[machine]

I tried the Safe n Sound Compaq last weekend and it gives us considerably more room in the front passenger seat than our current rear facing car seat. It seemed to tick the boxes. I will be using it for the new edition due at the end of January. I was wondering though if it would need propping with a towel as we currently have a Toyota Corolla (very small car) and the seats are very slopped.

I also want to try the Infa-Secure Kompressor Caprice which is due out in mid December but don't really want to wait because my toddler is still rear facing and she could use the Compaq in the mean time. I didn't try her in it but if I think she'll last a while longer in that rear facing I might buy a second to keep her safer for longer.

If you have the Compaq, what are the things you like and dislike about it?

Thanks in advance.

[lsolaBella]

Love it. Easy install in my car ( use it FF). 5yo DS2 at 114cm fits fine. 7 yo brother at 117cm can fit in it too.

Nice high protection for the head.

Easy o do up booster seat seatbelt next to this seat - I have three across.

ETA my boys are longer torso children... Their tops are a size larger then their pants.

This post has been edited by lsolaBella: 14/11/2012, 06:14 PM

[machine]

Thanks so much for your response (I think I recall you replied to one of my earlier posts asking about compact car seats). Very helpful indeed. How long do you think you could have kept them rear facing in the seat? I have a fairly petite 26 month old and one thing I didn't do was try her in the seat. I will go back to the store and do that and I'm hoping she'll still be able to rear face for a while in it.

Thanks again.

[lsolaBella]

If you search through my posts I have a picture of kids in the compaq. From memory around 95 cm is RF height.

[SarahM72]

I have two of these next to each other in the middle row of my van, both rear facing. I have an almost 3 year old (but small child) still rear facing in one seat. His legs need to be folded, but he fits just fine. But as I said, he is small (only weighs 11kg soaking wet and is on one of the lower percentiles for height).

There is nothing I dislike about this seat. It is very easy to use and install.

[machine]

Thanks IsolaBella, I will do a search.

Thank you SarahM72. My toddler is 11.6kg at the moment and has been for months. How much longer do you think your son will fit rear facing? Kind of a silly question really as it all depends on how he grows height wise.

By the way, when was the new version of the Compaq released?

[chickenpants]

We bought the old model Compaq just before the new one was released and that was in May.

[machine]

Wow, for some reason I was getting the opinion that they'd been around for a while.

How do you find the old model?

[lsolaBella]

New model RF height markers are at 36cm. In contrast the baby love seat have them at 30 cm.

[machine]

I've just been back to the shop to try my LO in the Compaq rear facing as that's why I wanted to buy it, to keep her rear facing for longer. She's too bloody tall! I'm so gutted. I was convinced she would be below the lower height marker especially considering the seat has been tested using a 15kg crash test dummy rear facing. I don't know why I failed to try her when I was there the other day.

Something that really annoyed me was that the sales people didn't seem to be able to comprehend that as long as LO was below the lower height marker she could use the seat rear facing up to 15kg. One of the sales women also commented that Australia has the highest car seat standards in the world after I said I wished we had the European standards and seats here. I disagreed with her and she firmly said 'yes we do' several times. She didn't even know that the seat I was looking at could hold a toddler rear facing up to 15kg if still under the lower height marker and she's selling the damn thing!

I think if you're selling car seats you should have to have a full understanding of the seats you sell as well as the current legislations and law regarding them. A bit of knowledge about other countries use wouldn't go astray either.

The simple argument is that infants and children are safest rear facing as long as possible and as Australia doesn't sell car seats compatible with doing this, it is no longer a leader in safety standards. We still can't use IsoFix legally (yet) either and that is safer simply for the fact that installation is much easier and therefore less prone to error when installing a seat. It made my blood boil to the point where I would rather buy from another store when the time comes to purchase for the new baby.

Even the US now recommends that toddlers remain rear facing until two years of age. Australia get with the times!!!

I will get off my soap box now. I just had to rant. Sorry.

I'm now reconsidering buying the Compaq for the new baby because she'll likely have to forward face before she would in the car seat my older daughter is currently in.

I weighed my daughter last night and she has hit 12kg so I have to turn her car seat around tonight. I am not happy about it. Yes, I will have heaps of leg room but I'd rather be scrunched up in the front if she could still rear face.