When I was pregnant with Emma I thought it would be fine to use a second-hand car seat, but once she got there, nothing was more important to me than doing everything as safely as possible. So I went online to find the safest way to transport your child in the car. My internet search quickly led to rearward transport for as long as possible using an Isofix seat. Now this does not immediately mean safe, there are also rearward seats with Isofix that still fail the test (but more about this later).
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Isofix is a way to fix car seats. Instead of this happening with the belt, there are connection points in the car. You can connect the seat directly to the body of the car via these connection points. It is a safer way of attaching car seats. Most cars since roughly 2008/2009 have it, but it has only been mandatory for new cars since 2012.
The car seat often consists of two parts:an isofix base and the seat itself. The seat is clicked onto the isofix base. Attaching the isofix base is a very important job, which I couldn't manage without the manual next to it 😉 .
There are two things that have to happen:the two gripping hooks of the isofix base must click into the two connection points and there must be a third point that secures the seat. This is often a stick on the floor of the car that needs adjustment (and in my experience this is the most complicated). Fortunately my isofix base worked with a sliding system. The sliders turn green as soon as you've done it right, nice to have confirmation if you're looking for that piece of safety. I only have to do this every now and then, because the base basically stays in the car.
Especially installing the pole at the Isofix base is quite a chore. If you have a mounting strap (this is called the Top Tether) and not a stick, it's a lot easier.
Read also: a long car trip with a toddler, how do I handle that?
The benefits of Isofix at a glance:
The biggest advantage in my opinion is the convenience. Installing the car seat is literally two seconds of work. *Click*, done. Small children can easily be placed in the Maxi-Cosi at home, click them into the car and go. I understood from others that placing the Maxi-Cosi itself was always a lot more difficult.
Another very big advantage is safety. A good Isofix car seat comes out better in the test and, thanks to the simple click system, is also a lot less sensitive to user errors, such as adjusting the seat belt just as quickly and therefore just a little too loose.
I can really only think of one drawback for the Isofix seats… the price 😉 .
A disadvantage of isofix is that the isofix base is often expensive. I like to do that myself for a lot of safety. It is only a pity that many manufacturers have also organized it in such a way that they have two seats for the category 0-4 years. And that the isofix base of the seat up to 15 months old does not match with the follow-up seat. That would mean that you also have to purchase it twice. Waste of money, and also of the materials needed!
Fortunately, there are now also seats where this is not the case and you can move forward with one investment from 0 to 4 years, such as the Maxi Cosi AxissFix Plus, see also later in the article.
A car seat with Isofix does not mean that it is also a safe car seat. It is also important that the seat meets the new i-Size standard (for children 0-4 years).
The i-Size standard - also referred to as R129 - has been the new European standard since 2013. The R129 standard differs from the old standard (R44) on a number of points. In the past, seats had to meet the requirement that children up to 9 kg can be transported backwards. This age has now been extended and it is mandatory for children up to 15 months and 71 centimeters tall.
This means that a child of 14 months and 72 cm still has to be transported backwards, but also a child of 16 months and 69 cm! A seat must also undergo a side impact test for the i-Size standard. With the old standard, it was sufficient for a seat to pass the frontal crash test. Furthermore, an i-Size seat is always attached using Isofix and is therefore less sensitive to incorrect attachment.
Good to know:If both the car and the seat meet the i-Size standard, you can be sure that the seat will fit in the car.
Another important difference between the seats is the harness of the seat itself, in which you click your child. There are many seats that work with three-point belts, but it is safer if this is a five-point belt.
At the moment it is still allowed to sell seats that only meet the old standard and that (therefore) do not meet the i-Size standard. That is why it is important when you buy a seat to read yourself carefully or to have yourself informed. What safety standards does the seat you have in mind exactly?
And so don't forget to look ahead when you're figuring (with your pregnant belly). It probably seems attractive to buy an i-Size seat where you are ready with €250.00-300.00 until your child is 15 months, but if you then have to spend the same money again when your child gets older... it might still be smarter to buy a seat that grows with you until your child is 4 years old.
My main conclusion from the internet search is that you can control a large part of the security yourself. The seat must be securely fastened. If you do not have an Isofix seat, you should really take the time to adjust the belt as tight as possible, so that there is as little movement as possible in the seat.
Furthermore, the straps in the seat must be properly adjusted. They must be sufficiently tight, but the shoulder belts must also be high enough. As soon as you notice that the attachment of the belt is under the shoulder, you have to raise it immediately.
Tip: It is also very important to pay attention with a winter coat. As a result, the straps are often too loose and in the event of a collision, the material of the jacket dents and the straps cannot do their job. It is better than to put on your child a cardigan and keep it nice and warm with a blanket or matching footmuff!
You will find nice footmuffs here.
Note:Maybe everyone knows this by now, but if you put the seat in the front (no Isofix is possible here), turn off the airbag!
The new Maxi Cosi seat, the AxissFix Plus, seems to be a good choice. You can transport your child up to 4 years in this car seat. Up to 87 cm (about two years) backwards and then forwards. The seat is easy to attach using Isofix with an attachment strap (Top Tether, so without a stick!) and a five-point belt. It is also very competitive in terms of price, for about €450.00 you have solved the transport problem for the next four years as safely as possible!
I have now received the Maxi Cosi AxissFix Plus for a review and I'm going to subject it to a solid journey of discovery for you 😉 . Of course I will keep you informed of all my findings!
You can also find more information about Isofix online at the ANWB.
