Booster seats in cars - safety question

[KikiMac]

We're just about to ditch the fiddly full car seat thing (hooray!) for our nearly 4 yr old and was going to buy a backless booster for the 5 year old and stick the younger one in the high-backed Kiddy Pro booster.

...Until I googled it and read about safety risks of backless boosters. What do you wise family-roomers think/know about the issue?

Should I be investing in another Kiddy Pro instead?

[newtoedf]

Which don't even do ratings for backless boosters because they say they are just not safe enough. However, my personal view is that it is all relative. We had 2 kiddy car seats for a while but since we don't have a car and rarely hire one, both kids (8 and just 5) now have a boostapak which is essentially a backless booster which they can cart around themselves. This is because I am both heartless and lazy and also because the risks are really very low. That said, if we drove a lot, I'd probably go with a highback booster because it does make a difference in a side impact crash and just leave it in the car. The headrest can be a real asset on long journeys.

[Indiana]

We bought the booster 2 years ago for our 4 year old, then noticed the regs changed and it was specifically because they offer no protection on side impact. We were just about to do long journeys around France for the summer holiday and decided to buy the full seats with head rest given the boosters are now deemed unsafe

if we are doing a long journey and our 6 year old needs a snooze she also looks much more comfortable in it

It is a pain compared to the booster though!

[devsdev]

If you have a car and drive regularly then definitely get a high back booster.

[edanna]

We have two Maxi Cosi Rodi: http://www.maxi-cosi.com/car-seats/rodi-airprotect.aspx bought for the reason that newtoedf stated - boosters alone offer no crash protection. they work with the normal car seatbelt and are fairly easy to take out when you need to, not that I would want to do it v often. The back and seat come apart, which makes them easier to store/transport.

[KikiMac]

Many thanks for the responses. Of course we are now looking for a second high-backed booster seat for the four-year old... in case anyone has one to sell!

[wellington]

Our 6 year old is in a Recaro Monza Nova - http://en.recaro-cs.com/child-seat/recaro-monza-nova-is. This goes up to 36kg, has an impact shield up to 18kg, has isofix fittings, and has good side protection and a very good adjustable headrest. This is the seat we will get for our youngest when they move out of their rear facing seat.

[newtoedf]

I've got our old kiddy infinity pro that needs a new home now we are just using the boostapaks. It used to be rated quite highly for safety but others might have passed it now.

[wellington]

etta166 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The view on the safety of car seats with impact

> shields may well have changed since you bought

> yours. In Downing my research in HHBs for my

> eldest, I cam across this report, which is a bit

> worrying

>

> http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2014/

> wp29grsp/GRSP-55-39e.pdf

>

> The Maxi-Cosi Rodi looks good, so does the Britax

> KidFix XP and the Izi Up X3. Does anyone have any

> views of those seats?

It looks like the impact shield seats used in this test were only tested up to 3 year olds. I'm not sure if there are any seats that have harness for those over 18kg and so the children must be secured using the seat belt.