Jane Matrix - mixed feelings (Jané Matrix Car Seat)

Member Name: gdickman

Product:	Jané Matrix Car Seat
Date:	20/09/04 (4384 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lay flat position more comfortable for baby, transfer baby without disturbing

Disadvantages: difficult clips, question over security in up-right, poor finish has frayed seat belt

We bought this system after reading good reviews. Initially we thought the seat was excellent and for the first few months, it worked great, putting the little one in the lay flat position. It was, I'm sure, better for him and we could also see him more easily. However, as he got older, we had an incident where he had worked out how velcro works and started to undo the chest strap - the only restraint mechanism in the lay flat position. The clips attaching the belt to the seat in lay flat are not easy to operate and can be frustrating to start with; my wife had trouble getting the belts tight enough to hold the seat firmly. After 8 months, he had outgrown the lay flat position and we used the upright position only. I have to say that it didn't always feel as stable as you'd expect in this posiiton and you could imagine the seat toppling over in a side impact. At 12 months, we've abandoned the seat and moved to a forward facing seat. Seeing how rigidly fixed in this is makes me realise that the Matrix was not that secure. In addition, when fixing the new seat, we realised that the matrix has frayed the seat belt and this being an MOT failure, we now need to spend around £150 to get this repaired. The cause is one on the metal seat belt loops on the side of the seat was not rounded off properly. We shall pursue this matter with Jane. In summary, we liked the idea of the lay flat position but it isn't the easiest seat to use and we have reservations about the security in the upright position. If you buy one, check the metal brackets, if they are not finished properly, reject the seat.

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