Child seat - which one??

[Nilz]

Hey all...

With a little one on the way in a couple of months, im looking at baby seats for the car.

The car is a 2002 8L S3, i believe it does have isofix as standard, has anyone got any tips or recommendations on which one to go for and what best suited to the car.

Its going to be for a newborn.

Also, do i need a base, or will it fit in as it is??

Any help will be much appreciated...

Thanks
Nilz

 

[S3 Rav]

hello mate!!! didnt realise your misus was expecting. Know nothing about child seats but congrats to you mate!!!

 

[AS3TOM]

also interested in this as mine is only 3 weeks away!

 

[Nilz]

LOL...cheers mate

Time for some growing up now me thinks!!!

 

[mac1403]

Have had Recaro from birth and at present a Recaro young expert. Can't fault them for quality, safety and comfort. Congrats BTW

 

[kevandalice]

We have the maxi cosi cabriofix with the isofix base in our a3. It is pretty much universaly agreed to be the best seat and came top in the Which test.
Your car will definitely have isofix

 

[abdus]

congrats

Have had Recaro from birth and at present a Recaro young expert. Can't fault them for quality, safety and comfort. Congrats BTW

the Recaros are the best imo. I've used the Young Profi Plus:

http://www.recaro-seats.co.uk/child-seats/young-profi-plus.php

and currently using Young Sport:

http://www.recaro-seats.co.uk/child-seats/young-sport.php

the base for the Young Profi Plus:

http://www.recaro-seats.co.uk/child-seats/isofix-base.php

and as said above, your car definitely has isofix

 

[fingermouse]

I read up a lot on car seats and went for the maxi cosi one as it came out top in tests but its not iso fix. There were some mixed reviews on iso fix as more of the stopping force is applied to the child and not taken by the seat belts moving slightly. But that was 2 years ago so some designs may have changed now.

oh and the maxi cosi one only just goes through the gap to the rear.

 

[kevandalice]

I read up a lot on car seats and went for the maxi cosi one as it came out top in tests but its not iso fix.

If you mean the cabriofix, it is isofix when used with the easyfix base

 

[Nilz]

Thanks for the responses guys, any of the above mentioned ones, are they ones that clip into the buggy??

 

[wibble111]

When my son was a baby we had a britax first class, really good car seat with recline, front or back facing and it lasted from new born right up to about 6.

Only trouble was though because it was almost permanantly in the same position all the time the tubular frame made some horrible indentations in the back seat.

Next time i'll swap sides periodically.

e2a if there will be a next time

 

[wibble111]

If i had seen the recaro ones before then i think we would have had one of those.

Congratulations too mate

 

[Nilz]

I am liking the recaro ones, but am ideally looking for one that will fit onto a buggy too..

Thanks mate

 

[kevandalice]

The maxi cosi clips on to a buggy frame, but a word of warning -it is recommended that young babies are not kept in a car seat for longer than about 30-45 minutes. Any longer can be potentially damaging to their spine

 

[jcb]

recaro every time, I have two.
the others including those that came out on top all seemed to have flimsy parts, poor quality materials and some design issues when I gave them the once over and pulled them apart in the shop.
didn't have any confidence at all in Brittax

 

[jesters3]

Congrats!

For the newborn the best is the 'lie-flat' one from Jane (http://www.jane.es/seguretat/index.php?fuseaction=matrixcup) costs a bit, but is deemed best for a newborn for the reasons kevandalice says. It lies flat across the back between the seats. However it is a ****** to get it in and out of the S3 due to the 3 door aspect, but it does fit into the buggy. Go to Mothercare and see one in action or if you are near Bedford go to twoleftfeet as they have everything on demo at a good rate.

As they have got older I've got the MaxiCosi Tobi which is spot on for 18m+

Neither are ISOFIX.

 

[jesters3]

Oh and get a seat cover one of the grippy ones @ £10 as they help keep it still and protect the leather with slipping and sliding etc

 

[Nilz]

twoleftfeet, aint they the company that was on Watchdog recently??

 

[jesters3]

twoleftfeet, aint they the company that was on Watchdog recently??

Thought I would goolge that and you are right!

Never had any probs when i used them, admittedly I went to the warehouse rather than online and the people there were excellent in helping out.

 

[Nilz]

Cheers Jester, i believe they have actually gone into administration now, there customer service from an online perspective was really bad, but if you went instore and all was fine then, you cant complain.

I have been looking on the kiddicare website which is really good and their prices are decent too, i will look around locally as well tho, just so that I can get a fitting in session etc...

thanks anyway tho

 

[jojo]

Dude, you are after a travelsystem where there is a base in the car, and you can attach the baby bed/seat thing onto the base and onto the pushchair. I went with a Mama&Papa's one, as you will find the boot space lacking in the S3, so not all pushchairs will fit. Then there's the lack of room to get your little one in between the B pillar and the chunky Recaro's lol, I took my kid home in my S3, that was his first journey lol. I personally think that S3 and newborns are a bad combo from my experience, not impossible, but a lot of hassle, just upgrade to an S4 mate.

 

[Nilz]

Aaah thanks Jo, if you are willing to donate an S4 to me, i would gladly upgrade, but for now, its going to be the S3 (and im going to hold onto it for as long as possible!!)

 

[brassic_lint]

Just my 2p worth mate, my wife and I are expecting and we have bought the Maxi-cosi Cabriofix with the easyfix (ISOFix) base. We also bought one of the Quinny Pushchairs (Speedy I think) which the seat clips into, is nice and light and folds up small, fits perfectly in our 8P A3 SB and my Mk4 Golf 3dr.

 

[JudderMan]

Thread revival: I'm assuming that the A3 (2000) is an isofix jobby the same as an S3? How do you tell? I've had a look and this is the only thread that states that S3s definitely are. Is it just that little metal bar next to the seat belt in the middle of the the seat pads?

Also, JoJo, you say that the S3 + baby seat is a bad combo is that just because they are 3-doors? So my 5-door A3 would be better? I think I'll get a travel system from Mamas & Papas then upgrade to Recaro when it's +9 months old.

 

[p1tse]

Check for the little metal bars as you said

As for choosing the travel system
Make sure your other half likes it, can put up and down, not too heavy to lift in and out of car

Then the baby car seat will depend on brand you go for
But as above maxi cosi at new born you can't go wrong

 

[JudderMan]

Cheers P1ste. Mamas and Papas Sola looks like the one + the Aton car seat, then I'll get a Recaro

The wife doesn't drive so I'll be doing the lifting anyway

 

[Big Al]

Congratulations to all the ASN new Dads!

I recommend the Maxi-Cosi Pebble seat and Easyfix Isofix base. Much better than the others listed above, better design, quality and features. Plus it's actually 2hours max in an infant carrier due to the spine curvature, not less as discussed above. The Pebble has much better seat design and clears an Audi S3 8L much better than the Recaro & Mamas & Papas ones, many of which appear to be poor copies! However, as you can see from my profile, I bought an A4 to replace my S3 as 4 doors are MUCH easier to use with kids!

Pebble baby car seat - Maxi-Cosi

Next I bought a Cybex Pallas 2fix Isofix car seat which is harness-less, using a large cushion instead. Amazing design and the safest ever tested!

http://cybex-online.com/gb/carseats/pallas2fix.html

I also bought an Icandy Peach 2 stroller and carry cot -

The iconic iCandy Peach 2 pushchair system

and Cosatto Noodle Popsicle highchair -

Pushchairs | Prams | Nursery Furniture | Cots | High Chairs - Cosatto

Alistair

 

[JudderMan]

Thanks Alistair that's really helpful and thanks for spending the time writing it out with links. However, the Cybex car seat worries me....surely in the event of an accident the kid's head is going to fly forward??

 

[Big Al]

Thanks Alistair that's really helpful and thanks for spending the time writing it out with links. However, the Cybex car seat worries me....surely in the event of an accident the kid's head is going to fly forward??

This is a very important point and the reason why I bought this seat!

Yes, in the event of an accident the kid's head will fly forward. However, with harnesses, the body stops moving immediately, the head keeps going so the chin hits the chest - potentially breaking the neck! With the Cybex seat, the front cushion acts as an already inflated airbag - stopping the face. So the neck is safe and the kid survives! During normal driving the cushion comforts the kid's front allowing them to sleep leaning forward on it. So in an accident, their body is already in the crash position.

The same applies with adults in road cars with inertia seat belts and airbags. With no airbag, the face hits the steering wheel and the neck snaps.

In motorsport, with harnesses, race drivers wearing helmets used to snap their necks and die. Now Hans devices stop the helmet going forward saving the drivers necks.

The moral is -

Babies should NOT wear harnesses - should only use Cybex seats with cushions.
Road drivers with inertia seatbelts should always keep the steering wheel airbags - not fit aftermarket non-airbag wheels.
Race/track drivers should always use Hans devices.

I worked at MIRA for 5 years (in the IT Dept, had full site access) have witnessed maybe 50+ test crashes, so I know the score! Many expensive dummies were damaged in the crashes....

 

[JudderMan]

That's pretty much the best reply ever. Thanks and you've eased my worries about it.

 

[Nilz]

Hi Mate, I ended up going for the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix with the isofix base and went for the Quinny Buzz 3 Pushchair/travel system.

Im pretty sure the A3 also has isofix, but just double check, there are two little hooks on either side on the back seats.

 

[JudderMan]

Yep, Nilz, confirmed that the A3 has isofix hooks, checked it out the other day

Still, despite Alistair's thorough reply, I looked a little further into Cybex v Recaros and I'd still opt for a Recaro (sorry) Cybex Pallas not safe? (full thread) | Mumsnet Discussion mainly due to this post. I understand that in a crash a Cybex Pallas would probably be much better but for 99.9% of the time *when not crashing* they would be better off strapped in especially at a naughty-little-tinker age, and even then it seems that the little tikes could get out of harnesses. I'm not ready to buy anything yet but just making my research now and glad there are a few options and people's experience to go off.

 

[Big Al]

Hi Judderman, I saw that Mumsnet post before I bought our Cybex seat. If the front cushion is adjusted properly so it sits almost flush with the baby's stomach (without pressing on it), it's not possible for a child to get out of the seat. The front cushion has push buttons either side which allows adjustment of the cushion. These are too awkwardly located for a child to press them. The seat belt holds the front cushion tightly in place too. The cushion covers the child from their chest all the way down to their shins, so covers their hips & thighs too. For a child to be able to get out the cushion must have been adjusted all the way fowards (away from the child) and the seatbelt removed. Just not possible otherwise! Once the child is 18kg, the front cushion is removed; the backrest can be raised into 6 different heights so the child can use it until 13 or so years (depending on height & weight). So a true 1-3 group seat. Most others are not, so you buy several different seats. Which costs overall more. Plus with the harness type seats, the child watch and learn how to release the buckles, so in time let themselves out of the harness too.

 

[JudderMan]

Just to update, I bought a Cybex Pallas 2fix based on Alistair's recommendation and Big Al's. Couldn't be happier with it.