Isofix vs belts

big_white_dog84

big_white_dog84

big_white_dog84

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Dull, boring topic I know.....

My wife is due in 2 weeks, and I'm starting to face up to the fact that I will be responsible for another human being very very soon.
We have the pram, stroller etc and it came with a car seat included, so we can lift the baby out the car straight onto the pram without waking him/her up. I tried fitting the seat into the car tonight and I'm really not happy with how much it can move around.
My car is fitted for isofix, and I wonder whether it it worth spending another £260 for the base, baby seat and adaptors to allow me to fix a maxi-cosi seat onto my oyster pram so I can still achieve the car-pram while sleeping thing. Is Isofix really that much safer than just using the belts?
£260 is a lot of money, but I spent £300 on a new laptop last week, and my baby's safety is obviously far more important than that!

Any advice?
 
Isofix base will make your life soooo much easier if you intend to remove the seat and fix to the pram each time you get in and out. Can't stress that enough.

I'm surpised you bought the seat without test fitting it properly too tbh.
 
I may be spouting a load of rubbish but... Is it moving around because of the slack in the belt on the retraction. IE. Does it still move if you give it a quick tug simulating slamming on the brakes?

My second thought is that if it is moving due to the mechanism spooling out a bit more belt then would something like a CG-Lock keep it all tied down tight enough? You could try it out in theory by pinching the top of the belt at the top (so it doesn't spool out more belt) with one hand while trying to rock it with the other.

Worth trying at least.
 
ramsden said:
Why are they rubbish?
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They aren't. It's just that some people are incapable of using them properly, and this is where Isofix has a big advantage as it's far more difficult to get it wrong. If you are capable of reading and following instructions to the letter, there is no reason that a seat belt designed for a fully grown adult can not safely restrain a small infant.
 
Belts are fine and isofix bases usually irretrievably stretch leather (if you have leather seats).
 
If you've got a 3 door car then Isofix is a must! Reaching round into the back to try and attach seatbelts will do your head in!

We've got isofix and it's a far simpler and easier system. I can release and dock it with one hand, it's also very easy for your partner to simply drop and click the seat into place instead of messing with belts.
 
I have used both, have belt one now, but when you're in and out with a seat that doubles as a carrier, isofix wins hands down.

Safety isn't an issue with either provided they're fitted properly.
 
ISOfix base makes life so much easier. They grow pretty quickly so won't be in the Maxi-Cosi for long though.
 
isofix being better is like explaining why the combustion engine is better than steam power; seriously!

its easier, more convenient, less prone to error, kids cant undo it like a seatbelt, grandparents cant screw it up, visible indication its properly fitted, doesnt come loose over time..... its just a more modern, better designed fitment.

if your buying a car seat and your car has isofix there is no good reason not to get it
 
ISOfix all the way. We had an ISOfix base in the BMW but only the belt in our Peugeot. Putting the belt on is a pain, especially when it's raining and you're messing about threading the belt (whilst getting a wet back). ISOfix is just clip on and off, it takes 2 seconds. If like us you have a seat that fits on your pram you'll really appreciate how simple it is. As they get older belt only is not as bad because the seat doesn't come out of the car but even so we still opted for a ISOfix seat.
 
I think I'm going to go for it. The familyfix base from maxicosi fits the pebble baby seat and pearl bigger seat, so goes from birth to 3 years apparently. I would definitely be buying isofix for the next seat up, so really my additional cost is only the new baby seat plus adaptors.
Also, if we get a new car not fitted for isofix the seats work with belts.
I think the car seat is like tyres - not worth economising.
 
big_white_dog84 said:
I think I'm going to go for it. The familyfix base from maxicosi fits the pebble baby seat and pearl bigger seat, so goes from birth to 3 years apparently.
Click to expand...

These are the two cars seats we bought when my son was born and now he is older. Both are great seats and do really well in the reviews & various tests.

They are really easy to move between cars etc too (e.g. lending to Grandparents). It is really foolproof with the connection indicators / alarms too.
 
danza said:
Belts are fine and isofix bases usually irretrievably stretch leather (if you have leather seats).
Click to expand...

I've heard of isofix bases leaving dents in seats, yeah.

We managed with belts just fine. Just pull the belt tight once the seat is in place. Job done.
 
I use the Maxi Cosi easybase, belts in but offers the benefits associated with ISOFIX without raping my seats! Also gives more freedom of the Y station of the seat such that it can be moved outboard. Hence I have 3 kids in a Honda Civic... No MPVSs here!
 
There was a program on not too long ago showing that iso fix seats actually did more damage than good. When they did the testing they found seats fitted with an inertia belt resulted in less injuries as there was a certain amount of the impact absorbed by the stretching and tensioning of the seatbelt. They said that as ISO fix seats are a rigid fit there is no give and a sudden impact can be jarring.

I will try and find the video if I can.
 
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