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View Full Version : Comments on Fisher Price Futura 20/60, 2 piece harness ties and carseat fabric



aunt83me02
02-20-2001, 07:51 PM
My sister recently bought the Fisher Price Futura 20/60 for her 40lb. 2 year old. I enjoy researching baby product information so she asked me if I'd research carseats to find one that would best suit her son. After finding that the internal harness of all booster seats only go up to 40lbs.(like his Century Smartmove) and then switch to a belt-positioner, we decided on the Futura 20/60(I also contacted SafetyBelt U.S.A., they said it was really the only seat on the market that was appropriate for his age, weight and height). After she bought the seat I saw somewhere on the internet that Fisher-Price introduced it to retailers first as the 5-pt. harness and when nobody would carry it they switched to the 4pt. with the tray shield. What I want to know is why the retailers wouldn't carry the safer model. The 5pt. harness has been proven the safest, why don't they want customers to be able to buy the safest seat? Just today, while surfing the web I found this site in which someone had an entry that said the Center for Injury Prevention was the only place that carried the 5pt. version. I wish I had known the information before she bought the seat from another online retailer. I think this information should be broadcasted across the whole internet, I also think that Fisher-Price should say that the 5pt. model is available from CIP. I think a lot of parents figure that all products are equal in safety and that they just buy the cutest print. I think manufacturers should have a wider variety of fabrics, especially for the safest seats. I also think that more companies need to come out with 5pt. harnesses for more than 40lbs. I can't believe there's only one! When I enter college in the fall of 2002 I plan on majoring in textiles and clothing and working for a company on getting attractive fabrics, while not compromising safety. Another thing, why doesn't the whole industry switch to the 2-piece harness tie? They are so easy. Century was the only company that had them for a while on any seat. Some Cosco seats, Britax Roundabout and Freeway, and almost all Century seats have them. I believe all of Evenflo's 2001 product line has them. Century and Evenflo are the only ones that have them on their infant seats though. I work in several different nurseries and the infant seats with the 5pt. harness, without the 2 piece harness tie are a real pain! I can't imagine how it would have been to get my nephew into his Century Smartmove without the 2 piece harness tie! I just joined this forum today and look forward to exchanging information.

shandrin
02-23-2001, 06:59 PM
yep, i understand your points, many people feel that an overhead seat is safe because it's a 'shield' the name sounds as though it offers some extra protection but in turn is actually dangerous. why retailers wouldn't carry the 5pt futura is really down to a missunderstanding, companies think the public wants shield seats so they make them, people see them feeling they are safe and in turn buy them, and of coarse only enforces the 'idea' that this is what the public wants. when in fact the shield is there purely for convenience even mfg's will tell you that it offers no greater protection as a matter of fact a child must come in contact with the shield, that is part of how the shield seat works, they are also not sugguested for young babies and children who wear glasses. in europe their are not shield seats they simply wouldn't passs their tests. *hopefully* in time more 5pts will be readily available.
as to the 2pc chest clips well, i think cost was part of it probably cheaper to make the "paperclip" style rather than the 2pc, but i do think the fact people want the 2pc is catching on, now evenflo makes one as well and they were the last company that did still use the "paperclip" style even on their high end seats. infant seats still appear to lag behind, many still don't have them, once again in time maybe this will improve. also as to fabrics britax offers many choices for their seats and i have seen that century and cosco, evenflo and fisher price are offering more choices.