Soon 2b DAD needs help with baby car seat.

[tazza]

Ppl,

I really need help...
Need to buy a baby car seat which will fit in Holden Astra(Medium size car) and Holden Cruz(Small size car). and is can also easily moved btwn cars.
Had a look at Safe n Sound Compact Deluxe....seems to be a good option......
Also saw in Target HiPod Madrid which looks good.....Has any body used HiPod before.........?

[Livy]

I am by no means an expert yet ..:laughing: . But you can't go wrong with Safe n Sound. We bought the Meridian but sort of wish we had gone with the Compaq, as we have to have the passengers seat right forward in our Yaris sedan to fit the seat in rear facing position. We will survive - just means very limited space for the passenger for a good 6 months or so. A friend recently got her Mothers Choice seat fitted at the Ambulance Service and they told her that they only recommend Safe n Sound as the best choice. Good luck with your decision.

[Shazza]

Hiya :wave:

We have a Hipod car seat and it fits in my little Corolla Sedan. Its a little bit squishy but I can still drive comfortably.

I was going to get a Safe N sound but when I looked them up on the CHOICE website they were both pretty good so I went for the Hipod cause it was cheaper.

I think if you go to baby shops they will let you try the car seats in your car. Good luck with your decision!

Cheers, Shaz :)

[little mermaid]

I dont know too much about the Hipod seat, but they look pretty good. If you are after a seat that is quite compact I would say go with the Safe n Sound Compaq or the Infa Remi Plus. But stear clear of any Mothers Choice, Go Safe or Aunger(sp) brand car seats as for the money you pay for them they arnt worth it as babies groe out of them too early.

Hope this helps a bit.

[mum2L]

We have a safe n sound royale in a Nissan Pulsar - hatchback. It seems to fit in quite well although the passengers seat has to be pushed forward just a touch more than noraml iykwim.

Good luck in your decision.

[MammyMammy]

just a small note from me - i wouldnt switch the car seats all the time - pick a car that is the main "baby" car and try to stick to it - it would be easier than worrying every single time you moved it from car to car "was it done right, is it safe etc, did I hook up all the latches"

if you need a second car seat, then maybe buy something from safe n sound, but the lower end of the market for the cruz, and the meridian or premier for the astra.

Incidentally we sold our astra for "baby" reasons - we couldnt see how it was going to work with the capsule in the back seat, and our front seats all the way forward to accomodate the capsule (DH would NEVER be able to drive again...his legs would not fit!), plus the anchor point is right where a pram and other boot contents will need to be. Astra is such a good car, I wish they had put the anchor on the interior ceiling!

have a good time with all your shopping -- yay!

[tazza]

Tried the Safe n Sound Compaq Deluxe in the cruz fits alright behind the passenger seat but then i can't sit in the passenger seat. I still have try the HiPod one . Only Problem with Hipod is that I have to buy it from target and return it if i don't like it. Target stores are the only distributors of HiPod in Australia

With Astra i have the Anchor pionts are behind the seat so it doesn't occupy the boot

[MammyMammy]

do u have an astra hatch or sedan???

yeah thats the trouble with the passenger seats in lots of small cars - makes it super impossible

i would avoid the hipod then, if its a target's own brand. best to go with safe n sound i think...

[tazza]

I have got the new Astra hatch

The HiPod is not a target brand

checkout the website
http://www.hipod.com.au

Only reason i am looking at Hipod is coz, according to a Choice.com.au who supplied a NRMA review the SafeNSound and Hipod had the same level of protection.

[MummyCharmzy]

I have all my kids in safe and sound seats... they just seemed better quality to me.

As someone else suggested I too would get two seats, one for each car as it is all too easy to forget to hook something /buckle something etc if you have to move it around a lot and to make sure its installed correctly every time. We have 2 cars and seats in each for the kids.

[LucyE]

HiPod are actually made by Britax who are also the manufacturers of Safe'n'Sound (and Mother's Choice). They are just made to different price points and branded differently for different stores.

For me personally, I would and have chosen carseats available on the Australian market that would provide the best protection for my precious children. For me cost doesn't come into it because the difference is really not that much when you consider what the seat is protecting.

I would recommend you check out the latest RACV crash test results and base your decision on your own research and not just opinions of other opinionated parents here :p or sales people who may have a vested interest in pushing a certain brand. You should be able to google the crash test results or do a search here on bubhub because they have been linked to a number of times earlier this year.

What we did for DS -> hired a Safe'n'Sound polo capsule for the first few months, then moved onto a rearward facing Safe'n'Sound Meridian (not AHR which came out later) then forward facing Safe'n'Sound Series 3. For convenience we have a Safe'n'Sound MaxiRider in DH's car so that we are not moving seats around all the time.

[shed]

We have an Holden Astra hatch and a Holden Calais, and we have two HiPods, one in each. We didn't want to be chopping and changing so we just bit the bullet and got two.

I have found them to be excellent. We got them to match the interior of each car as well, which was a bonus!

He is still rear facing but the strap doesn't take up much room and the pram fits under it easily at the back.

They are from Target but they are definitely not a cheapo option, they are from the same manufacturer as Safe and Sound. They might be slightly cheaper but that is due to branding rather than manufacturing so don't be fooled by that!

We hired a capsule for the first six months anyway, (but the HiPod is reversible). I just prefer a capsule for a newborn. We hired two BASES, one for each car, and the capsule comes out so could go in either car, it just clips into the base. That might be an option for you?

[MammyMammy]

Hoorah for YOU tazza....looks like you can safely go for 2 x hi-pods.....wait til target have a sale and you'll be laughing! yay!

[LittleMissyMoo]

Hi there Tazza! We have a 2004 Holden Astra and searched high and low for the best quality car seat for our bub. We drove from baby shop to baby shop and they take them out to your car so you can test if it fits...good idea before you buy :idea:
We brought a Safe and Sound Meridian AHR as it was the best of the best for safety and fit in the back left hand side with the front seat forward a bit...but its only fir six months.
By the way, you may want to check that the pram you have will fit in the boot of the Astra because not many do. FYI we got a love and Care 3 wheeler X trail, fits nicely.
Happy hunting :p

[Lirael]

HiPod are actually made by Britax who are also the manufacturers of Safe'n'Sound (and Mother's Choice).

where did you get this info?
i think you are confused, mothers choice is made by IGC, britax make safe n sound, steelcraft(not seats) and fisher price.

no idea about hipod, but I dont think they nake them either...

[shed]

yes, Britax do make HiPod :yes:

[verybusymama]

yes, Britax do make HiPod :yes:

Yes they do :yes:

One of our seats is a HiPod and it is great, we are very happy with it.
And btw, Choice magazine's pick of the bunch is the Hi-Pod Barcelona so the HiPods must be ok .:thumbsup:

[tazza]

WOW I never thought i would get so many replies. Just thought i will let you know what my decision is for now......

I did by the Hipod Madrid from Target 2 days back for $215(Target currently has 10-40% baby stuff - 20% of car seat) Although money was never the factor but i just hate paying more if i can get the same quality and protection for cheaper rate. But returned it yesterday as it did fit in the Astra but not in the cruz. So i have finally decided on buying the Safe N Sound Compaq Deluxe.

[little mermaid]

You should be able to get a Compaq on sale too hopefully:fingerscrossed: as lost of baby shops are having end of financial year sales. I went to one today that had the Compaq on sale so good luck! :thumbsup:

[tazza]

You should be able to get a Compaq on sale too hopefully:fingerscrossed: as lost of baby shops are having end of financial year sales. I went to one today that had the Compaq on sale so good luck! :thumbsup:

I have my eyes out for it Baby bunting have it for $358 and another shop in Glenhuntly has it form $315