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-   -   "Child Seat" for Babies & Kids (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/9215-child-seat-babies-kids-92.html)

While it was encouraging to see this child seat in an old (1st generation) i10, I wonder if this is this a safe place to mount a child seat. The trim appeared to be one without the passenger airbag (non-Asta)

I am writing about my experience of using two different car seats for babies after a use duration of 3.5 years (approximately.) I first came to know about the car seats after watching a few movies. I first thought that these were a luxury item and did not know about their true use. This was about 10 years ago and I did not give them much thought. About 5 years ago my elder brother who lives in the United States told me that he was looking to buy a car seat as the hospitals there do not allow the baby to leave the hospital without one (He used a borrowed one initially and then bought a new one). I then ask him more about the car seats and he told me about their use as a safety equipment. After this I read up some more about their utility. Then when we were expecting our daughter, I went through the entire thread about the baby seats.
When I first told my family about the same, my wife was very supportive but others not so much. Everyone thought that as a new born is very delicate, the safest way to travel for her is the mother's lap. There was resistance from the family and I even had a fight over this issue but I didn't budge from my position.
After going through the thread, I finally purchased the Britax Roemer Baby Safe car seat. Reasons for the purchase of this brand:
1. Reputed brand
2. Within the budget (I don't remember the price now.)
3. Didn't purchase the all in one system initially as it was too expensive for me at that time.
4. It had a canopy (to protect the baby from sun) (not available in the all in one system).
5. Easy to carry in and out of the car if the baby is sleeping as compared to the bulky all in one system.
6. It was only one available offline (among the preferred brands) at the First Cry store near me. I had read that you need to first check the feasibility of the seat fitment in the car.
7. It could be fixed with the 3-point seat belt. (No isofix in the car, wasn't even aware about isofix at the time of purchase of the car).

The purchase process was smooth. I went and made payment at the First Cry store. The seat was delivered and the delivery person also gave a demonstration about the use and installation.
All the apprehension about the seat were gone in the wind when the family members saw how comfortable she was in the car seat. In addition to that, no one had to carry her in the lap for extended time (though a baby is small, holding her properly for even 1 hour in a moving vehicle is an exhausting task). We continued using the seat regularly in the normal rear facing position. Then as she became older, she started becoming uncomfortable as the seat was getting smaller. In addition, she also developed motion sickness. I tried using the seat one or two times in the front facing position but it felt unsafe.Then I started looking for a replacement. I finalized the Graco 4ever DLX 4 in 1 car seat. I picked this for the reasons below:
1. Reputed brand
2. Within price range
3. It was available on Amazon (at a discounted price)
4. The cover was removable (more important if the child has motion sickness)
5. There was no response from the Britax India website and the seat was a little costlier.
6. The seat is also made from solid plastic and is not blow moulded.
7. It can be used with either isofix or seat belt and also has a mechanism to secure from top.

After the seat was delivered, I started using it in the rear facing position as it is recommended to keep the baby seat in rear seating position as long as feasible. There is a bubble level which lets you know if the seat is in proper position when used in rear facing position.
However we had to switch to the front facing position as she was not comfortable in the rear facing position. The family members also said that the car seat was the culprit for her motion sickness but we tried travelling for small distance with her in her mother's lap but it didn't make a difference.
The culprit turned out to be me and our roads. Whenever she was asleep, I tried to cover maximum distance, thinking that as she is asleep we could travel more at a higher speed. But the condition of the roads coupled with the higher speed (80-90Kmph) led to the motion sickness. Nowadays, I take a scheduled break of 25-30 min and allow her to refresh herself. This has reduced the motion sickness a lot on plains. However, the mountain roads are a different story. Nothing has worked to this date.

Coming back to the car seat, now she asks for the car seat before travelling anywhere. It is now used in front facing position. Now we are trying to get her to sit alone in the car seat in the back, while her mother sits in the front.

Link for Graco seat -(No pictures taken in that seat).

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07J37RTPG

Good lord, no! Co-driver sear is not recommended at all.

Glad to read this. My daughter has been using the Graco 4ever 4-in-1 for about 3.5 years now; from intra-city runs to being in them on long road trips (12-14 hours on a few occasions), and absolutely loves it.

Long time users of this car seat; how do you manage the inclination settings? I'm at the standard setting recommended (I think 4/5). What I've found is, this position is most suitable when she wants to take a nap as the neck is supported, but it isn't most ideal otherwise because she is leaned back a little and legs go up with the bottom cushion, and then down. I tried a more upright position setting, that gave her a better seating position, but when was napping, it was terrible because her neck would spring forward/move around.

I'm using the Graco Extend2Fit and have been thinking about the same thing. I think the positions below 4 work best for a rear-facing infant. My daughter finds the most upright position comfortable, but as you mentioned, it's not great when she falls asleep. So we set it to position 5 and use a head support when she naps.

However, the seat is comfortable and sturdy. Our journeys are mostly 10-12 hours long, and we take breaks for a walk every two hours or so.

I keep it at 5. Neck/head is a problem when sleeping. But she is more comfortable at 5.

Can you share image/link of the type of head support used?

I moved my daughter to a booster seat now that she is tall enough to use the car seat belt itself. It is the Graco Turbo Booster model that comes with a latch for securing the seat. The other booster seats use the car seat belt itself to secure it even while empty and is not convenient.

This one is lighter and occupies much less space than the Evenflow Tribute I previously had. The middle row can now accomodate two people comfortably even with her seated in the middle. Earlier it was a squeeze especially on the left hand side.

Unfortunately, the product we purchased is currently unavailable. Here's the link, https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I found a similar one, but the price is too high. We bought it for ₹599.

https://www.amazon.in/Support-Toddle...768/ref=sr_1_4

We swapped out the original head support cushion of the Graco Seat with this one, and fixes the velcro attachment when she falls asleep. Here are a couple of photos with and without the velcro attachment.

Hello Folks, we are blessed with a baby girl, who is 1.5 months old now. I wanted her to develop the habit of sitting on a car seat early on so that she can be comfortable later on. After scanning through this thread, I finalized on Chicco Unico Plus.

The car seat was delivered day before yesterday, and post unboxing, I am skeptical if it was the right choice. The seat costed me around 21k from their official website. And i was expecting a very sturdy car seat that is rock solid. But all I get to see is just plastic parts put together, and there is some tolerance between certain elements, such as the head unit. It is not a rigid unit, and could rattle going on rough patches (just a feeling though).

I wanted to get the opinion of the experienced members, is this how it is supposed to be? Is it worth the price or should I have gone for local brands like Luvlap or R for Rabbit? Does it make any difference?

P.S: My current car doesn't have ISOFIX. But my next car will definitely have ISOFIX. Unico Plus has ISOFIX and Seat Belt option.

Congratulations Nifty.Nishy.

I am using a Chicco Nextfit Zip, and it doesn't move around or rattle once fixed properly. Though the cushions, the cup holders, the plastic storage to keep the isofix belts, the neck height adjuster etc might look loosely put together, once the seat is fixed and baby is seated, none of these move or make noise. And I think all car seats should be that way. Also I had verified that the seat frame of Nextfit is made of metal and not plastic.

I suggest you check if the seat frame is made of metal, if it is, then take her for few short drives and check how comfortable she is in it. I think the Unico Plus model has only 3 or 4 reclining positions, so check if she can sleep in it comfortably. Be sure to fix the seat rear facing.

To get her familiar with the seat, you may keep her in the seat inside room for few minutes a day (be sure she is buckled to the seat even inside room). This will also help you familiarize with fastening / unfastening the seat belts / buckles.

If you see that the frame is made of plastic or she is not comfortable with the padding / recline angles, then you may return it and go for another model. I think Chicco gives 7 days of return window. When it comes to safety, I will always trust a European / US firm more than local players.

Drive with her for more than one day before judging her comfort level. Initially the little ones won't stay in Car seat for more than 15 to 30 mins without crying (also it is not safe to keep them in seat for more than an hour without break). A silent cabin with some songs from her mummy will keep her entertained. The main challenge to adapt the Child Seat will be grandparents and relatives !!! So in your initial drives, keep them away.

hi folks
does anyone have an opinion on this car seat - https://rforrabbit.com/products/jack...43971631153369

I have the VW Taigun, so im assuming it has ISOFIX. I have been told that i should keep the seat in reverse mode from 0-2 years. And this seems to be the only one that allows this using ISOFIX.

Second question is - how important is removability for car seats? im asking a lifestyle question here. I'm planning a stroller anyways - so is it not better to transfer the baby to a stroller when you reach the destination instead of removing the car seat ? just wanted opinions here.

How important is a stroller for you? Apart from malls and apartment complexes, I hardly find any use for a stroller in India.

If you really need one, you can look at Joie Gemm + Clickfit + stroller sort of combination. Basically Clickfit is the base that latches to the ISOFIX installed on your car. The seat is a carry cot that you can switch between the car base and stroller. Graco is another company that uses a similar mechanism.

I don't have personal experience with this. I was exploring them as potential options, but dropped them because I did not need a stroller.

I have bought this one. Been using it for a year now. Overall this is better than the luvlap isofix seat and has much higher weight capacity which means u can use it for many years. It is not crash tested like the more expensive brands, but it's injection mould plastic so it's the better one in the 10k price range.
Removing it is v easy as well. There r many videos posted by ppl online about this one, so do check them out to get an idea about installation and uninstall

I have a similar R for Rabbit seat but that is not ISOFIX so my comment will be on other things. This is a comfortable seat. I have been using it for the last 3.5 years & the seat is still soft & does not show any sign of wear & tear. I was apprehensive about the quality of plastic at the bottom but it has proved it self since before we got the second seat for our other car we used to shift this from one car to the other. So it held up with heavy usage as well. Also, the reverse seat put is put till the neck firms up well, it may happen before 2 years as well.

To answer your second question, car seats are best used in cars. Removing & carrying them is a headache. Better get a stroller.

Cheers,
Pawan

We have an infant (3 months as I'm writing the post) and looking for an infant/child seat/carrier for my car. Casually surfed shopping sites (Amazon , firstcry) for some options and I'm here confused looking at the variety of products from brands rl:

So, here is my car seat layout. It is Skoda Octavia and im planning to mount on centre seat that doesnt have ISOFIX slot.



My requirement is to have a child seat that can be fixed on designated ISOFIX mounts as well as using normal seatbelts provision as our polo doesn't have ISOFIX mounts. The child seat has to serve both cars.

After an extensive search, I couldn't get hold of any product that has both capabilities. It is either ISOFIX or seatbelt mount and not both.

I saw an infant carrier that can fit into a seatbelt - https://amzn.eu/d/fg2y4Ac
Also, some convertible child ISOFIX seats - https://amzn.eu/d/bQtqeFa

Do we have any modular seats, an infant seat like the first that can be fitted on a convertible one later?

Have someone been into such weird requirements like mine lol: do we have any products?

The seat that I currently use for my daughter listed in the post linked below, is both Isofix and Belt mounted. In addition all the good brands such as Graco, Britax have both of these options. They also have an option to fix from top which works simultaneously to fix the seat in tandem with belt or isofix.
You also have to decide whether to go for infant carrier only now or a combination seat which will work for 10 years (I have also described my decision making process in the linked post).

Lastly, its not a weird requirement. The companies make various combinations of the same.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post5575314