Child car seat recommendation

[sweetgirl]

I am considering buying a car seat for my 6yr old.

Can anybody recommend a good quality one, or does anybody have a decent one for sale.

Also, can car seats be used if a child is sitting in the front passenger seat?

Thanks

[goldilocks]

By 6 you need a high backed booster. These are quite cheap generally. You just need to make sure that its a good fix re holding the lap part of the strap down.

Generally you should check the manual re car seats in the front, and if you use it there try to have the front seat as far away from the front as possible -but its usually rear facing only that require airbags being disabled.

[alex_b]

goldilocks Wrote:

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> By 6 you need a high backed booster.

This depends on the height and weight of the child, not their age. Usually the limit for a harness is 25kg although some are lower. Car seats can be used in the front seat (check your vehicle manual for information on airbags), but it is safer for the child to be in the rear. The middle seat is safest if you have a three point belt, otherwise chose the left hand side so they're getting out on the pavement side. In any seat a child under 135cm must be in a carseat/booster.

Presuming you are going with a high backed booster, it's good to get one that secures to the main seat with ISOFIX, that way you don't need to remember to strap it in when your child isn't in the car. We've used http://www.rearfacingtoddlers.com/ before, but I don't think they do high back boosters. It's worth giving her a call though for some professional advice.

[goldilocks]

alex_b Wrote:

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> goldilocks Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > By 6 you need a high backed booster.

>

> This depends on the height and weight of the

> child, not their age. Usually the limit for a

> harness is 25kg although some are lower. Car seats

> can be used in the front seat (check your vehicle

> manual for information on airbags), but it is

> safer for the child to be in the rear. The middle

> seat is safest if you have a three point belt,

> otherwise chose the left hand side so they're

> getting out on the pavement side. In any seat a

> child under 135cm must be in a carseat/booster.

>

> Presuming you are going with a high backed

> booster, it's good to get one that secures to the

> main seat with ISOFIX, that way you don't need to

> remember to strap it in when your child isn't in

> the car. We've used

> http://www.rearfacingtoddlers.com/ before, but I

> don't think they do high back boosters. It's worth

> giving her a call though for some professional

> advice.

Whilst it is possible that some children may not have reached 25 kg by the age of 6 (including mine) , given the OP was thinking of purchasing at this point, i'd assumed she would want something longer lasting. Lots of forward facing seats only harness to 18kg too (just clarifying in case others look at this thread) and there are height considerations to harnessed seats so its important to read the manual. I was really intending to flag that a booster only would not be appropriate for a 6 year old.

The point around strapping in boosters is really really important. We got an isofix one to avoid this issue, but we have a car and the seats stay in. I found that they are generally a bit on the heavier side (though there may be some exceptions) and if you're needing a seat for occasional use in taxis etc then one that is secured with the belt only is likely to be sufficient.