Before buying a display unit, always always find out the manufacturing date of that unit, and when it's supposed to be expired. Because no point even spending RM50 on a carseat if it is already expired. ALL carseats have (or should have) an expiry date, because plastics become brittle over time and will no longer function correctly in a car accident if too old.

You should also make sure that either the display unit still has a manual, or you can get an online copy of the carseat manual for that version of the carseat. Must always read your carseat manual to make sure you install and use the carseat correctly. WRONG USE/INSTALLATION OF CARSEAT CAN BE DANGEROUS.

Different carseats will have it in different places. The manual should always inform you where to look for or calculate the expiry date, but more often I find it faster to just google [name of carseat] expiry. Not always as accurate as checking in the car seat's manual.

Read more at: Child Restraint Re-use After Minor Crashes

Choosing infant seat or convertible is a matter of convenience, a lifestyle choice. As long as your baby is heavier and taller than the weight and height limits of the carseat you choose, whether you choose infant seat or convertible makes no difference to your baby's safety.

You can read more about it at http://baby-car-seats-review.toptenreviews...-car-seats.html

I've used a Hauck stroller. Very well made and well designed. I love my Hauck stroller. Dunno much about their car seats. Why don't you ask the people at the fair if they can demo the carseat installation? See how hellish it is to install. The most important thing with car seats is always getting it installed correctly.

I'm not a heavy stroller user. Only take out to use occasionally, but it's nearly 3 years old and still functioning well. No jamming when opening or closing and no tears in the fabric or dents, cracks or breaks to the frame.

I think for stroller questions, really you should go ask in the stroller thread. This thread is for carseat discussions. Two or three posts are ok, but more than that is just inconsiderate to other people who want to read about carseats, not strollers.

Mine came with my carseat. I haven't been able to find any in Malaysia. You may have to order through amazon.com or other overseas store. It's always a good idea in Malaysia to look for carseats with either built-in lockoffs or make sure the carseat provides a lockoff.

My baby didn't want to take bottle when I first went back to work. Then he didn't want to take any other milk except breastmilk, even though he was already one years old. Then, he didn't want to wean, even though he was already two years old. But I couldn't breastfeed forever.

I did whatever I had to do, at every stage necessary. That's what parenting is about. Knowing what's necessary for your child and teaching your child to accept it, slowly and steadily, even though they don't like it.

Carseats are for your child's SAFETY. You should not compromise safety for comfort. I would rather drive for only 20 minutes at a time, with my baby crying the whole time, than my baby be exposed to harm.

That being said, there are ways to help your child be more comfortable or at least to learn to accept the carseat. This is the most helpful article to me: http://thecarseatlady.com/keeping-your-kids-happy/

You should definitely always do that with an older child, but technically, you should buy your first carseat while still pregnant with your baby so that even when you leave the hospital your baby is in a carseat. How to let baby choose a carseat if not born yet? Selling off expensive carseat is a financial loss to the parent. They can definitely do that if that's what they want to do, like a mother whose breastfeeding baby refuses to take bottle can quit work and stay home with baby all the time. Just different ways to keep your baby happy and healthy.

Once your carseat has been in a car crash, even if your baby not in it, and even if there doesn't appear to be any damage, you have to replace the carseat. This is because there may be really tiny invisible flaws in the carseat that would fail in a second car accident and kill your child instead of saving them.

I got into a car crash one week after buying a brand new carseat. The carseat looked perfect still. But the carseat has a special "replace" indicator, which is just some red thread that they sew onto the top tether area. I checked that benang, and sure enough, the thread was broken already, which means must replace. If not for that red thread as indicator, you wouldn't be able to tell at all that the carseat has been in a car crash. Looked brand new, because only one week used.

When you buy second hand, it's like leaving your child with the seller to jaga. Do you trust your child's life to that seller? Is that seller honest enough to care if your child lives or dies?

Actually, it's not a good idea to get a "universal" cover or a cover from another manufacturer. This is because the carseat is tested for crashes using exactly everything that comes in the box with your carseat, and when you use something else or add anything else, it may not work in the accident the way it was tested. So you shouldn't add anything and you shouldn't replace anything, unless the carseat manual specifically says you can, or you've contacted the manufacturer and the manufacturer says you can. Not even the strap pads or the pillow under your baby's head!

There is no "norm." There are car seats that have passed their crash tests and therefore will protect your child in an accident if installed correctly and there are fake car seats. Maxi Cosi Pebble has passed its crash test. I've never used a Maxi Cosi and I haven't watched the video, so I don't know if it's loose. But here, I share a link on checking "looseness" http://csftl.org/checking-for-movement/

About a carseat being "tall." Some carseats are high, some carseats are low. Some carseats are big and wide, some carseats are narrow and tall, some carseats are short and wide. That's why there are many to choose from, and the best carseat is the carseat that fits your child correctly AND can be installed into YOUR car correctly.

On fixing your carseat into your vehicle, I suggest you read your car owner's manual before even buying any car seat. It will explain your whole isofix, where you can install to use isofix, etc. I've never used a crv so I don't know, but in general, most cars don't put the isofix in the middle seat. But there are a few that do, or allow "borrowing" the isofix points from the side seats to use in the middle. Your car owner's manual would mention it if they allow it.

I was adding to your information, izso, not replying directly to you. I apologize for the miscommunication.

I'm very conscious that there are people who read here without commenting. It is always good to provide extra information for all the readers, not just the people you're directly speaking to.

This post has been edited by hanishoney: Aug 11 2015, 10:24 AM

According to http://csftl.org/checking-for-movement/, too tight an installation can overstress the carseat, the seatbelt or isofix anchors. An ideally installed seat shouldn't move more than 1 inch using your NON-dominant hand (if you're right handed, use your left hand to check, and if you're left-handed use your right hand to check) to shake it WHERE it is attached to the car, i.e. at the anchors or the seatbelt pathway. "None at all" movement is not necessary to aim for.

I repeat what I keep repeating, when recommending a carseat, please also mention what car and where in your car you install it, because not all carseats suit all cars.

There are several Malaysian brands of carseats now that comply to European safety standard. I'm personally using SNSkidz Ace for my 6mo, because it can rear-face until 13kg for under RM300. I have installed it in a Suprima, a Myvi (old version) and a Peugeot 2008 (I think; sorry it's my FIL's car, so I'm not certain), all behind the passenger front seat, using seatbelt. Quite easy to install, nice material, and the manual and stickers on the carseat are easy to understand. Only problems: my son's head is huge, so I had to remove the head insert as it didn't fit him properly and the crotch buckle padding keeps popping out, which is mildly irritating but not a deal-killer. Yes, it's a Malaysian brand that complies to European safety standard.

Rearface your child for as long as you can. Rear-facing is FIVE TIMES safer than front-facing. I don't like a lot of the cheaper European convertible seats (including Kooper) because most of them allow rear-facing until 9kg only. My 6mo is nearly 8kg and no where near ready to even sit up by himself, much less face forward. I intend to keep him rear-facing until he is at least 2 years old. So if you can't set aside the money for a carseat that can rearface until 18kg, I'd recommend buying a rear-facing only seat that will last until 13kg, then when baby is too heavy or too tall for the baby seat, move baby to a Group 1/2/3 seat, like Fisher Price Cronos 3-in-1 (not Malaysian, but under RM500 and comes with a cupholder), SNSkidz Pro, Perreno Securie (another Malaysian carseat brand) or Sweet Cherry Canyon (Sweet Cherry is another Malaysian brand, but have to be careful because not all of their carseats comply to Europe safety standards, although some do).

This post has been edited by hanishoney: Nov 6 2015, 05:28 PM

Personally, I deliberately trained my kids to sit at the back while hubby and I always sit in front, because what if I'm the only one with my kids? Then can never go out at all? By training them to be used to sitting at the back without their parents, I can drive my kids just me and the kids to the doctor, or whatever emergency, if necessary.

When we have kids, our entire lifestyle changes, right? Our driving style also has to change. While the kids are in the screaming-hate-the-carseat-but-cannot-understand-why-it's-important phase, I try to keep our driving distances short. I even open up Waze or Google Maps and plan stops for every 20 minutes, in case they need a break from screaming (by getting them to rest from screaming every 20 minutes, you prevent vomiting).

Biar lambat asalkan selamat, is the Malay phrase. Take your time driving, and stop as frequently as necessary. I make sure to take my kids out in the car every day, even at the same time every day, whenever possible, so they know being in the carseat is just part of the daily routine.

That being said, it's actually possible to put 3 carseats in a row, if you have the time and money to import the carseats narrow enough to fit the space, with the required installments (for example, if you have only a 2-pt lapbelt in the middle, most rear-facing American carseats will suit, but the only European carseat I know of that can be used is the Graco Nautilus, which is front-facing only).

The most famous 3-in-a-row carseat brands are Diono, Clek and Combi (USA versions). If you have a 3-pt shoulder-and-lap belt in the middle, you have many more options, even local. SNSkidz has shown that they can install 2 SNSkidz Star and 1 SNSkidz Pro in the back of a VW Passat!

No adult should sit beside a carseat without using a 3-pt SHOULDER-and-lap belt. It's very dangerous, because without the shoulder restraint in an accident, the adult's head will fly forward and smash into the carseat, bleeding and dying all over the child. A family friend's wife died this way.

For what age/weight of child are you looking for?

Little Whiz having sale currently and here's all their isofix seats: http://www.littlewhiz.com/cat-isofix-latch-car-seat.cfm Best to go to the shop and test fixing to your car. From what I understand, rear-facing using isofix doesn't suit all cars. If you're putting a newborn into the carseat, best to test before you buy, to confirm that the angle is correct for baby. You want a newborn to be at a 45 degree angle exactly for maximum safety. But if your baby already has head control, then the angle not so important, because they can correct their own head so can breathe properly.

I've never personally used Aldo carseats myself, but I've been told that Aldo Hidalgo comes with a lockoff. The picture attached is what Aldo's lockoff is supposed to look like.


More about using locking clips and lockoffs: Using A Locking Clip. If you have lost the lockoff, you can buy a different locking clip instead. Singapore sells two versions: http://www.taxibaby.sg/store/p2/Premium_locking_clip.html

I'm more worried that you don't have the car seat manual though, because a car seat may not work properly unless used exactly the way the manufacturer has tested it in their crash tests. Did you buy your aldo new or used? Can you try asking the shop you bought from for a copy of the manual, or at least contact detail of the supplier so you can ask the supplier for a copy?