20 replies to this topic

[Smurk]

Hello

Do you really have only two brands of car seats for newborns? If I google baby capsule, all I can find is two brands, and everything costs $250... For six months! That's amazing. Previously, I had an old baby seat (for newborns but you couldn't remove the capsule from the car easily), and it's been given to me, so I didn't know the price (and it has been stolen with my last car ). So my question is: do you really have to spend $250 on a car seat?

[caring-mum]

all of my car seats have cost me over $300 each, although with my first son the seat was just reversable so that lasted him until he was 18kg (well he grew out of it before then because he was too tall for it)
maybe look at getting a reversible car seat which should last you more than the 6 months (but you do have to have the child rearward facing for 6 months) an then turn it around when bub/you are ready. just means you cannot take it out the car like you can a capsule and carry bub around.

[Elves on Rye]

You can hire a capsule from the ambulance service in qld for approx $70 for 6 months. They will fit it for you as well

I would guess other states have something similar...?

[caring-mum]

yes SA does, but not sure if its through Ambulance, where I looked was through somewhere else and for a SNS unity capsule it was $110 for 6 months with a $50 deposit.

[Smurk]

Yes, you are right, I could rent it. Here it would be through Kids Safe ACT.
http://www.kidsafeac...babycapsulehire
But I am really surprised you can't buy a cheaper capsule. I have bought the other seats for my children, all under $100 (new).
(and that's why I wouldn't actually look into a reversible car seat, because in six months I will move one child to another kind of seat so I will have another seat available for the new baby)
But still, it really sounds incredible that there is not a cheaper option for a baby capsule.

[caring-mum]

Personally I wouldnt trust a car seat that cost under $100 brand new - thats just me, I tend to look at the safety rating and get the one thats the highest (within my budget). If you already have a reversible car seat are you able to purchase another one for your older child to be in now? or are they not yet into a booster seat? there are car seats out there that go from around 8kg to 26kg.

But if you can hire a capsule thats a great option too

[Smurk]

No, I don't have a reversible car seat, but my youngest child will soon grow out of his seat and I will have to purchase a booster seat for him. So I will have his seat for the new baby. I just realise that actually I didn't buy his seat new, it was second-hand. That's the booster seat (for the oldest one) which I bought new. Anyway, I guess I have always been lucky with car seats... Now that I would like to buy one (but I will probably rent one, as you suggest), I realise how expensive it is!

[caring-mum]

Yep i've worked out just then that I"ve bought my first son 5 car seats in his 4 year life, and my 2nd son i've only had to buy one - brand new, and I bought a second hand capsule off of a lovely lady on here (will note that I also purchased the seats that go in my mum and dad's car - thats the reason why i've purchased so many)

[EmmasMummy]

Hence why (as much as I would like one) ... have never owned a capsule..... used a $150 mother choice reversable(birth to 18kgs) carseat for DD1...untill moving her up to a convertable booster (8-28kg) which was close to $300 as she was a big 2year old too heavy for carseat but too little for straight booster...and that was around standard price... and DD2 up until a month ago use the mother choice.... but wanted to upgrade since learning more a safety of rear faceing longer and bought safe and sound compact which rear faces to 12 kgs... it was $240 .. and cheapest for one that rear faces to 12kgs

[mummy2declan]

My capsule was $200 on sale at Target its made by hipod

[Merla]

Yep, good car seats are expensive. If your not planning another baby I would suggest hiring a capsule or buying second hand off someone you already know and trust.

Though are you sure you want to turn your baby forward facing at 6 months?

[jore]

If you have an aldi close by they had capsules the other week for $99(reduced from $149) they are the rebranded version of the one safe capsule which gets 5 stars in the CREP testings

[kaznkidz]

I was lucky and managed to buy a brand new unused one from someone for $200 a unity

And when i bought a 2nd hand pram off a friend in the price of the pram with 2nd seat she added a brand new maxi cosi (she had been in an accident and claimed a seat back on insurance so had never used it) worth $400, so am VERY lucky!

As for up to 6 months, my daughter has only just in the last 3 weeks outgrown hers height wise, but not weight and she is 15 mths

[Smurk]

OK, so a few days ago I went to that place where you can hire Sound n Safe baby capsule. The lady fitted it in one of the back seats (I have got two rows of seats at the back, and the nearest one was fully baby-seated at that time), and I have asked her if later I could move the seats around to be more convenient. She said it was OK. Now I have just tried and, of course, I have plugged all the other seats first. And that stupid belt is TOO SHORT to reach the nearest anchor point. Now I have got a baby who is arriving in the next few days, and that hiring place is closed until next week, and no baby seat (which still cost me $110)... I am sooo happy, you can't imagine. >.<

(and thanks for the tip for Aldi, I have checked in the Aldi around here but I couldn't find any)

[Smurk]

And I forgot to explain that actually the baby capsule shouldn't stay in the last row (so I can't just put it back where it was), because it's so wide that it's in contact with the other row of seats and it shouldn't for security reasons.

[caring-mum]

do you mean safety reasons? do you mean that its touching the seats infront of it? I would be checking out the car's manufacturing specifications as to where child restraints are legally allowed to be installed.
It's really strange that the lady installed it where its not supposed to be installed, yopu would hope that they are qualified and know the rules etc.

Which belt do you mean is too short? can you get an extender strap from a auto car shop? I know in my mum's hatch that we have to use an extender to be able to put car seats in it. They would be open tomorrow

[macandkt]

i had to buy and extender strap (got it from the baby shop but they sell them wherever you buy extension straps, ie. kmart, big w in the baby section) on my s n s polo capsule when i had to use it in my suzuki swift because the anchor point was almost on the floor behind the seat so it needed extra length.
so far i have only bought a capsule from new (it was $245) both times my kids outgrew it around 7 to 8 months. they have both moved into s n s compaqs, i should be able to have them stay in them until they are 4 then i will probably move them into boosters if they are big enough for them

[Smurk]

Yes, I meant for safety reasons.
The lady put it in the back row because I have asked her (I didn't want to move the other baby seats at that time), and she wasn't sure exactly that the capsule couldn't stay here. We should be able to move the front row a bit (so if we move it then it wouldn't touch the baby seat at the back any more), but we kind of couldn't when we tried with her.
You are right, I should buy an extension strap. The one provided with the baby capsule is about 20cm too short. But am I allowed to use their baby seat with another extension strap? I guess I will have to do it anyway if baby arrives before that hiring place re-opens in 2012.

[caring-mum]

Yep there wont be any problem with you using their car seat with an extension strap, just like some places require you to have it professionally fitted by them (but if you 've already asked if you can move it around then it shouldnt be a problem). You need to be able to have the seat installed properly and if that means you need an extension strap then it will be fine
I know a lot of cars where the capsule sits touching the front seats (especially when the fathers - usually being taller than the mother) is driving. Sometimes it cannot be helped, although it is not ideal.
I know with some 3 seat row cars that reversible capsules/seats arent supposed to be in the back row. The police dept should be able to also let you know if this is ok or not.

[bethers]

i have a maxi cosi capsule for kate. it was $400.

she is 7 months (next week) and 6.7kg so still has heaps of room in it (it's a 9kg capsule).

however, she's in the hip spica cast, so didn't fit as it's quite narrow and has high sides. so we swapped her over to the SnS meridian ahr that we had already for when she outgrows the capsule. that was $550 or so. they definitely aren't cheap.

having said that, my SIL is borrowing my capsule for her next baby, and then i'll have it back for our next one. so it will get plenty of use.
and i'd say kate will definitely be in her meridian till she's 4. when baby 2 grows out of the capsule, if kate is still in her meridian then i'll just buy a 2nd one for baby 2.

i have expensive carseats, but i also got the one that scored the best for both rear and forward facing.


oh and just so you know, you can turn the baby at 6 months, but if they are under 8kg it is very dangerous. when we got our seat modified so that kate can fit it with the cast on, i said to the OT that i'd rather her rear facing, but would do ff if needed while she's in the cast. she said NO WAY!!! she isn't heavy enough and the seat is too dangerous as if they are under 8-10kg, they aren't heavy enough to make the seat work properly in an accident.

[Smurk]

Thanks a lot for your messages. I forgot to get back to you about that.
I went to KMart to buy one extension strap ($22). And then I had a look at their baby seats. They offer a convertible one (birth to 4yo) for about $160. It felt strange that I paid almost the same ($110 + $22) for a loan capsule that I will use only for six months (I know my babies are chubby, so she will move to another seat quite soon).
As for me, I don't worry about the safety scores. As soon as it's sold in a shop and it has the Australian thing label, then it's good enough. And I mean it, it has past two thousands safety tests and the worst of them is way too good.