Child Car Seats

Saaf_laandon_mo · 27-05-2008, 09:41

Can anyone recommend a good baby seat for a 3 and a half year old toddler. I will be going to mothercare/halfords etc etc at some point this week, but was wondering what people can recommend from their own experience.

Although the seat is to be used predominantly in one car, it will be swapped over now and then. I basically want this to last for a good few years.

Any suggestions?

Angua · 27-05-2008, 09:52

If the toddler is over 15kg in weight I would suggest any of the High Back booster seats with an option to remove the back once the child is older. Most of these are for age range 4 to 11 but at 3 1/2 it is not worth getting any other sort as for this age they are on the small size, youngest had to be moved to a booster seat by the time he was 3 as the rigid sort was too small.

These seem to be pretty good

Mr_love_monkey · 27-05-2008, 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angua

If the toddler is over 15kg in weight I would suggest any of the High Back booster seats with an option to remove the back once the child is older. Most of these are for age range 4 to 11 but at 3 1/2 it is not worth getting any other sort as for this age they are on the small size, youngest had to be moved to a booster seat by the time he was 3 as the rigid sort was too small.

These seem to be pretty good

Yeah, I'd agree with that - we've got one like that now - and it's very easy to swap between cars, because you just strap the child in the same way you would an adult - so none of that passing the belt under/over various parts of the chair - pulling on it to make sure there's no give, and so on...

Saaf_laandon_mo · 27-05-2008, 10:57

Thanks both for the comments and especially that link. I can't believe how cheap the site is compared to prices in Halfords (not that I would have bought it from there). I wasn't expecting such a saving on the web though.

MLM, is your seat fitted with the ISOFIX standard? I am not sure if my wife's 2000 Merc A Class has these clips in it.

Mr_love_monkey · 27-05-2008, 11:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo

MLM, is your seat fitted with the ISOFIX standard? I am not sure if my wife's 2000 Merc A Class has these clips in it.

It's the first I've heard of the ISOFIX standard

never actually seen those clips, but my car is quite old (94) - might check in my wifes, which is an 03.

Hmm.. why am I driving a 14 year old car, and she's got the newer one???

Angua · 27-05-2008, 11:36

If you want to be able to swap between cars or not have a fairly permanent fixture I wouldn't worry about ISOFIX fittings, the standard boosters without this are perfectly fine.

mr_bo · 27-05-2008, 21:07

I did research when looking for a seat for my lad and bought this seat for him.
Not cheap though, but damn good. All metal frame and extremely rigid and adjustable in every direction possible with removable cover for ease of cleaning.
One thing I didn't like when looking around was the plastic framed seats, when you grab the back of the seat and twisted it they would flex easily.
Also, it has an anti-submarine base to it to stop the child from sliding out under the belt.

SMHarman · 27-05-2008, 21:17

One of these which is the same recommendation as posts 2 and 3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Junior-Seat-...1919256&sr=8-2
http://www.preciouslittleone.com/acatalog/GRGRJCSM.html
The back comes off (you remove the seat from the car and bend it back below the base then the hinge will separate). So as they grow you can remove the back. Potentially the last seat you need to buy.
As already said, they are held in place with the standard seat belt. This one also has a strap that runs up to the seat belt to keep shoulder placement in place.