britax or maxi cosi

[shinyhappypeople]

Hi, wonder if anyone can help. Im about to but the next stage car seat for dd who is 8 months, I have read some product reviews and it seems to be a choice between either a britax eclipse or maxi cosi priori. Does anyone have either of these and suggest a best buy please, thanks.

[CarGirl]

depends on your car, ie which one fits in your car best.

[Heated]

We have the maxi cosi priori xp which is great for giving dcs that extra bit of height to see out of the window. There are plenty of different fabric & colour choices. We've got two seats, but the one we've found to be really hard wearing is the soft, plush fabric (fake velvet is how I'd describe it to the touch), it looks as good as new and it wipes down well, whilst dd's should be a hard wearing fabric but it shows every mark.

[Niecie]

Agree with cargirl - knowing which one fit best in your car is more important than reviews. Mothercare should have somebody trained to fit them properly.

If it is any help DS2 had the Maxi Cosi Priori and it was fine. Still looks pretty good after a lot of use.

[CarGirl]

if you contact britax they will tell you which is your nearest "proper" fitter, ie where the staff get full training rather than the 1 day course the mothercare staff do. Britax website will also tell you which of their seats fit in your car. I would look at which models fit your car well and get the one with the tallest back (ie seat to top of head)

[lackaDAISYcal]

We have a Britax eclipse and it's a good seat, but we made sure it fitted both our cars. I like the fact that it reclines as well (not sure if the Priori does this?)

Have used it full time for DS for three years, then the GPs had it for when they were ferrying our niece around and now DD (11months) is in it full time. The fabric is still in pristene condition inspite of being washed lots of times. When we got it out for using with DD, we noticed that the polystyrene insert was broken at the straps. Britax sent me a complete set of inserts, free of charge, on next day delivery, and we have had another query that was dealt with very promptly. Their customer service is second to none I think and I'd definately always buy Britax from now on.

[Jojay]

Just to stick a spanner in the works, last time I looked, Which? recommended Mamas and Papas Pro-tec as the safest non Isofix carseat.

I've got one and I'm very happy with it.

I think the Maxi Cosi Priori was the next safest.

But it does depend what fits your car.

[nannyL]

the maxi cosi tobi is the next safest non isofix seat

persoanly i wouldnt bother with the britax eclipse as its a bit 'old' now and britax have now made the next 'range'

The Which report is about to do its review on 1st June 2008 so tbh id wait until then.

your child is much safer rear facing in her group 0 car seat for a few months yest so no real rush at all

as said before... a seat that fits your car will be safer than any seta that doesnt

[lynniep]

we have a both- Britax - think its a First Class (was donated by sil barely used - how kind!) and a priori xp which we bought because of reviews on safety and comfort. I have the Britax in my car and the other is in dh's. Obviously you're not asking about the first class but it will be a similiar style to the eclipse.
I think both are good, but I actually prefer the Britax for two reasons. The first is probably to do more with the car (Nissan) - it reclines further back, but actually is more reclined than the maxicosi in the upright position. It seems more comfy for ds.
The second thing is the Maxi cosi has a really irritating set of nylon straps that sometimes 'fold' and get caught in the bar that they are threaded through. It takes ages to get the fold out if you dont notice it quickly and renders the seatbelt useless. I take extra care now but it really used to drive me mad.
On the other hand it has usefull clips to hold the straps back whilst you put the baby in.
Oh I've just remembered a third reason I prefer the britax- the maxi cosi needs you to poke your finger in to change the lenght of the straps and I nip my finger in it now and again, as opposed to the britax which has a button on top.

[evenhope]

We've got a britax eclipse and we're really pleased with it. It reclines easily; the straps adjust easily and she looks really comfy in it. Big plus for us is that it also goes in with a lap belt or a lap & diagonal belt, so we can put it in the centre of DH's truck.

[shinyhappypeople]

Thanks for all your info, I dont need it for another month so Im going to wait till the next Which report is out as suggested by NannyL. Its also good to know useful info like straps getting stuck on the Maxi, so thanks all again, much appreciated.

[differentID]

Shiny, how much does your LO weigh? Plus go somewhere and get them tried in the car first.

[youngbutnotdumb]

According to Halfords the best ar seat is Britax Evolva 123. I have this car seat and is fab head rest is great for sleeping babies my DS uses it as a pillow LOL. Is well padded and does up to 11 and at £13 is not to high in price but it has excellent reviewstoo.

[youngbutnotdumb]

Oh soz not £13, £130 god that wuld be to good to be true eh?

[nannyL]

youngbut not dumb...

In my opinion the best seat can not be the evolva 1-2-3 simply because in group 1 it is not even nearly as safe as the other group 1 only seats (and the main reason i use car seats (apart from the legal stuff) is to keep the child safe in the event of a crash, and the maxi cosi / britax seats etc keep the child safer in the even of a crash