Rear-Facing Support, Questions & Answers

[Eala]

You're very welcome, I hope it helps

 

[lynnikins]

it will, direct line are still fluffing about paying out for EJ's seat replacement after my accident in August so when we get the money this is what its going on lol

 

[MidnightSun]

I have decided (I think) on the Graco Logico S HP Orbit for Rose until she grows out of it. I paid to look at the Which? reviews and it gets such good results in their tests.

At the moment I don't have a car and am reliant on other people, so figure that an infant carrier would be the easiest thing to be able to randomly fit into people's cars, rather than a birth to older seat?

 

[lynnikins]

yeah it would be easier to make sure you get a safe correct fit in different cars with an infant carrier than a combination seat

 

[MidnightSun]

Urgh, there's always a complication ... just had my Mum on the phone and she thinks it would be more sensible for me to buy a new Silver Cross Ventura seat, so that it fits on the chassis of my pram... I explained about babies and the 2 hours rule in seats etc and that also the SC got 69% in the Which? tests compared to 80% for the Graco.

What do you ladies think?

 

[brunettebimbo]

I have the Silver Cross Ventura and it's been brilliant for our little boy

 

[Rachel_C]

I'd go with the safest seat you can afford. We didn't bother getting a car seat that fitted our pram and I can honestly say that I didn't ever miss it. I know other people do use them like that but, for us, the 2 hour thing just meant it wasn't worth it. Plus, even though I know you can leave them in a car seat for 2 hours, I don't like to do it if I can help it. If you have the choice to lie your young baby flat, that's always going to be the better option, no matter how long for.

 

[Rachel_C]

Oh and what does the Which rating take into account? Is that just safety or does it include other stuff like ease of use etc? If it's other stuff too, maybe see if you can get just safety ratings to compare cos the other things might not matter too much to you, like how easy it is to carry or something.

 

[lynnikins]

someone whos on which, whats the reviews safety wise on the britax babysafe sleeper?

 

[MidnightSun]

One sec will try and copy and paste the info for you x

 

[MidnightSun]

The Best Buy Britax BABY-SAFE SLEEPER is the first 'lie-flat' child restraint system we've tested that protects the child well in a crash.

It is designed to carry babies from newborn up to 10kg. All the seats and carry-cots designed to carry babies lying down that we've previously assessed have been very tricky to install. And they have usually been found wanting, with major weaknesses in a front crash, side crash or both.

In contrast, this system, which sits across the rear seat of the car, secured using the three-point seatbelt, offers five-star crash protection in both front and side impacts.

Installing the Britax Baby Safe Sleeper is quite a complicated process compared to conventional child seats for this age group, but it has clear instructions and good warning labels, minimising the danger of it being installed incorrectly.

The baby travels in a well-padded, comfortable restraint and, to help cope with the normal spillages and leaks associated with newborns, the cover is easily removed and fully machine washable.

Britax has sensibly decided not to try and make the Baby Safe Sleeper work as an upright seat (which might have compromised its overall performance), but this means you ll have to purchase another seat as soon as you want your child to start travelling in an upright, seated position.

The Britax Baby Safe Sleeper seems to address many of the concerns about transporting newborn babies safely.

Pros: A safe, comfortable solution for anyone wishing to carry their newborn in a lying down position

Cons: Cannot be used to carry children sitting up. Limited to use by very young babies (up to 10kg)
XBABY-SAFE SLEEPER: Video Review

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* Britax BABY-SAFE SLEEPER
* Britax BABY-SAFE SLEEPER

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* Britax BABY-SAFE SLEEPER
* Britax BABY-SAFE SLEEPER

Britax BABY-SAFE SLEEPER

* Type: Belted installation only
* Which? score: 77%

Typical price £160.00
What is this?
Specification Seat type Belted installation only
Seat categories Group 0 (0-10kg)
Part of a travel system Yes




Here's their star rating system too...

Front crash 5 stars

Side crash 5 stars

Overall safety 5 stars

Fitting and using
Fitting in car How easy it is to install the seat correctly in the car 3 stars

Belt routing How easily the belt threads through the seat (only applies to seats that use the adult belt) 4 stars

Buckling up How easy it is to strap a child securely into the seat (only applies to Group 0+ and Group 1 seats) 4 stars

Daily use How easy the seat cover is to remove and wash 4 stars

Instructions How clear and comprehensive the instructions and labels are 3 stars

Avoiding incorrect use How well the seat is designed in order to prevent incorrect use 4 stars

Comfort
Comfort The level of padding and support 4 stars

 

[lynnikins]

sounds like a pretty positive reveiw to me might be an option to consider with our next as both Nate and EJ hated their carseat angle and would scream till the car was moving

 

[MidnightSun]

Yep I agree, a very good review. 77% too.

 

[MidnightSun]

Lynn, thought you might like to read the buyer reviews on there too...



Mixed feelings
This is an excellent car seat/carrycot from Britax, I have found it very easy to install in car and felt happy that my baby was able to travel flat. The negative point is that my baby is only just 3 months old and already his feet reach the bottom with his legs slightly bent, he's not overly large, just above 50th percentile for weight and length, there is no way you could fit a 10kg baby in this or expect it to last six months. We are only just thinking about doing longer journeys now with our baby and I'm sad that we will not be able to use if for those and I'll have to use a regular car seat 0+ while he's still quite small.
Pros:
Cons:
28/8/2010 8:21 PM GDT
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User Image wrote:
anruari wrote:
Addendum to review below
I must admit that when I stated below that our boy was not unusually tall he is in the 91 %ile - therefore taller than 9 out of every 10 babies his age.He's closer in size to many babies twice his age.We had to move him out of this seat at 4½ months as he was too big to fit.He was also very happy to be able to look out the window at that age when we did move him.We transfered him to an extended (Group 0/1) rear facing ISOFIX car seat which I felt was the ideal follow on from this seat.In comparison now I have seen the straps on that seat (by BeSafe) I am very dis-satified with the straps on both the Britax seat and the buggy that came with it.
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16/8/2010 5:24 PM GDT
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User Image wrote:
kiftgirl wrote:
works well even with a premature baby
our baby was born 6 weeks premature, so I was rushing around trying to find a lie flat car seat that was suitable for a premature baby. We found this seat very easy to install- the instructions are clear and it is easily transferable to another car. We've had none of the concerns that other reviewers describe with the straps being far apart- they fit out baby fine. We got around our baby growing more inquisitive by attaching toys to the carry handle which also acts as the roll cage. It is heavy, but not too heavy to be carried a short distance. All in all we are very happy with our seat and found it was money well spent.
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10/6/2010 8:06 AM GDT
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User Image wrote:
anruari wrote:
Mixed Feelings
I have the version of this seat which was sold for the Vigour range of push-chairs - which I am using with a B-Smart 3 pushchair.The unit is heavy, and my wife has to avoid lifting it as she had a C-Section.I am quite concerned at how far apart the shoulder straps are. They do not seem secure and our little one has wriggled out of them on 2 occasions (he is currently 11 weeks old. This left him completely unrestrained. - I believe the straps on this product should be re-designed.As previous reviewers have mentioned we do not expect our son to continue to fit inside this carrier for much longer, as he is almost too long for it already - and he's not an unusually long baby. - despite this the shoulder straps are still too far apart.Fitting in the car - Take care and read the instructions carefully - this is fitted in an unusual way - but once you understand the method it is easy and quick to take in and out of the car - and comes with buckles that can be left on your seat-belts - these are similarly not complicate to move to another car if necessary, and can be bought separately if you regularly move between cars.This seat will not leave much space on the back seat of a smaller car for a second passenger. In our 2005 Civic Hybrid, there very cramped space for an adult on the remaining seat. In our new car a 2010 Skoda Superb the space on the third seat is encroached upon, and accessing the seat belt buckle for a passenger on this seat is awkward.The tilt on most back seats causes the carrier to lean backwards. - the manual suggests placing a bolster under the carrier at the join of the seat and backrest - 2 rolled up tea-towels do the job for us, and give a much more level position for our baby, - so he doesn't slide or roll to one side of the carrier. - This factor will vary from car to car - but can be overcome with cushions or towels to prop up the back of the carrier - this does not interfere with the restraining mechanism.Conclusion: I have mixed feelings about this carrier - It is expensive, Heavy, has poor straps and a short life-span. It also needs cushions under it in many cars - which are not supplied so you need to improvise your own.I have doubts as to whether our second planned child will be able to use it due to lack of space in even one of the biggest saloon cars on the market. This had been part of the reason I was willing to spend the extra money.On the Pro-side I do lots of long distance driving and feel much more secure with our precious bundle in the back knowing that he's not going to suffocate due to the weight of his own head, or suffer back problems due to being forced to sit up for too long, too young. These pros are why I invested in this carrier and they remain true.
Pros:
Cons:
24/5/2010 11:14 AM GDT
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User Image wrote:
BensMum wrote:
Very happy
We bought this product based on the Which? recommendation. I was adamant that I wanted something in which our baby could lie flat. This was particularly important to me as the journey to our parents' (mine and my husband's) is over four hours long and I was sure we'd be making the trip once the baby arrived.Our baby was 7lb 7oz at birth and he fitted nicely into this car-cot. He's now 16lb 4oz and it's still fine. He tends to kick his legs over the cover (he really doesn't like having his legs covered up!), but he's nice and secure and he seems happy in it. He often goes to sleep in the car. In fact, I was half way to my sister's once (she's about an hour and a half away) and he was so quiet that I had a sudden moment of panic that I'd forgotten to bring him! (I hadn't!)We found it really tricky to fit into the car the first time we tried it but, having done it, it's quite easy to take it in and out. We generally leave it in the car, but have taken it out, with the baby inside, when we've stopped for lunch in the middle of a journey. I always get my husband to carry it in this case, as it's heavy and rather cumbersome.We got a different pushchair, so we have used this purely as a car-cot. We're now looking for a seat for when he grows out of this but, despite the fact that it wasn't cheap, and that it will have been useful for a relatively short time, I think it was worth the money.
Pros:
Cons:
20/12/2009 11:02 AM GST
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User Image wrote:
LilysMum wrote:
Mixed Experience
We bought this based on the recomendation to keep young babies in a lie flat position and Which review. We have found it relatively easy to install to both our cars and very confortable for baby Lily. However we have had a number of issues with this carrier.-Very unlikely to fit a 7kg+ baby due to baby's length-Heavy and bulky to carry with baby-Very wobbley when fixed to Vigour chasis (great pushchair though)-3 point harness does not hold small young baby securely enough- had to return our first carrier due to fault with handle ( was left without car seat for over a week)
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25/9/2009 10:16 AM GDT
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User Image wrote:
1stTimeMum wrote:
I'm extremely happy we purchased this product. Our baby looked very safe and comfortable in it even as a newborn - I would have worried about his head lolling about in a sit-up car seat and our osteopath said lie-down car seats are much better for babies' backs. It has also worked well for daytime naps in the house or round the shops (attaches to a number of Britax pushchair bases). It's not approved for night-time sleeping but we did sleep him in it on a few occasions when he really wouldn't settle in his travel cot - we just made sure the straps were tucked safely out the way. It did take us a while to work out how to use the seatbelt attachments to fit it into the car but the instructions were clear and it now only takes us a minute to take the car seat in and out and an extra minute or two to transfer the seatbelt attachments to another vehicle. There are a few negative points to note:1) Our baby was 8lbs 3oz when he was born and the straps looked quite far apart on his shoulders - I wonder how well they would fit a much smaller baby (e.g. premature).2) If your baby suffers badly from reflux, he/she would probably be more comfortable in a sit-up car seat. (Advice for babies with reflux is to keep them at a 45 degree angle most of the time). Having said that, our baby does suffer from reflux and it has only been a problem on a couple of journeys - we now just make sure his food has gone down before we put him in the car.3) It seems quite small lengthwise - our baby is 2 months and I'm not sure it will last him more than another month. He is a fairly big baby but not enormous. But then again, I'm not sure how much longer he'll be happy lying flat in the car - he's getting more inquisitive by the day and wants to see what's going on! As a safe, spine-friendly car seat and pram attachment for newborns I think it's excellent and well worth the money because we didn't have to buy a separate carrycot for the pram.
Pros:
Cons:
2/9/2009 8:35 PM GDT
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[lynnikins]

thanks hun, i'll have to have a play with one at the babyshow when im next pregnant and see what i think my boys have both been big babies the were both ready weight and development but not age wise for forward facing seats according to the common practice in the UK they both hit the 20lb mark and outgrew the infant carrier by 4 1/2 months hence why im on this thread as we had to find alternative seats for them as obviously they couldnt forward face at that age lol

 

[MidnightSun]

Ah what a nightmare

That's what is putting me off the SC Ventua if I am honest, I have read a lot of reviews about babies outgrowing them very quickly and then I'd be in the same situation as you!

 

[mommyof3co]

Since you ladies will understand my excitement.....

We've just been approved for a new (well new to us) van!!!!! We should have it in the next few days which means Hayden can go back RF!!!!!!! After we moved Casen to a booster they wouldn't fit right and Hayden has been FF, plus we were having issues with him kicking his brothers but he's older now, plus he'll be in a captains chair and them on the bench behind him (other captains chair will be for baby on the way). I'm really excited to get him back RF, he still has loads of room to grow in his seat, he's only about 30lbs fully dressed still

 

[lynnikins]

aww thats great , how old is hayden again?

 

[mommyof3co]

He's 3yrs almost 4mo

 

[MidnightSun]

Brilliant news mo3!