Baby Seats

[shami]

Ok....deep breath....

First time dad, my wifes due in May next year. To all those out there that have gone through this, any tips on what sort to get???

I would love to get a recaro one, but the standards are different in the US and ahead of us?

Anyway ANY advice would be great and a point for me to start.

Cheers!

[Psyk]

Ok....deep breath....

First time dad, my wifes due in May next year. To all those out there that have gone through this, any tips on what sort to get???

I would love to get a recaro one, but the standards are different in the US and ahead of us?

Anyway ANY advice would be great and a point for me to start.

Cheers!

Went through this about 18 months ago now

We've got a Safe-n-Sound Platinum AHR and cannot fault it. It'll do rear-ward facing and then convert to forward facing as your little one gets older.

It comes with cushioned inserts which are removable ( and washable) when they get older. It's also easy to adjust the straps while the seat is installed.

Forget cool... safety first, and the Platinum AHR is a solid and sturdy unit that is easy to install and solidly built.

[shami]

Cheers, mate.

I have been looking at that one. It might be the way to go i think.

[maca]

Looks comfy too! Good discussion here. I don't wish this apon anyone; but how do these seats hold up in an accident? More importantly, how do the protect the little ones?

[Psyk]

Looks comfy too! Good discussion here. I don't wish this apon anyone; but how do these seats hold up in an accident? More importantly, how do the protect the little ones?

Good questions.

There's some 'cool' looking ones with some extra features that you can get overseas/e-bay etc. but would probably fail Aust. Design standards etc. - not that they don't care about their children overseas, but at least you have some re-course if something does go wrong with your child-seat - imagine getting rejected in court/insurance claim etc. because of a non-approved car seat

The Platinum AHR was solidly built compared to some of the others we saw - it is heavier but surprisingly easier to fit than some other ones I have seen and fitted.

There's only so much a car-seat can do and having 8 airbags, being a lot more diligent on the roads especially when the little one is in the back adds to the peace of mind.

[Rocket36]

how do these seats hold up in an accident? More importantly, how do the protect the little ones?

A decent child seat will protect a baby/infant in a crash more than the adult occupants are protected by the car's safety features.

There was a crash recently where both parents were killed in a car crash but the baby in the capsule in the back was fine.

[pixl]

A decent child seat will protect a baby/infant in a crash more than the adult occupants are protected by the car's safety features.

I came across this last week; very informative.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/st..._carseats.html

Steven Levitt shares data that shows car seats are no more effective than seatbelts in protecting kids from dying in cars.

[The_Hawk]

We have the older model of the one pictured above as well as a safe and sound Maxi Rider which is supposedly the best on the market (although that one is for bigger kids since it's front facing).

Rocket it right, one of those Safe and Sound seats was in a crash a few weeks ago and was the only thing to survive what was a horrific accident. I'll be looking for another of the same brand if/when we add another child to the clan.

Being in a Mk3 it wont effect you, but for newer cars it's just a damn shame the ADR doesn't line up with the superior (or at least commonly reffered to as superior) ISO Fix system since there are lots of cool seats built for that standard.

[Kiel_GTI]

I came across this last week; very informative.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/st..._carseats.html

Steven Levitt shares data that shows car seats are no more effective than seatbelts in protecting kids from dying in cars.

I watched just about the whole thing (skipped the first 4 minutes) and found that really interesting.

Thanks for sharing.

[DUB 12V]

good luck fitting the convertable baby seats in any VAG car unless you get a Q7, we have just tryed the top of the line convertable seat in all of the latest cars from honda oddesey, new holden 4x4, the best cars for baby seat are by far the new subaru liberty or new forester, good luck shami,

[Manaz]

We have two Safe'n'Sound AHR seats (one convertible from rear-facing, one just a forward-facing seat). Awesome seats, very safe and (apparently given the number of times my son has fallen asleep in one of them) comfortable.

Other countries tend to use the ISOFIX standard, but it has not passed ADRs here (not tested as the current standard is perfectly safe), and you cannot legally use an ISOFIX seat here. That said, they're no less safe if your car has the ISOFIX attachments (VWs do), so the issue if you do use one is not safety.

Britax are the parent company for Safe'n'Sound, and their seats are sold world over - they're as safe as you're going to get.

Do a search for ISOFIX, it's been argued to death in the past.

[mikinoz]

For a Golf, consider the Safe'n'Sound Compaq Deluxe as it is narrower and fits the profile in the rear seat well. We have 2 in the rear of our MKV and can carry an 8YO in the middle!

[Rocket36]

And remember not to switch from a multipoint harness seat too soon... Booster seats are a waste of time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

[DionM]

We took a different track to most.

We bought a Safe-n-Sound infant capsule first. These are the safest place for newborns. You can hire them; since we plan on a tribe, we bought They are also really handy for transporting little ones around - just unclip the whole thing. They are also smaller than a rear-facing convertible seat.



Once my son was old enough, we moved him into a Safe-n-Sound car seat (8-18kg rated one). I think it is called Guardian. Anyway, rated well, has the 5 point harness etc. Looks like any other. Big plus for us was since my son is tall (I'm 2 metres!) its a high back. It does convert (rear facing) but these seats are HUGE when that is done - one benefit of buying the capsule. Once he was in this seat he was forward facing.

Again we did the research and ensured we picked a well-rated seat (all the Safe-n-sounds are anyway; they all use the same base, its just the trim and extras like speakers etc that change).

Now he is 2.5 and the height and weight of a 4 year old so he is a booster - Safe n Sound . Its a tethered booster with anti-submarine clip. We have a H-harness that clips onto the seat and gives the equivalent of a 5 point harness. This is much better than the useless foam boosters that rely on the child holding it onto the seat ...



And that's where he will stay for a few years.

We have probably spent more than you would buying single seats, but as my son was a little tall we had to buy the "biggest' seats in each category. We are big fans of safe-n-sound stuff - its well made and sturdy.

We only bought 1 capsule, but the other seats we have 3 of - 1 for each of our cars, 1 for the in-laws. It is just too much stuffing around removing seats all the time, so since he rides in all 3 cars somewhat often, we bought seats.

It may pay to read up on the new laws. You are required to keep a child in a 5 point harness until they are 4. In our case, my son is already height and weight of a 4 year old so he is in a booster - but we still bought a booster that is tethered, and use an extra harness (attached to the same tether) to give a 5 point strapping.

The only thing I wish we could have in Australia is smart car seats. With the advent of side airbags some high end overseas seats can talk to the car's safety system and recalibrate side airbags to fire different when a baby seat is located there (Merc M-class has this feature).

[Rocket36]

From news.com.au:

New child car seat rules announced for New South Wales
By Stephanie Gardiner - AAP
November 04, 2009 04:08pm


CAR crash victim Isabelle Broadhead's legacy will live on, with the introduction of new car seat regulations.

Isabelle Broadhead, 3, died after an accident in April 2006 that occurred while she was using a booster seat and an adult seatbelt in a car travelling just 40km/h. Since then, her parents, Danielle and Noel Broadhead, have been campaigning for better regulations to keep children safe.

Today, the New South Wales Government announced new safety rules - dubbed Isabelle's regulations - that mean children aged up to seven will have to be strapped into car restraints.

An emotional Mrs Broadhead thanked Isabelle and said her daughter had given her many gifts.

"And for me the greatest gift is that she lives on longer than she was actually here, that she's close to us and that she gives back ... that she will help keep children safer," Mrs Broadhead said.

The couple have long been researching safe ways for children to travel and hope the new rules will be easy for parents to understand.

"Sometimes ... they just don't know that in an accident it can be catastrophic at such a low speed," she said.

"It was a minute in time and then she was gone."

The regulations, which are part of national reforms, mean children younger than six months must be placed in a rearward-facing restraint.

Those aged six months to four years must be secured in a rear or forward-facing restraint, while children between four and seven must use a forward-facing restraint or a booster seat.

Until now it has only been compulsory for children up to the age of one to travel in baby capsules or seats that contain their own restraints.

Premier Nathan Rees said the changes were about saving children's lives.

"We can always do more to reduce the road toll, to reduce the tragedy and the impact on loved ones that comes from those deaths on the roads," Mr Rees said.

The new rules come into effect on March 1 and there will be a four-month amnesty on enforcement so parents can get used to the changes. Information about restraints can be found on the Roads and Traffic Authority website.

Mr Broadhead hopes parents won't be reluctant to buy a new seat because of the cost.

"We would give any amount of money to get our daughter back and we're sure if they had even an inkling of what it's like to lose your child, they wouldn't think twice about spending the money to buy one of those seats," he said.

From the RTA's website (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/newsevents...hildrestraints) it looks as though it's only changing the laws to do with age and not the types of seat systems. This would be the perfect time to update the technology allowed by law though. I'm hoping someone in the NSW Govt. has the sense to think about that sort of thing.

Although, it's is a Labor Govt. so I wouldn't be holding my breath!!! ....