Are they kidding?

emars002

New member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #1

I saw this on ebay tonight... how on earth would you use this for a 9 month old? there are no harness straps - it looks like a booster to me....
http://cgi.ebay.com/Recaro-Start-ca...NameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122

 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

Staff member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #2

emars002 said:

I saw this on ebay tonight... how on earth would you use this for a 9 month old? there are no harness straps - it looks like a booster to me....
http://cgi.ebay.com/Recaro-Start-ca...NameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122

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Because it's in the UK and they're a lot more lax about such things than we are.

Wendy

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jun 7, 2008

• #3

No...because it's a Recaro and that's the rules for it

 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #4

joolsplus3 said:

No...because it's a Recaro and that's the rules for it

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Well, for the Euro version anyway

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jun 7, 2008

• #5

Oh, I wish it were so. http://www.recaro.com/fileadmin/extensions/rec_usa/pdf/Child_Safety_Manuals/Start_Manual.pdf Page six.

 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #6

joolsplus3 said:

Oh, I wish it were so. http://www.recaro.com/fileadmin/extensions/rec_usa/pdf/Child_Safety_Manuals/Start_Manual.pdf Page six.

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Lame :thumbsdown:

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jun 7, 2008

• #7

On the plus side, there's not a lot of 30 pound 9 month olds (certainly not many more than the 30 pound 12 month olds that Evenflo and Cosco loudly advertise are fine in THEIR boosters...).... and at least they don't have that little baby in this seat on all their ads anymore since we wrote all kinds of angry letters to them about it. (here it was http://www.babystyle.cz/images/sklady_podrobnosti/recaro_start_kids.jpg )

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jun 7, 2008

• #8

An Aurora said:

Lame :thumbsdown:

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You said it!

 

emars002

New member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #9

Wow! I'm glad they stopped using that ad - As a mother who had not been on this website until a month ago, I took the labels and pictures very seriously so i would have thought that would be OK - I wonder if they realize the impact these companies have on people and that they are endangering lives...

 

tjham

New member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #10

joolsplus3 said:

Oh, I wish it were so. http://www.recaro.com/fileadmin/extensions/rec_usa/pdf/Child_Safety_Manuals/Start_Manual.pdf Page six.

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bobandjess99

Senior Community Member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #11

As someone who had a 31 pound 9 month old, I'm glad I found this board before I stumbled across a start ad.

 

BW1426

Well-known member

• Jun 7, 2008

• #12

Recaro just lost a few points in book. That's terrible :thumbsdown:

 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician

• Jun 8, 2008

• #13

I had a Euro Britax Cruiser (booster) that had a min weight limit of 9kg (about 20#) several years ago. Well actually I still have it in the garage, but it is expired now. Just out of curiosity, because she met the weight and because it was common practice at the time in Europe to put infants in boosters at 9 months of age, I tried 1 year old Hope out in it. (PARKED!!!) The vehicle belts fit her perfectly, and it had shoulder belt lock offs that did make it very hard for her to move out of position. BUT it didn't take her more than a couple of minutes to realize she could just reach down and unbuckle the seat belt to get to me. (I was calling her to me to see if she could wiggle out of the shoulder belt)

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jun 8, 2008

• #14

Yeah, seatbelts ARE a lot easier to unbuckle than carseat harnesses

Recaro sells a foam laptop-thing for this (I have one ) that makes it really a good choice for those little FF kids in other countries (keeps them contained and their head and shoulders move forward together in a crash instead of their head ripping forward independent of the body like it does in a harness). If Leah doesn't scream*bloody*murder next time I try to put her in it, I'll take a picture...:thumbsup:

 

Morganthe

New member

• Jun 8, 2008

• #15

Here's a pict from a British site selling the Recaro Impact cushion.

IIRC the Euro manual for the Start that I read several years ago now, stated that you could use the Impact cushion from about 20lbs (which is where the infant seats used to limit) up to 40lbs, but for boosters without, child must be at 30lbs. Which is also the minimum weight for the US market, since the Impact cushion isn't sold over here. Don't ask Recaro USA why. They haven't a clue

 

aisraeltax

New member

• Jun 8, 2008

• #16

wwow

 

Morganthe

New member

• Jun 8, 2008

• #17

Before everyone gets all shocked on here, I've read the Brit AA reports on testing with the Impact cushion a couple of years ago. It received excellent marks and from what I understand, using a form of cushion like it on other booster seats are not uncommon. They're safe.

It's very strange how UK and the rest of Europe differ from child safety that the Swedes have done. Forward facing has occurred at a young age for many years. The Impact cushion style was something that came along which worked and still does. :shrug-shoulders: It's not the same as a shield booster.

Personally, I'd think that using one would be much preferable to all the loose and ancient straps that could cut into kids ff'd in a serious accident.

 

S

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member

• Jun 8, 2008

• #18

Morganthe said:

Here's a pict from a British site selling the Recaro Impact cushion.

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I don't understand how this is not like a shield booster. To me, it looks like a high back shield booster.

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Jun 8, 2008

• #19

skiersnowboarder3 said:

I don't understand how this is not like a shield booster. To me, it looks like a high back shield booster.

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Shield boosters weren't shaped to conform to the body -- see the way it's shaped above the legs? They didn't extend outrward toward the knees or up toward the sternum (breast bone) either to reduce submarining, etc. & this is made of energy absorbing foam rather than hard plastic. Plus, it is able to be positioned directly on the body, not at a set position further away from the body. It does look similar to an old shield booster if you're not looking super close, but actually crash tests like a harness & spreads the crash forces out over a broader area of the body than the harness & risk of musise from loose straps is pretty much eliminated. It would be awesome if we had this here :twocents:

 

S

southpawboston

New member

• Jun 8, 2008

• #20

papooses said:

Shield boosters weren't shaped to conform to the body -- see the way it's shaped above the legs? They didn't extend outrward toward the knees or up toward the sternum (breast bone) either to reduce submarining, etc. & this is made of energy absorbing foam rather than hard plastic. Plus, it is able to be positioned directly on the body, not at a set position further away from the body. It does look similar to an old shield booster if you're not looking super close, but actually crash tests like a harness & spreads the crash forces out over a broader area of the body than the harness & risk of musise from loose straps is pretty much eliminated. It would be awesome if we had this here :twocents:

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^^^ right.

if the forces are distributed across highest possible surface area, that would be a heck of a lot less force per square inch than a harness belt.