Safe Journey with Britax (Britax Duo Plus Isofix)

Member Name: noodlesandwich

Product:	Britax Duo Plus Isofix
Date:	07/03/09 (624 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Safe, secure and comfortable

Disadvantages: Not the cheapest model on the market

My husband and I purchased the Britax Duo Plus Isofix for use in our Nissan Micra last June, not long before my daughters first birthday, as she had outgrown her first car seat. We found there was not a lot of choice in seats that fitted our make of car, but this was one of the ones that was suitable.

The weight class for this seat is 9 - 18kg, which is generally meant to be for ages 9 months to 4 years depending on height and weight.

As I found out the first time round, it is no simple business finding the right car seat for your child. I thought I could just find a seat that looked okay and choose it, but it's much more complicated. It's also not possible to just switch the seat between different cars, you need to check compatibility. It's an expensive business too, with babies needing a rearward-facing seat for as long as possible and then a new one, as well as the fact that it's something that it is recommended never to buy second hand, as it could have been weakened in a bump or accident that you don't know about and may not meet current safety standards. The make and model of car you drive and the year of manufacture all affect which seat you should get. Britax have a 'fit-finder' on their website where you can enter you car details and find out what they have available. I think there should be one of these for all car seats as it really helps to give you some idea of what will be right for you. Buying a car seat is not something to be rushed. If you haven't bought a seat before the website http://www.childcarseats.org.uk is very helpful.

One of the reasons we chose the Duo Plus was because it is an Isofix seat and we have the Isofix anchoring system in our car. Isofix stands for "International Standards Organisation FIX" and is a standard for installing child seats into cars, intended to make fitting them easy. What it is is basically metal prongs, down the back of the rear seats of which we were completely unaware until we made this purchase. It makes for a secure fit as it 'plugs' the seat in and means you don't have to mess about with a seatbelt once it is in place. All new cars are now fitted with Isofix. One statistic on the Britax website claims that only 30% of child seats are installed correctly when using an adult seat belt compared to 96% when using the Isofix system. It is important to check that any Isofix seats you buy are approved for your vehicle as apparently not all Isofix seats fit in every car that has Isofix points! I'm sure they'll make it easy for us one day! I think the best thing to do is to get one of the sales assistants to put the seat in for you and make sure it fits. We did this at three stores and I have to say that in my experience, not just with this seat but with the first one too, Mothercare do seem to have the most knowledgable and well trained staff in this area. A member of staff in Mothercare told me that once a childs head is over the top of their current seat it's time to start looking for another one, as it becomes useless as a head protector once their eyes are level with the top. In my case I think this will probably happen before my daughter reaches the maximum weight as she is tall and slim.

The seat can also be used in cars that don't have Isofix and I have taken my daughter out in an older model Vauxhall Astra using the seatbelt method - the belt is threaded through the rear part of the seat rather than over the front. It is classed as a universal child restraint system, which means it should fit most seats using the 3 point seatbelt. For cars that need a 'top tether', this can be bought separately. Apparently Britax have a unique 'pivot link' which is on the Duo Plus car seat and is meant to make fitting easier as well as reduce the movement of a child in the seat in the event of an accident.

It has a one pull five point harness. The harness straps are easily height adjustable and have padding to pull down over your childs chest for extra protection and comfort. Once you have your little ones arms in place and have buckled her/him in, it is easy to pull the straps tightly or loosen them using the tension adjuster on the front of the seat. There are elastic strips at the side of the seat so you can tuck the harness straps under them when opened, to stop them getting in the way when you put your child in the seat.

There are three positions for the seat; straight up or tilted back slightly, or slightly more. You tip it by pulling a little lever under the front, although it doesn't tip back very far. I only tip it when I think my daughter might want to have a little snooze, parents will know that riding in cars often sends young babies asleep instantly, but sadly this magical effect wears off by the age of about one, unless they are already ready for a nap. The main drawback to the tilted position in our little car is that (not so) little feet easily kick whoever is in the seat in front. Our seat was originally placed behind the driver but we moved it to the passenger side for this reason. As our car has no rear doors it now means that anyone getting in the back has to climb in via the drivers side. However, I realise this would be the same with any forward facing car seat in a Micra! It is a well padded seat and looks pretty comfortable - my daughter would seem to agree as she recently slept almost 2 and a half hours on a journey in it.

Colours available - Ours is the basic black one, they come with more colour choices now; black and grey, pink with candy hearts (yuck!), and there is also a cool green one, called 'Marcel' for some reason. I might have bought Marcel if he had been around at the time I bought ours, but the colour's not really important is it? The cover is removable and washable.

The cheapest price I could find this for was on the website 'baby's mart' for £137.99, although it sells for much closer to the £200 mark at most major retailers. Mail order isn't the best way to buy a car seat unless you are absolutely certain you already know what you need. Car seats aren't cheap, but you really can't put a price on child safety.

Obviously the primary reason for buying a car seat is for safety and I do feel much better about having an Isofix fitted seat as opposed to a seatbelted one, which is what I used to have. It seems very secure and extra safety factors such as the padded side wings and chest protectors make me feel that my daughter is as well protected as can be in the car at the moment. Unfortunately I still don't feel she is safe in our car, but that has nothing to do with the car seat, it's because of some of the crazy drivers on UK roads. I think this car seat was an excellent buy for us and would recommend it highly to others.

Summary: A top class car seat.