Child seat without isofix base

[red-lex]

Is it possible to fit a child seat without isofix base into the IS300h? 
 

The demonstration in John Lewis showed that the seat belt should lock when you pull it all the way out. It engages a ratchet system especially for child seats, however this doesn’t seem to be this case in this car. 
 

Before I purchase the isofix base I just wanted to make sure.

 

[rich1068]

A little more information required Baiju. I'm confused by your query. Any seat belt will hold a child seat. 

What sort of base/seat combo are you looking at? What age is the child?

[red-lex]

22 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

A little more information required Baiju. I'm confused by your query. Any seat belt will hold a child seat. 

What sort of base/seat combo are you looking at? What age is the child?

Hi Richard, I am attaching a Maxi-Cosi Pebble-pro seat... which will be for a new born. 
 

I’ve fitted the seat as per the instruction using a belt, but it just doesn’t seem secure to me as you can move the seat left to right very easily. 
 

I’m sure in the demonstration, the belt locked when it was pulled all the way out. Some car belts have a ratchet feature that engages, purely to fit seats. 

[200h]

Hi red-lex

i tried this years ago but i found it hard to engage the rachet in the seat belt reel

i did manage to do it a couple of times but it i think it was luck that i managed it, 

you are meant to pull the belt out to its limits and then slowly release the belt

and let it roll back in on the rachet.

 

richard

the method above is used so there isnt any slack in the belt thats holding a non isofix child

seat in a car, so in the event of an emergency stop the rachet thats been engaged

wont let the seat belt unwind and release the car child seat.

it is quite an unknown feature of a seat belt

[rich1068]

1 hour ago, red-lex said:

Hi Richard, I am attaching a Maxi-Cosi Pebble-pro seat... which will be for a new born. 
 

I’ve fitted the seat as per the instruction using a belt, but it just doesn’t seem secure to me as you can move the seat left to right very easily. 
 

I’m sure in the demonstration, the belt locked when it was pulled all the way out. Some car belts have a ratchet feature that engages, purely to fit seats. 

Got you. 

If you have a new born an he/she is your first then trust me, get the Isofix base. You'll thank me the first time it's throwing it down with rain and you're trying to get the seat from the stroller and into the car! Takes seconds and all done with one click. We used it for all three of ours.

1 hour ago, 200h said:

Hi red-lex

i tried this years ago but i found it hard to engage the rachet in the seat belt reel

i did manage to do it a couple of times but it i think it was luck that i managed it, 

you are meant to pull the belt out to its limits and then slowly release the belt

and let it roll back in on the rachet.

 

richard

the method above is used so there isnt any slack in the belt thats holding a non isofix child

seat in a car, so in the event of an emergency stop the rachet thats been engaged

wont let the seat belt unwind and release the car child seat.

it is quite an unknown feature of a seat belt

I do remember something like this now you mention it. We used the feature in the Volvos when we had the next (non-Isofix) stage seats. 

[rich1068]

Totally off topic but if the family expands I can also recommend the built in booster seats in the Volvos, VWs, SEATs etc. Odd to recommend other brands on here but it really does surprise me that more manufacturers don't offer them. There are a million things recommended to new parents to make their lives easier but few are actually any use apart from

• Isofix
• Built in boosters
• nappy bins

[Thackeray]

58 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

If you have a new born an he/she is your first then trust me, get the Isofix base. You'll thank me the first time it's throwing it down with rain and you're trying to get the seat from the stroller and into the car!

This is the best advice. For a new-born, get an isofix base that lets you, ideally, unclip the babyseat from the pushchair and then in the car slot it into the clips on the isofix base. I spent a couple of years using a baby seat without an isofix base and the problem was that when you put the baby carrier on the car seat, you then have to strap the seatbelt over and round the seat and baby, who is already strapped into the seat. At the destination, you then have to unclip and rewind the seat belt. Much easier just to press a button and lift the seat and baby straight out.

Having said that, if you don't want to buy the base, from the safety point of view I always assumed that although the seatbelt doesn't hold the baby seat rigidly, all the seatbelts would lock in a crash, securing the baby seat as effectively as a it would secure a seated passenger. I've never heard of seatbelts that can lock round a baby seat though looking on the internet, there seem to be some examples on older cars.

When you get to the next stage, if you can afford it, it's safest to get a child seat that allows the child to face backwards up to the age of four. The Britax one swivels and can face backwards or forwards. The problem with small children facing forwards is that in a crash their head is thrown forward and it represents a lot of the child's total weight, proportional to its body. This can cause damage to the neck and spine, I think. Facing backwards, this doesn't happen, so it's much safer.

[red-lex]

Thank you all for the advice. I’ve already wasted so much time messing around with the belt, there’s no way I’ll have the patience to do that every day. I’m ordering the correct base and will also look into the Britax for the next stage 👍

[red-lex]

8 hours ago, rich1068 said:

Totally off topic but if the family expands I can also recommend the built in booster seats in the Volvos, VWs, SEATs etc. Odd to recommend other brands on here but it really does surprise me that more manufacturers don't offer them. There are a million things recommended to new parents to make their lives easier but few are actually any use apart from

• Isofix
• Built in boosters
• nappy bins

This is so true, why don’t all cars have built in boosters 🤷🏽‍♂️ Will I need to buy a nappy bin too?! 🤦🏽‍♂️

[200h]

for my 4 & 7 yr olds i had Isofix car seats and they where the best unclip and then clip in

for my 29yr old well that was a different story back then.

[Brechin Slate]

22 hours ago, red-lex said:

Is it possible to fit a child seat without isofix base into the IS300h

Just had a similar conversation with my son and daughter in law who have new born twins.  When my kids were small I was driving a Mk III Cortina and used a 2nd hand baby seat.  Apparently nowadays on Mumsnet I would be consildered to be Beelzebub himself along with a host of other demons for endangering my children in such a way.  Apparently child seats are a massive can of worms and my son says he can now (unfortunately) talk for hours on the subject.  He says the 2 golden rules are Isofix is a must and never, ever, ever 2nd hand.  Prudence tells me to keep my thoughts undisclosed but if ever you feel your blood pressure is too low, Mumsnet is worth a visit!

[rich1068]

 

11 hours ago, red-lex said:

Will I need to buy a nappy bin too?! 🤦🏽‍♂️

Nappy bins are great. At the rate you'll be changing them they're a godsend! By the side of the changer, drop it in, turn the handle, done.

Nappy bin.

29 minutes ago, Brechin Slate said:

Just had a similar conversation with my son and daughter in law who have new born twins.  When my kids were small I was driving a Mk III Cortina and used a 2nd hand baby seat.  Apparently nowadays on Mumsnet I would be consildered to be Beelzebub himself along with a host of other demons for endangering my children in such a way.  Apparently child seats are a massive can of worms and my son says he can now (unfortunately) talk for hours on the subject.  He says the 2 golden rules are Isofix is a must and never, ever, ever 2nd hand.  Prudence tells me to keep my thoughts undisclosed but if ever you feel your blood pressure is too low, Mumsnet is worth a visit!

All this lol

My dad bought a second hand second stage seat for transporting ours around. And then put a piece of 1" chipboard under it so it didn't mark the seats! I had to ask him what he thought the chipboard might do if he went from 40 to 0mph in a bump.

[Thackeray]

15 hours ago, red-lex said:

I’m ordering the correct base and will also look into the Britax for the next stage

The good news is the IS300h has really easy to use isofix brackets, neatly hidden behind a little plastic flap. By contrast, some cars, like the Toyota Auris, have the brackets hidden in the recess at the angle beween the base and back cushions of the seat. Extremely difficult to slot in the seat-base isofix connectors.

And just in case you want to start saving up now, this is a link to one of the Britax seats that revolve 360 degrees so that the child can face backwards up to about the age of 4. I'm sure there will be other brands or options by the time you need it but this is the sort of seat where the child can face backwards for longer.

[Knowlesy]

Having just gotten rid of my Celica for the is300h, because of a new baby and a long legged 7 year old, I highly recommend the jolie360 spin, its isofix and is rear facing/ front facing from new born - although we waited until bubba was 7 months as the clip in car seat/ pram adapters are bloody useful!

Isofix was a dream and I like the fact there is a top anchor point on the Lexus (my husbands older isofix corolla doesn't have this).

[Las Palmas]

We bought this for our baby. There is a cushion part (not shown here)

to fix in it so baby is secured comfortably (I think), when she got big enough to sit without that the seat was comfortable (according to her) until recently when she now is so long legged that we have bought a booster seat from UK

https://www.vergleich.org/kindersitz/cybex-pallas-2-fix/

https://heyner.co.uk/products/child-car-seats/isofix-child-car-booster-seat-capsula/

With Isofix. Would not use a seat for children without Isofix.

[Las Palmas]

Update.

heyner.co.uk could not deliver. The booster seat was sent, but due to Brexit or some other problem; it returned?

Now we are waiting for one from Hyundai:

http://poledglobal.com/shop_view/?idx=4

 

[Las Palmas]

On 2/7/2021 at 10:48 AM, Brechin Slate said:

 if ever you feel your blood pressure is too low, Mumsnet is worth a visit!

Absolutely.

Still Isofix is absolutely better than having the seat and child floating on the seat.

Just look at what is written about Isofix on the link. And we all want what is best for our children.

[red-lex]

Hi all, 

Would you believe the day after I started this thread, our baby boy decided to arrive 5 weeks early 🙂 

He's doing great, I followed the advice on here and purchased the Isofix base. I don't know why I didn't just buy it with the seat, it's so much easier and feels much safer. 

Thank you all for the help, I'm also looking into the Jolie, Britax and other seats mentioned 👍

[matt8]

40 minutes ago, red-lex said:

Would you believe the day after I started this thread, our baby boy decided to arrive 5 weeks early 🙂 

Congratulations!

[rich1068]

Congratulations!

And by now you'll know why I suggested a nappy bin too 

[Brechin Slate]

Congratulations!

[Las Palmas]

Congratulations!