Child Car Seats?

[Marwood]

I am looking to buy a car seat for my 6th month old 'henchman'. He has out grown his Silver Cross Ventura as he is a tall lad and weighs about 20lbs now. Hence I am looking at 'Group 1' car seats from makes as Recaro (For da ladiees! ), Maxi Cosi and Bebe Confort.

However, I am a little confused!

The Octavia manual, on page 210, details the use of the 2 'isofix' points in the rear seat but does not mention another 'tethering' point, such as one located behind the rear seats to offer a third and more secure fit. The latest Bebe's seem to offer this. I also note that the Maxi Cosi in 'isofix' form has some bloody great bar hanging down from the middle of the seat base.......can this be used on my vRS, or is it used instead of the "latches" between in the rear seat? The Interweb suggests that the latest cars, in the States anyway, should now offer a third tethering facility. I am, as I said, a little confused.


Given there are just the two fixing points will I still need to use a seat belt to help secure the seat? And what seat offers the best protection, other than the 'gordy skoda own' one?

I did try a search but kept getting a 'Fatal Error' message, so my appologies if this has been asked before.

Many thanks,
Marwood.

[bigal rallyred]

There are two lugs at the right and left hand sides of the rear seat.
The baby seats use two lugs, so you could have 2 car seats using isofix in the back.
I checked the Which? test and my wife asked on a mother and baby forum she is a member of.
We ended going for a Britax Duo-isofix car seat which came out top using the isofix and 2nd I think using the seat belt.
The good thing about this seat is that you can check on the Britax site to see which cars it fits and you can use it in cars that have isofix and ones that don't.
We found Kiddicare.com to be the cheapest and the delivery and customer service to be fantastic.

HTH.

If you have any other quetsions then I'll see if I can help. Most isofix seats use a base and the seat attaches to that which makes it quite high and difficult to get the child in and out of the car especially when the are sleeping but the Britax is an all in one and my daughter finds it very comfortable - it comes in a variety of covers as well.

[ScoobyChris]

I did loads of research and ended up with a seat-belt restrained Britax one (Isofix ones were quite a bit more expensive). The Recaro one I looked at in Halfords got slated by Which? in the impact tests....

Chris

[PSM]

I have a vrs and have just bought a maxi cosi priorifix (isofix seat) it uses the isofix points on teither side and the pole goes to the floor for extra stability. I was able to fit it in about 2 minutes and needed no extra bits like the Britax one needed (wanted some rear tether thing at an extra cost). The seat is very secure in position and I find it easy to get my son in and out of it. I was able to buy it online for about £180 so one of the cheapest isofix seats around. IMHO this was the most comfortable seat. It also has a nice flat base so does not cause impression marks on the seats.
If you want to know anymore then please ask

[Marwood]

Thanks for all you useful info there.

The Britax sounds fine but I must say PSM, that you do make the Maxi Cosi sound attractive. Especially the bit about it not causing nasty marks!

Cheers,
M

[sworrall]

just checked with my mrs as she works on the babies r us bit in toys r us and shes been on several training courses so they can test the seats in peoples cars to ensure they fit. The isofix uses the two rungs but she said depending on how it fits on your seat it may need a "top tether" to secure the top of the carseat if it has a gap or moves at the top. As all cars are different the best thing to do is get the "trained" shop staff to test the seat youre after in your car as theyll be able to tell you if it needs a top tether fitting to be safe. I noted the "trained" bit above as apparently not all shops that sell car seats send trained staff outside to fittest them.

She tested mine for me and we ended up getting a britax duo plus as this didnt need the tether as its rock solid when on the catches (but the head rest has to be lifted above the seat when fitted).

[sworrall]

PS, let me know if you want any pics of hte britax fitted in the L&K

[Marwood]

Cheers sworrall, very kind of you! Thank your Mrs too!
Yeah, that's what was bothering me a bit, the tether. Now I get what the bar on the maxi cosi does, it's a case of best fit and getting it checked in the car. If I find it moves then I need to reconsider. I wondered why some makes like Bebe used a tether and maxi cosi don't. But I get it now!
Much appreciated,
Marwood and his Henchman!

[bigal rallyred]

Kiddicare - Britax Duo Isofix Plus Wall Street

£130 and I didn't need a top teather for my Mk1 Octy Vrs but as mentioned the headrest needs to raised.
I also have the Britax Rennaisance (sorry spelling) and it just uses the seat belt-non-isofix and it's a good seat but it's a lot bulkier than the duo isofix.

I also bought a :
Kiddicare - (x) Prince Lionheart Two-Stage Seatsaver

This is specifically designed to protect the seat when using an isofix car seat. I never have mark on the mesh or leather and it has clever lips so that crumbs and other food stuffs stay in the seat protector.

[ZootyRS]

We also have the Britax Duo Plus which just clicks in to the two Isofix mount points on the Octy 1 and Passat. The top tether is needed to prevent the seat pivoting about the mount points on some cars. Britax produce a compatibility guide (think you can download from their web site) which states whether a tether is needed or not.

It's a very good seat, and that £130 from Kiddicare is an absolute steal. The Isofix mechanism is dead easy to use and really solid. We recently bought a Jane Indy Plus stage 2/3 seat and the Isofix mechanism on that is a real pain. (It doesn't fit the Octy at all, but that's my wife's fault for not letting me research fully )

[shorty]

I got a Britax Duo Plus from Kiddicare.com excellent price and service. Not used it yet though so can't comment on that, we're waiting till the little one can sit up unaided for long periods.

Apparantly all the safety advice I've heard says leave them as long as possible in the rear facing seats....

[ZootyRS]

Originally Posted by shorty

Apparantly all the safety advice I've heard says leave them as long as possible in the rear facing seats....

Yep... advice is keep 'em rear-facing until their head comes over the top of the seat or they're above the maximum weight for the seat.

You can move them to forward facing when they reach 20lbs - which is usually about 9 months. Must admit we moved ours up as soon as they hit 20lbs as forward facing is much more interesting for them

[swing]

Originally Posted by bigal rallyred

I also bought a :
Kiddicare - (x) Prince Lionheart Two-Stage Seatsaver

This is specifically designed to protect the seat when using an isofix car seat. I never have mark on the mesh or leather and it has clever lips so that crumbs and other food stuffs stay in the seat protector.

That looks very interesting, and I might well get a couple as the car seats we've used over the years would have marked seats without some effort on my part. Shame they didn't have them in stock the last time I was there.

If you can get to Peterborough, they have a very large selection of items available in store, sometimes with instore deals that beat their website (eg offers on buying 2 - useful if you need to buy 1 seat for each car, or have twins I guess!). Also as well as a car seat fitting facility, they are willing to try seats in your car to ensure you get the right seat.

[PSM]

I am not sure if the Lionheart protector will fit the seats of an octy. When I asked for the measurements of it the length of the bottom section (from back to when it starts to curve down) was significantly shorter that the depth of the seat. Hence would either end up with it digging into the front of the seat (maybe damaging the alcantara type material) or a gap at the back. It the end I bought a rubber one from Mothercare (although I do not really need it due to the flat base of the maxi cosi seat). Thinking about it not (hindsight is wonderful) could have probably done the same thing by buying a set of rubber car mats and using them under the seat (would have been much cheaper too!!).

[RobA]

Originally Posted by PSM

I am not sure if the Lionheart protector will fit the seats of an octy.

The bottom part does fit the Octy II, but as it acts as a tray (with upturned lips) it can be a struggle to push the lips down at the back where the child-seat clips into the Isofix brackets. It does however fit a lot easier than in a Bora.

I also use the Britax Isofix Duo seat, and think it is fantatsic - well worth the money for a seat that is very secure.

[bigal rallyred]

You can get the Lionheart seat protector direct. I think they have an advert in the back of Topgear magazine somewhere.
I first saw there products at the Baby Show in Glasgow 2 years ago and was very inpressed with the quality and thought that had gone into them. The seat protector can also be used with a rear facing seat because you can seperate the base and back if need be.
Kiddicare will also pricematch and did a deal when I bought the seat and protector together, they also threw in a set of sun screens which fit the rear door windows better than the ones that you can get from Mothercare or ToysRus.
Just e-mail their customer serice department and they will get back to you very quickly.

[vRS Ian]

When we were looking for car seats we looked at the Isofix ones but as we frequently swap seats from car to car we found the Isofix ones were much more fiddly than the belt fixed types.

[Marwood]

Just to update.....
On Tuesday I bought a Maxi Cosi Priorfix from Mothercare. It is an isofix model using the two latching points on the rear seat. Extra stability is provided by an extending leg ("bloody great bar"). The seat costs £230 and proved to be a doddle to fit. HOWEVER, I wasn't entirely with the stability of the seat. The stability bar helped a little but there seemed too much movement between the child seat itself and the back of the rear seat. I must agree with the legislation passed in other countries that isofix is great but the use of a third isofix point to tether the seat, forcing tighter to the rear passenger seat is desirable.
I asked Mothercare to check the seat and they said it was fine, but I wasn't convinced, certainly not to the tune of 230 quid. I had a hunch that using a seat belt to secure a car seat, if done properly would be just as effective, if not more so that a two point isofix system.
Hence, I tried the Maxi Cosi 'Tobi'. It costs £165 and uses just the seat belt. The fit turned out to be rock solid.....really inspiring confidence plus the actual seat is a little better appointed. The belt held it really firmly, the only downsides being that it would be more difficult to swap between cars and it does dig into the seat upolstry....quite alot, unlike the Priorifix. I am hoping that using the heavy rubber 'Neat Seat' protector (also from Mothercare) I can limit this damage.
The Priorifix is a great seat and I was very impressed with the Britax models too.....however I'm going to go with the Tobi.
Mothercare have a 24 hour returns policy only, but I would use it. You really do have to faff around trying them in your own car to see what will suit you and your child the best.
Thank you for all the advice. Brilliant!
M

[PSM]

Great choice of seat. I have a tobi fitted to the wifes car. I love the way the belts pull themselves out of the way when u unclip it. I agree that it is a very solid fitting seat. I fund the priorifix a great fit in my octy. Very secure and stable.

[Ray.Ward]

I am looking to replace my sons current Graco Junior Plus car seat. As he is 7 non of the above are suitable.

In the rear (end) seats it sits ok and I tuck the top of the seat back under the cars headrest.

However my concerns come when the seat is placed in the front passenger space.

Due to the width of the seat base it doesn't sit flat as the skoda seat base has parts sticking up.

In essence the child seat base is only secured due to his weight. Not sure if this is entirely safe and would consider a replacement that sits more in the middle.

[Jonno VRs]

Originally Posted by Marwood

Just to update.....
On Tuesday I bought a Maxi Cosi Priorfix from Mothercare. It is an isofix model using the two latching points on the rear seat. Extra stability is provided by an extending leg ("bloody great bar"). The seat costs £230 and proved to be a doddle to fit. HOWEVER, I wasn't entirely with the stability of the seat. The stability bar helped a little but there seemed too much movement between the child seat itself and the back of the rear seat. I must agree with the legislation passed in other countries that isofix is great but the use of a third isofix point to tether the seat, forcing tighter to the rear passenger seat is desirable.
I asked Mothercare to check the seat and they said it was fine, but I wasn't convinced, certainly not to the tune of 230 quid. I had a hunch that using a seat belt to secure a car seat, if done properly would be just as effective, if not more so that a two point isofix system.
Hence, I tried the Maxi Cosi 'Tobi'. It costs £165 and uses just the seat belt. The fit turned out to be rock solid.....really inspiring confidence plus the actual seat is a little better appointed. The belt held it really firmly, the only downsides being that it would be more difficult to swap between cars and it does dig into the seat upolstry....quite alot, unlike the Priorifix. I am hoping that using the heavy rubber 'Neat Seat' protector (also from Mothercare) I can limit this damage.
The Priorifix is a great seat and I was very impressed with the Britax models too.....however I'm going to go with the Tobi.
Mothercare have a 24 hour returns policy only, but I would use it. You really do have to faff around trying them in your own car to see what will suit you and your child the best.
Thank you for all the advice. Brilliant!
M

We've just bought a Maxi Cosi Priorfix (ordered online at Boots as it was reduced to £180) for our little girl (6 months). We went to Mothercare to test the fitment of it and like you I was slightly concerned by the amount of play in it although it was firmly attached with the isofix points.

With the headrest removed, there was a gap of about an inch between the seat and the back of the seat, hence the movement. However, refit the headrest and refit the seat and it becomes rock solid as the top of the seat pushes right up to the headrest (the headrest overlaps the top of the seat by abount an inch when right down).

[littlesos]

Originally Posted by Marwood

I asked Mothercare to check the seat and they said it was fine, but I wasn't convinced, certainly not to the tune of 230 quid. I had a hunch that using a seat belt to secure a car seat, if done properly would be just as effective, if not more so that a two point isofix system.

M

You are right Isofix is not safer than properly fitted seat-belt restrained child seats. The hype about ISOFIX is because it makes it more likely that the restraint will be correctly fitted.

I would keep children rearwards facing for as long as possible. A choice between a more interesting ride and a safe ride, no contest for me. Rearwards facings is far safer than forwards facing for children up to the age of 3. The information in this country is ludicrous, 20lbs to go forward facing, my daughter weighed 20 at 4 months, she's still rearwards facing now at 13 months.

As for a seat one of the best I've found/used is the Concord Ultimax, it goes forwards and rearwards facing and last from birth to 4 years (unless you have a large child when you might get it to last till she's 3).