New Swedish rear facing car seats
New Swedish rear facing seats are always interesting. We have three new and great seats which just arrived or are coming shortly. During the recent large German baby convention "Kind und Jugend" two new seats arrived and just previously another new brand entered the market. Below is a short summary of the new seats with a more thorough write-up coming shortly.
Klippan Triofix: The new Triofix is definately a unique seat with long usage and very fast installation. It can be used 9-36 kg (20-80 lbs. The seat was added during the baby convention and just arrived at CarSeat.se.
The brand Klippan is not well known among customers but has been around longer than most. They released the first rear facing car seat in 1965(!) and have kept children safe in cars since then. Klippan is owned by the two Finish brothers Leo and Bror Martin who have worked with car seats and safety equipment "forever":-)
They produce harnesses themselves and have the only crash test facility in Finalnd where seats are tested, improved and certified. Consumers may not know of the brand Klippan but many do know about the rear facing Duologic seat which was created and is manufactured by Klippan but branded as Akta/Graco.
Triofix has some very unique features:
- Seat and base are two separate units
- Installation can be done with Isofix or seat belt
- Triofix is the most compact rear facing seat available
- Changing from rear facing to forward facing position is done in seconds. The base works both with rear and forward facing use, no need to buy additional components
- Installation is ultra fast and easy
- Separate base can be purchased for use in two cars.
Using Triofix is just so easy. The base is installed in a few seconds, regardless if it's with Isofix or seat belt, and the seat then clicks into the base. Changing direction from rear to forward facing can be time consuming with some seats but not with Triofix. Release the seat from the base, turn it around and click into the base. Smart and easy construction. Done in a few seconds.
Triofix will last rear facing to around 125 cm of height (51 inches) which is as long as Britax Multi Tech and Britax Two-Way. Triofix is currently the most compact rear facing seat available which combined with the smart solutions and long usage makes it a very interesting seat. During the fall an infant seat will also be released which fits the same Isofix base as Triofix.
Triofix has just been released on the market and can be found in the online store of CarSeat.se
Axkid Kidzofix/Kidzone: During the fall the new Swedish brand Axkid entered the rear facing car seat market. Axkid is a new brand but the people behind it are well known. Tony Qvist and Tony Broberg have been working with car seats for a very long time and decided to create some seats with new fresh ideas.
Axkid created two new rear facing seats, Kidzofix and Kidzone, and also an infant seat and a booster seat. Kidzofix and Kidzone are almost identical seats and can be used rear and forward facing until 25 kg (55 lbs). The only difference between the two is that Kidzofix can be installed both with Isofix and seat belt while Kidzone only allow seat belt installation. Both seats can be used rear facing 9-25 kg (20-55 lbs), forward facing with harness to 18 kg (40 lbs) and forward facing with seat belt to 25 kg. Kidzofix can also be used rear facing with Isofix 9-18 kg.
Seat shell is quite high which means rear facing use to around five years of age or a height of 115-120 cm. Head support is large and integrated with the harness. A new and smart solution is that harness and head support adjust automatically. Release harness and it automatically goes to the highest level. Place child in seat, buckle harness and then tighten harness. Head support will automatically stop in the correct position.
Kidzofix also have built in tether straps with ALR belts which adjust in seconds. Attach tether straps and wiggle car seat back and forth a couple of times and installation is rock solid. Smart and easy solution.
Kidzofix and Kidzone are off to a good start in the fall and have been popular among parents. They can both be found in our online store of CarSeat.se
Britax Max-Way: Britax Hi-Way has been a bestseller for quite a few years thanks to being light weight, compact and comfortable. It has always offered a great combination of quite long rear facing time with a 25 kg (55 lbs) rear facing limit but with a compact size fitting well in small to large cars.
The new model of Hi-Way is called Max-Way and has some nice improvements. Adjusting angle has been made easier with new construction of the metal bar underneath the seat. Seat shell is similar to previous model but it's been simplified on the outside to make production easier.
Seat shell is still nicely curved and provides good support. The most significant improvement is the built in head support which makes seat shell taller. Hi-Way would usually last until age 4-4.5 years or 110 cm of height while the new MaxWay will last to age 5 or about 115-120 cm of height.
Head support is of medium size and fits nicely with the seat. Size of Max-Way is the same as Hi-Way which makes the new Max-Way a compact seat which will last rear facing a long time.
Max-Way will arrive in January 2012 and will soon be available for pre-order in the online store of CarSeat.se
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Hi, I'm curious as to why Swedish seats tend to have relatively low weight limits for the harness when forward-facing when there is so much evidence that harnessing for as long as possible is safer than using a seatbelt. Do you know anything about that?
VW: Good question:-)! Reason why Sweden and Europe don’t use any harnessed forward facing seats for older children is that it’s not any safer than using a high back booster.
There is also no data, research or real life experience showing harnessed forward facing seats being safer than high back boosters.
A high back booster seat is just as safe as a harnessed forward facing seat for older children (age 4 and up). In Sweden, where focus on car seat safety is extreme, we advice parents against keeping any older children harnessed forward facing. Reasons are mainly due to the extremely high forces on a child’s head and neck. Other reasons has to do with installation, mobility and cost of seats.
The subject is quite complicated but that’s a simplified overview.
We don’t only talk about this, we also follow this advice with fantastic results. Our yearly fatality rate for children aged 0-6 years is basically zero each year.
/
Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Bonjour,
moi je me pose la question?
pourquoi les sieges RF n'ont pas de bouclier si celui ci est plus sécurisant?
merci
I was wondering which seat you believe has the easiest installation/removal. We live in a city and do not own a car, but sometimes rent a car for shopping or trips. We also travel by air. I'm looking for a seat that is easy to get into/out of the car and is somewhat "idiot-proof" in its installation. One that might also fit on airplane seats would be wonderful!
Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Hello,
I would like to know why there are no seats with RF shield if they are better in safety?
Sorry for the translation I am French and used a translator
thank you
morticia
Lisa: Easiest installation is found with an Isofix seat. The easiest and fastest seat to install is likely the new Klippan Triofix. This seat can also be installed with Isofix or seat belt.
Our most common recommendation for a travel seat is Britax Hi-Way. This seat is light weight, compact, comfortable and fits well in pretty much any car. It’s not as easy to install as Triofix but on the other hand it has a higher 25 kg rear facing limit and weight less than half of Triofix. It will also fit on many aircrafts.
If you need to carry your seat around Hi-Way would be the best choice otherwise Triofix has super fast installation.
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Morticia: Seats using a shield are always forward facing. These seats are not any safer than a regular forward facing seat. They are also not well liked by children since they are very uncomfortable. It’s ok for a child to ride 10 minutes but then it gets sweaty and uncomfortable.
There is no reason to have RF seats with a shield. They would be far more uncomfortable and also not provide any better safety. Harness in a rear facing seat is in general not very important and are not under lots of pressure. Most of the forces in a collision in a rear facing seat are absorbed by the large back of the car seat.
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Thank you for the reply to my question, this is helpful!
Lisa
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Hello!
Which RF seat would you recommend if a child has almost outgrown a BeSafe iziCombi [X3, isofix; same as izi Kid, just has FF option, too] by the age of 2 years and 3 months? She was 92 cm and 15 kg at 2y2mo, the harnesses of iziCombi are already at the level of her shoulders, iziCombi manual states that when she grows past this point the seat is outgrown. Way too early for high-back booster in my opinion. We have a Volvo S60. I'm looking in the direction of Britax Multitech, as it is said to have the tallest shell. What advantages [if any] does Multitech have over, say, Two-Way Elite or Brio Zento?
Also I always wondered, can car seats that have support leg [like Multitech] be installed in rear-middle position, if car's floor has an elevation there — I'm not sure what is the correct English word for that — it's the threshold like thing on cars floor in the middle of rear seats' legspace. In car seat manuals it usually is not even mentioned.
Thanks!
Justine
Hi
I would just like to get further info on your comment above:
"In Sweden, where focus on car seat safety is extreme, we advice parents against keeping any older children harnessed forward facing. Reasons are mainly due to the extremely high forces on a child’s head and neck."
Could you explain this a little more? How are the forces worse when harnessed?
Thanks
Michelle
(I should add that my 4.5 year old is currently still rear-facing in a Britax two-way but I was considering turning him forward facing in it soon, but perhaps I should just move on to a booster instead?)
Michelle
At last! Someone with real eprxteise gives us the answer. Thanks!
I'm having real problems finding an ERF car seat for our 2-year. We have a ford focus c-max with underfloor storage, and no isofix. Is there ANY ERF car seat with a prop leg that will fit this car (either by reaching the bottom of the compartment or by sitting on the lid of the compartment, provided we have filled it)?
As it stands, only BeSafe suggests filling the compartments with polystyrene. Would this be an acceptable solution for other ERF car seat manufacturers? We were thinking of the Britax Multi-Tech in particular.
Lastly, if using an ERF car seat with a support leg is not recommended, is the Britax two-way elite the only ERF car seat with a 25kg limit with no support leg?
We are in the exact same situation as Justine with the izikid and a tall 2,5 year old (3 in april). What would you recommend – two way, multitech or hiway?
Justine: A child who is 92 cm tall should still have lots of space left in an Izikid. This seat is normally outgrown around a height of 110 cm.
The seat can be used until tip of ears of your child are at top of seat shell. That means almost half of your child’s head can be above top of seat shell before it’s time to change seat.
Harness position is not of significance. If harness is slightly above shoulders or slightly below shoulders has no impact on safety. You can therefore use your seat until tip of ears are at top of seat shell.
Forces on a harness in a rear facing seat are very low thanks to physics. This is why harness position is of little importance.
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Justine: A child who is 92 cm tall should still have lots of space left in an Izikid. This seat is normally outgrown around a height of 110 cm.
The seat can be used until tip of ears of your child are at top of seat shell. That means almost half of your child’s head can be above top of seat shell before it’s time to change seat.
Harness position is not of significance. If harness is slightly above shoulders or slightly below shoulders has no impact on safety. You can therefore use your seat until tip of ears are at top of seat shell.
Forces on a harness in a rear facing seat are very low thanks to physics. This is why harness position is of little importance.
If you do want a seat with taller seat shell Britax Multi Tech and Britax Two-Way have the tallest seats shells. They both last rear facing to around age 6 or a height of 125 cm
Kidzone/Kidzofix, Klippan Triofix and Britax Max-Way last rear facing to around age 5 or a height of 120-125 cm.
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Michelle: Most parents believe it’s safer keeping an older forward facing child harnessed. This is not correct. There is no research, data or real life experiences showing this.
What most parents perceive as being the greatest strength of a harnessed FF seat, that a child doesn’t move forward much in a frontal collision, is also the greatest weakness.
The huge forces in a frontal collision are absorbed by the child’s head, neck and shoulder area. These are tremendous forces even in a low speed accident. A child weighing 50 lbs weigh 2000 lbs in a frontal collision at only 31 mph (50 km/h).
A high back booster seat spread the huge forces over a larger part of the body, not all is focused on the head, neck and shoulder area.
Some other benefits of high back booster seats are the much lower price, far easier installation and also that it’s easier to move to another vehicle.
The Swedes have been keeping children rear facing since 1965 and focused intensely on car seat safety for 45+ years. We perform deep studies on all accidents with children to learn more about what works best. Some countries just recently started looking at car seat safety while most today in 2011 have little interest in keeping children safe in cars despite it being the number one killer in many countries.
During the past 45+ years we have learned a lot and our experts have a tremendous amount of experience. This is why we recommend high back booster seats instead of harnessed seats while forward facing. Forward facing harnessed seat are not even sold in Sweden since there are no safety benefits.
You have done a fantastic job in keeping your child rear facing for this long. Rear facing at age 4.5 years is still much safer than forward facing but we can’t keep our children rear facing forever;-)
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Sam: Britax Two-Way and Brio Zento are the two seats which don’t use a support leg. These two seats would fit in your car but space in front seat will not be great since Focus has smallish back seat.
Filling the compartment or placing a larger solid object on top of compartment, for support leg to lean on, are common solutions. Using support leg and leaning against front seat is another solution.
Ford Focus has a back seat which slope more than other cars so BeSafe would end of being very upright. It’s also not a compact seat so space in front seat will not be good. Our usual recommendation is Britax Max-Way, and previously Hi-Way, since this seat is compact and a good angle can be found.
Multi Tech will fit in your car but space in front seat will not be great. It will be better than with Besafe but we find Max-Way being a better solution since it also has a taller seat shell and a higher rear facing weight.
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
Marcus: Please see our answer to Justine. How tall is your child?
/Håkan
https://www.carseat.se
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Thanks so much Hakan!
I guess I'll keep him rearfacing a little longer so, he's in no hurry to turn, and when the time comes I'll go straight to a high-backed booster.
Michelle