confused about car seats

[Mopoke]

my sister has a safe n sound meridian car seat for her child and tells me that is it one of the safest. i have read a few people on here say that as well. when i looked up the RTA child restraint safety ratings it seems to be almost at the bottom.
its also one of the most expensive at $450-500. i dont want to spend that much money on a car seat, but am i compromising my babies safety if i get cheap car seat?
my other problem with a car seat is that we live in rural NSW and the only baby shop nearby is 1 1/2 hrs away and seems fairly expensive. i would buy online but want to check the seat out in my car before i buy it to make sure it fits etc.
i saw a mothers choice car seat on special at target last week and was thinking of getting that but cant find much online about it - how people found it, how safe it is etc, think it was careera.:helpme::helpme:

[TripleTime]

I started with mothers choice, would not reccomend them to anyone. RF weight rating is only to 8kg & the back of the seat is very short. My kids jut grew out of them at 9kg, 80cm & 19 months. Waist if you ask me.

Far better off spending the money on safety & getting more bang for your buck. The longer a child spends rear facing in a car the better.

I personally wouldn't buy a seat with a weight rating of less than 12kg rear facing.

Also have a look at hipod from target, it's SnS's budget brand. Our new seats are hipod.

[RmumR]

the hi-pod ones from target are good.
DD2 is in a hi-pod capsule at the moment.
ive heard they are s&s ones re-branded but not sure if thats true or not.

[albear]

I currently have a Mothers Choice one, it was bought for us as a gift. It goes to 9kg rear facing, but I would like to keep DD rear facing for as long as possibly, so we're looking at buying a 12kg rear facing seat.

I *think* that the Meridian did well in last years CREP tests? I could be wrong on that but I too remember them being the leader for a while there. Also I vaguely remember it being preferable because of the tilt feature kids are less likely to grow out of it height wise? Currently the test results I've been looking at are saying Safe'n'Sound Compaq are the highest rated rear facing convertible seat, and about 4th for forward facing. That's the seat I'm leaning towards at the moment.

I guess just check how whichever seat you like did in the CREP tests, and then make sure it rear faces to 12kg [if that's important to you], and then check how tall it is and if it fits in your car!

I agree with TT that you're better off financially just buying the slightly more expensive seat from the get go. Our Mothers Choice seat cost my mum $160, and the Compaq I've seen online for between $300-$350. That said, there's nothing *wrong* with the Mothers Choice seat, it still passes all the Aust safety standards, it's just that I prefer to keep DD rear facing for as long as possible. We'll be using the Mothers Choice in DH's car when she's FF as our second seat.

[TripleTime]

the hi-pod ones from target are good.
DD2 is in a hi-pod capsule at the moment.
ive heard they are s&s ones re-branded but not sure if thats true or not.

Have a look on the hipod website for the customer servic number, it's the same as SnS which is Britax.

[TripleTime]

Albear - I have compaq's in my car, can not fault them at all. Kids have so much room to grow it's not funny. It's also one of the smallest seat on the market. Hipod exceed is the same size in a converitable booster.

[myhusbandswife]

I personally would steer clear of mothers choice, zuzu, safety first and gosafe. They are shorter in height and you will end up needing another seat. And TBH the quality is not very good.

I would look into Safe and sound, Hipod or Babylove. They RF till 12kg and have more height than the ones mentioned above meaning you will get longer use out of them.

My top recommendation would be tge SnS compaq. It rates well.

Goodluck. Feel free to pick my brains more if you need to.

P.s The Meridian on the latest CREP results is not the latest Tilt and Adjust model its the older AHR model. Its amazing how advertising and price can lead people to beleive its the safest. Not to mention baby shop sales assistants

[Areca]

Unfortunately in the latest CREP tests they tested an old Meridian that didn't even have a head rest :( They did not test the new Tilt and Adjust Meridian.
It sucks that the CREP tests aren't reliable.

[krystallxx]

I have 2 safe and sound car seats .. They are the same .. Got them one special for $150each .. I don't think the safety is compromised at all .. If its fitted well and baby is strapped it correctly there should be any problems..
I also have 2 fisher price seats which aren't as bulky and they are fine too :)

Good luck

[One of THOSE mums!]

I handcuff mothers choice and I think it is great. It may not last as long but I tried Ds in the ones that would last longer but they were not good fits for young toddlers. I would rather upgrade and always have a well fitting seat than have 'room to grow' and bounce around.
Just my opinion though. Every child is different.

[albear]

Albear - I have compaq's in my car, can not fault them at all. Kids have so much room to grow it's not funny. It's also one of the smallest seat on the market. Hipod exceed is the same size in a converitable booster.


Aaaah, thank you :cheerleader1: I was concerned about buying it without actually seeing it, but we don't live near anywhere you can buy a carseat, so it's online buying for me.

[TripleTime]

I bought mine online, saved a few 100 dollars. Just hunt around till you find the best price.

[Mopoke]

thanks for all your help, i have 2 sisters - 1 has barely spoken to me about being pregnant, let alone given me any advice and the other gets things because they are 'the best'. we cant afford the best of everything (poor farmers!) but dont want to comprimise bubs safety

so did most people check the car seat out with their car or just buy it? i originally thought they would all fit any car but a few people have said certian oned didnt fit their car. i have a 99 Rav4.

those that have the safe n sound compaq - i have read somewhere that its suited for small cars and is hard to put the child in and take out of.

[TripleTime]

I have compaq's. I measured the width of my back seat compared to the width of the compaq's. All fits with a bit of room between the seats. I don't have any issues getting the trio in or out of the car, I sit far enough forward that I can climb in the car to put T in the middle.

If you had an itty bitty car getting bub in could be a bit hard but you make what you have work.

[waterlily]

When I got my Meridian tilt and adjust in 2009 it was a 5 star car seat it even says it on the box.

My mum has a SnS compaq and it's really good too.

[waterlily]

thanks for all your help, i have 2 sisters - 1 has barely spoken to me about being pregnant, let alone given me any advice and the other gets things because they are 'the best'. we cant afford the best of everything (poor farmers!) but dont want to comprimise bubs safety

so did most people check the car seat out with their car or just buy it? i originally thought they would all fit any car but a few people have said certian oned didnt fit their car. i have a 99 Rav4.

those that have the safe n sound compaq - i have read somewhere that its suited for small cars and is hard to put the child in and take out of.

I have a 2005 rav and mine fits tightly but can only be put behind the passenger seat because you have to move the front seats forward heaps and if it was in the middle you couldn't even get into the drivers seat. My mums compaq is alot smaller.

[geobabe]

Buying online is definitely the way to go unless you happen to get a bargain in a store sale. But I think OP said you were too far from baby shops anyway. I got a SnS Meridian tilt and adjust from an ebay store for $479 including postage to Perth. If you google for the seat you want you'll find heaps of good deals online.

IMO the most important safety feature is keeping your bub rearward facing for as long as possible, and having the seat in the middle position in the car if it will fit.

I thought the tilt and adjust feature was a bit gimmicky until I actually used it. Now I love the fact that I can adjust the seat in a few seconds, as soon as I notice DD is getting a bit squashed. Rather than having to fiddle around re-threading straps.