Are YOU comfortable using seats with thin plastic?

love-pink · Mar 10, 2012

This is totally an individual preference question

Personally the last couple of years I feel better with my kids in seats that are made from thicker plastics. I know there is no physical evidence available to us as consumers but there is just something about them that makes me feel they are "safer".

Seats like the Scenera, Maestro, Cosco harness boosters are just so flimsy it scares me. In my little head I feel like they wont protect my child as well as an RXT, Nautilus or Frontier. Having no ESP foam completely freaks me out but I know there is no proof behind that

I just constantly think that if it did not make a difference then why would so many manufactures choose to add it??

Im really wanting to buy dd a Maestro to keep in my trunk that way I wont have to un-install her FR in my car or her GN in dh's car. I often go with a friend and transferring the FR is beyond annoying. I either have to plan a day ahead and take the GN from DH's truck or keep it un-installed, which leaves me constantly having to re-install whenever we all go in the Envoy

Its winter and I live in Michigan... no fun installing seats when you have 4 kids waiting to get in or out. I just like to get in and go

I dont want to spend another $100+ on something that will be used a few times a month, but then I cant help feel shes not as safe in such a flimsy seat.

How do y'all personally feel about seats with the thinner plastic and less/no ESP foam???

Syllieann · Mar 10, 2012

I actually posted a couple days ago about possibly turning my 3yo ff so my 14month old could use his rn xtsl outboard instead of having her ride outboard in the scenera. I do think that in a near side impact she would fare much better in the steel frame seat w/ huge eps wings and there is such a big difference in the way the seats feel. That is just my gut feeling and the fact that we have no proof the rn is safer doesn't mean that it isn't safer. I'm leaving them both rf though so dd will stay in the scenera because I know that rf in a properly used scenera is very, very, very safe, even if the rn would be saf-ER. I guess I don't feel like it's enough difference to justify turning 3yo ff, though I'm going to try again to put scenera in center...I might be able to get it more upright now that the rn has the aa so they puzzle a little different.

carseatcoach · Mar 10, 2012

love-pink said:
I just constantly think that if it did not make a difference then why would so many manufactures choose to add it??

Very possibly because many people feel like you do. Seats with those features sell, and at higher prices.

Phineasmama · Mar 10, 2012

Honestly no, I wouldn't feel comfortable. I used to own a Scenera and I only used it occasionally and XH used it in his vehicle. Buuut I am kind of a snob when it comes to baby gear in general so take it for what it's worth

mykidsmylife · Mar 10, 2012

Yes I would. They pass the crash test standards and if needed I would use them with no issues. I have higher end seats b/c they offer more like rear-facing tethering and higher harness/booster limits. Johnathon was in an Apex at 4 b/c that is what I could afford. It was flimsy but I knew he was safe.

carseatcoach · Mar 10, 2012

As for what I would do, it's a moot point. My child is 10yo and 82#. She won't FIT in a flimsy seat, lol. If I were to have another baby, which is entirely hypothetical, I'd probably want a MyRide for my vehicle just because I think it looks like a baby LaZBoy and I'd love for my kid to ride in it, and with nine months to plan it wouldn't be a financial hardship. But I would be absolutely fine with a Scenera in husband's car for occasional trips (assuming proper fit and installation and all that good stuff).

oddduck · Mar 10, 2012

I'm completely comfortable with the Maestro... I'm tempted to get a second one.

Ninetales · Mar 10, 2012

I have used a Scenera as the backup seat when my mom drives us somewhere since the baby was out of the infant seat. When she outgrows it I'll get a Maestro. I'm very comfortable with it.

lovemybabies924 · Mar 10, 2012

The maestro has EPS foam in the head area

, it has nice deep sides for SIP, and I love that seat and I am a baby gear snob as well

tam_shops · Mar 10, 2012

My kids have a Maestro for d/c. I just got one as a spare, haven't opened it yet, don't like the colour! LOL

I asked the same thing about it being so flimsy when I bought it a couple years ago, the answer one of the techs said to me really stuck. She said that it depends on the crash and in some accidents a sturdy seat does better, but in some accidents a flimsy seat does better (the flexibility aides in the crash), since there is no way to know which crash you're going to get in, it doesn't really matter...

And, the light flimsy of the Maestro is what makes it the *perfect* spare seat.

If it makes you feel any better, a friend of ours has the GN and Maestro. They prefer the Maestro. The dad is an engineer. He studies accident failures and stress on metal/plastic for a living. He's not concerned about putting his kid in the flimsy of the Maestro. Essentially said the same thing the tech did and that just b/c something is thicker/bigger, doesn't mean it's going to hold up to stress the way you'd think/expect it to. If it did, then he'd be out of a job.

Also, in my own small mind, I kind of think the Maestro is more of a *city* seat and the sturdier seats are more highway seats. Not just b/c the more expensive seats have more padding (make kids feel comfy so they are happier for long drives), but b/c the higher speeds of the highway would benefit from the sturdier seat. There is *nothing* behind that to support it, just my thought process about the extra stress put on something due to the extra speed.

tam

carseatcoach · Mar 10, 2012

Yes -- I'm not an engineer, I have no super-secret-squirrel insider knowledge, but it makes sense to me that the flexible plastic of the Scenera might do a pretty good job of actually absorbing the crash forces and therefore not transferring them to the child's body.

It's probably the most popular seat in America. If there were serious issues with it, we'd know.

creideamh · Mar 10, 2012

Such a complicated question... I flat-out hate the Scenera. Installing it, the lack of foam (sure... it does super well in testing... mhm...), the fact that it's made by Dorel.
I'm more comfortable with Evenflo seats like the Tribute and Maestro just because they do have a little bit of foam, and they're easier to install. (and I love their customer service.) I wouldn't worry about using a Maestro (for my own child when it comes time) but would about the Cosco harnessed seat.
I'm a gear snob too, but I do like the Complete Air for the headwings and the ERF/EH time. So yeah, I guess I prefer having seats with foam (actually, no guess... I DO prefer having seats with foam) and seats made with firmer plastic or other material. Is it safER? Who knows.

Of course, this is all IMO. I don't have any hard evidence to back it up and could very well be wrong.

Oh, and also, I prefer seats that can RF tether, so obviously I don't have many thin plastic seats anyway.

ETA: and as others have pointed out, I'd MUCH rather RF in a thin plastic seat than FF in a steel seat.

christineka · Mar 10, 2012

I don't know about safer, but I like the sturdier seats better. Basically, I prefer anti-rebound for rfing seats. I like to keep my kids harnessed for a long time, I want them to be comfortable, and like their seat. (I think this is most important the older kids get.) For my kids, that translates into the more expensive, thicker plastic seat. I think the maestro is a great bargain seat. I don't like the way the harness is close on the child's neck, though. The cosco ffing seats have low top slots and no padding, so not useful to me.

ketchupqueen · Mar 10, 2012

I have, and would again, use a Scenera in a heartbeat for one of my children. "Thin" shell, no foam, I still would use it if that's what I had that fit the kid and the car, and no hesitations about safety as long as I got a proper install. Now, for longevity (I make tall-torso childrens, and I prefer to rear-face until they are at least 4 or as long as possible) and ease of use, I prefer other seats, so I don't currently own one (gave mine away) but hey, I'd own one again if I needed a cheap convertible and had a kid that fit it.

babyherder · Mar 10, 2012

Depends on my options. If I could ff in a Nauti or rf in a scenera I'd rf in the scenera. We know its safer. I prefer foam but if I can't afford a seat with it I'm ok using a seat without it. I buy seats for kids that aren't mine and there's only so much money I have to spend.

Laurelz · Mar 10, 2012

No. I don't feel comfortable using them but it's a personal thing.

glockchick · Mar 10, 2012

I will use them, but I prefer "sturdier" seats. If the cheap seats had foam, and were easier to use I might change my opinion, but they're not so..... Plus I despise continuous harnesses.

kathysr98 · Mar 10, 2012

Yes, in some cases.

I judge seats based on how they fit a situation. I would choose a cheaper seat that allowed seats to remain installed over a single seat that had to be reinstalled frequently. I would choose a cheaper seat that allowed RF over FF. I would choose a cheaper seat that allowed an easy rock solid install over a hard fought so-so install. To me, it's all about the circumstances.

Kac · Mar 11, 2012

Technically we do not know if the thicker or thinner plastic does better in a crash, do we? The thin plastic could be safer because it's lighter in weight for all I know.

I probably wouldn't use one regularly, but for occasional use, I'd have no issue. I

my Nautilus and RXT though, so I don't need to do that right now.

But, uh, I don't really like Dorel.

jeminijad · Mar 11, 2012

I can't imagine sitting on hard plastic with nothing but 1/4" of poly batting to pad my bony little butt for more than a few minutes. So my reasons for preferring higher cost/thicker plastic seats are kinda frivolous.

And I do have the Dorel niggle in the back of my head. Even after trying to reason it away.

Are YOU comfortable using seats with thin plastic?

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