

 

[Mary Jo]

we have the Duologic 1... you're right, there's not a lot of info (in English anyway) available online. we got it from carseat.se, chose it over the version 2 model because like Eala said, a) it is cheaper and b) the feature it has that's different would not have been of use to us as we got ours when Adam was 12 months old and too heavy to be carrying in a seat.

our car is a Citroen C3, so pretty dinky. the front passenger seat only needs to be a little bit forward to fit it.

we had originally planned to get the Hi-Way but then we changed cars and the new one has Isofix. Hakan recommended both seats - he was brilliant.

 

[Eala]

oh and abigail is a bit of a chunk so im guessing the Britax 1st class+ isnt going to work for us as its upto 28lbs odd?

Don't know about the 1st class plus! Is that one of those 0+/1 seats which does rear facing to 13kg then turns?

Erm, if you look on www.carseat.se, I think there is a link to the manual for the Duologic 1. Have you tried Graco's own website?

In terms of weight, the erf seats I've looked at are either birth-18kg or 9-25kg. For Roo, even if she jumps up 3 centile lines, she'll be 5 before hitting 18kg. If Abi is built on a bigger scale (most babies are bigger than Roo lol) then maybe one that goes to 25kg is better for you? Thing is, I forget which out of the ones we've mentioned does that. I know the graco doesn't. But I'm on my phone now, just had a quick last check before bed while DH faffs about with his hallloween costume for tomorrow

I'd really recommend either phoning or emailing someone like securatot or carseat.se. It's their job to know about these things, I'm really only giving an opinion! Which may be useless to you, as I'm not you and we might look for different things!

 

[TennisGal]

Hi ladies,

Just posted in toddler section, but this seems a more natural fit!

I've been in touch with Hakan, and DH are left to choose between:

DuoLogic
Hi-Way
Two-Way (both latter two are Britax)

Would love to hear your pro/cons!

Thanks!!

 

[Eala]

Well I can heartily recommend the DuoLogic Are you looking at the 1 or the 2?

I don't know how adjustable the Britax ones are (as I don't have them), but I love that the DuoLogic reclines, and has LOADS of room for my baby to grow. I've got a small girl, and she isn't anywhere near needing the extended head-rest yet. I reckon she'll be about 3 before I need to put that on! Hakan recommended me the DuoLogic over the Britax ones, as the Britax are very long seats, but as I said, I have a small baby so unless your LO is also dinky, I can't see it being a problem

It's a comfortable and well-made seat. The thing that swung it for me (which may seem trivial to others ) is that you can fit it equally easily with Isofix or a seatbelt. At the time we bought it, our car didn't have Isofix but my Mum's did. Although my Mum has her own carseat, LO is happier in her new one, and being able to use the Isofix in Mum's car to just click it in was brilliant. Our new car has Isofix too, but I know that if for whatever reason the seat has to go in a car without it, I can do that too, and it takes pretty much the same amount of time

I can appreciate that if you're never intending on moving the seat, this reason can seem pretty crappy

 

[TennisGal]

Thank you! Is there a big difference between the I and II? I definitely like the Isofix advantage - I am not so good with seatbelt fidding!! Seat does get moved around a bit...

Does the DL turn FF at any point? Just wondering as Lizzie gets older...Not a big point, but more a 'wonder'.

Hakan is very helpful, isn't he? DH and I have been so impressed.

 

[mandarhino]

I have the Two Way and while I like it, it is a pretty basic seat. It should last for ages though as it is up to 25 kgs I think.

I went for that one because at the time my daughter was a super fatty (98% centile) and had she stayed on that weight curve she would have hit the maximum weight on the 18 kg seats at 3 years old.

Course, she's done nothing but drop centile lines since we bought the seat so there's no way she'll reach 18 kgs for ages.