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Hi all-
I know that this has probably been discussed many times on this forum, but please bear with me...
I would REALLY appreciate any advice for any specific rear facing infant car seats. (we are expecting our first on June 19). Specifically, I am looking for something that will sit in the middle of the back seat. I would really like to get something that will work with the tether system in the 98 -2000 v70's (XC really, I guess it doesnt matter.)
PLEASE!!! if anyone has an opinion on a good quality, good fitting, very safe car seat, pls let me know. Anyone have an opinion on the peg perego primo viaggio? It has been recalled twice, but we have the stroller that it fits in.
also, any opinions on what NOT to buy would be helpful... thanks!
Dan
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posted by
someone claiming to be Norm
on
Mon May 20 04:32 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Dan, if you can find one, the Fisher-Price "Stay-in-View" carrier/seat is an excellent choice for the V70. I think these may have been discontinued (I heard Fisher-Price has pulled out of the car seat business), but some stores may still have some in stock.
The seat is lightweight, has a convenient shoulder strap instead of the bulky handle, scored highest in the CR crash tests, and has a built-in mirror in the base so you can keep an eye on your kid. The base is narrow enough for center rear-seat placement with the outboard passengers still able to use their seat belts (a problem with the Graco, for example), and the fit with one plastic noodle behind the top of the base is rock-solid.
If you can't find this one, I'd look at the Century. The PP and Britax haven't been getting the greatest reviews from what I've seen.
Good luck!
Norm
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thanks Norm-
we checked the two biggest baby stores here and neither had the fisher price. the baby bargains book said that they were hard to find anyway. the editors of that book REALLY liked that car seat.
As far as the seat/base combinations go... The Peg Perego looked safer and better built with more metal in the seat to base connection. However it will definitely not work for our 98 XC since the base covers the seat belt inserts for ALL THREE of the back seat positions when it is in the middle position.
I think the century looked the best of the type that click into a base and that would fit into the middle position.
All that being said, we were simply not comfortable with the security of the car seats that use a base. There are two reasons:
first, the usual concern that the locks between the seat and the base are made of plastic. if they break, baby goes airborne. tatonga no like.
second, ALL of the seat/base combinations secure the base only at the meeting of the seat and the seat back (i.e. at baby's feet). this leaves the front of base unsecured (at baby's head). So baby is probably fine for front end collistion forces, but back end collision forces will force the unsecured edge of the base (i.e.baby's head) up and back toward the BACK of the car.
I have been in rear end collision accidents where forces were strong enough to break the pivot point of back of the driver's seat. (such that the driver's seat was parallel to the ground after the accident). Thinking about how a base that is unsecured from the front would perform under similar conditions scares me.
That is why we decided on the Britax. It has NO base and adds a tether from just behind baby's head to the floor. (same idea as tethers from toddler seats, except from the front, not the back). Therefore neither front nor rear forces will lift the baby seat from the car seat. that thing aint going nowhere. Sure, it is a lot more inconvenient since it is a lot more difficult to get baby in and out, but safety is the main reason that we got a volvo.
From my research, the biggest complaint with the Britax was this issue of getting the baby in and out of it. that plus it is a lot more expensive than seat/base combos. i.e. $150 vs. about $60-100.
by the way, from looking at Consumer Reports' tests I think that all car seat/base combos, except for maybe one, performed better WITHOUT the base than with the base.
sorry for the dissertation... this required a lot of thought on our part and I thought that we would share what we found with the group.
that is all...
Dan
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posted by
someone claiming to be Norm
on
Tue May 21 04:44 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Dan, it sounds like you've made a good purchase ... too bad you couldn't find the F-P but the Britax is certainly a safe seat (we've just purchased a Roundabout since our son is about to outgrow the F-P). Having a base would be nice, though. Much more convenient. I have no fear that the F-P, even with its base, would be unsafe in an accident -- it's quite sturdy. But if these are now impossible to find, the Britax would probably be my choice as well. Maybe they'll come out with a base sometime. That would be nice.
Good luck,
Norm
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posted by
someone claiming to be drsides
on
Tue May 21 06:37 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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thanks for the insight Norm...
yeah, I actually found the FP online, but thats not somehting that I would buy without actually looking at it closely.
yeah, seeing the compromises between the britax and the seat/base combos really frustrates me because they dont have to be mutually exclusive. that is to say, I dont understand why one of these makers cant make a base/seat combo tethers the base (or the seat) AND has very solid metal connections between the base and the seat. Seems like a simple design to me. I cant figure it out....
by the way, britax IS coming out with a seat/base combo around late summer or early fall (I think that is right). at least thats what the dude at the store said anyway.
Dan
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I would stay away from any convertible seats. I know that they are handy and fairly light but most research I had done when we were in the market (about 18 months ago---boy, how time flies!) indicated that they are not the optimal solution as far as safety.
If you can afford a Britax, then get it. They are the best or among the best in the world. The only seats that you do not need an "H" clip to secure the seats and it is locked on even without the tether straps. There is also a pretty good model by Fisher-Price which I do not recall. A good place to find out about car seats is www.babycenter.com. Aside from the carseat advice, if you register there (free) you can put in your due date and you get monthly updates about the stages that your fetus is going through and when (s_he will be born you will get monthly updates about his/her progress, what to expect, food advice etc. Plus your wife can join a discussion group where you share your experiences and listen to those of others' and you will learn a lot!
Best of luck and congratulations!
Yannis
--
2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys
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Thanks Yannis!
actually, I was not too interested in the britax infant seat before we went to the store because it does not have a carrier that locks in the base. I was convinced that we would probably go with a century or something like that since they do. However, after looking at the century, graco, etc., we were amazed at how tippy they are when installed in the middle of the back seat. then we tried the britax and saw the front tether set up and I thought... Hmmmm... probably not convenient, but it sure looks a LOT safer!
anybody used the britax Handle With Care infant seat? how much of a hassle is it to get in and out?
Dan
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