Kiddy Energy Pro

Despite having read a number of less than positive reviews and having conducted a considerable amount of research I decided to buy the Kiddie Energy Pro car seat for my son. I have been nothing but enormously impressed - the seat is so easy to install and do up and he absolutely loves it - especially the tummy bar - he uses it as a drum! I don't understand how any child could slip out from under the bar unless their seat belt was broken - my boy is a real wriggler and there is no way, once strapped in, he could get out. Overall my experience has been extremely positive and I would recommend this seat to anyone!

Groan, I wish I could be more positive. When this car seat works, it is great, however when it doesn't the effect could be catastrophic. I have now emailed Kiddy 3 times and eventually got a reply back yesterday. My email stated:

"I initially emailed you to voice my concerns with my child escaping from your Kiddy Energy Pro car seat on 7/12/11 but didn't receive a reply. I then re-sent the email and still didn't receive a response. I find this very disappointing considering the grave and potentially life threatening issues I raised. I have since continued to use the car seat and have made some discoveries.

When my (14 month old) son is wearing a bulky padded coat he finds it much easier to manoeuvre the Impact shield out of the car seat and escape. Therefore I have stopped putting him in the car seat wearing bulky clothing (not ideal in the cold weather but obviously safety is paramount). This was successful ...; until this week when he managed to once again push the bar out of the car seat and fall under it despite being in thin clothing.

On investigation I discovered that if my son pushes the bar with both hands it remains in place. However if he pushes at an angle with one hand on the end of the bar (nearest the door of the car) it can be levered out with enough force. If it still doesn't come out he can then push the other end and by alternating pushing one end then the other he can wiggle the bar out.

I even tried securing the bar in place without my son in the car seat and by copying this manoeuvre I could also remove the bar as the seatbelt loosens with each movement despite being hooked in with both straps.

Whilst I appreciate your car seat has excellent safety records I would urge you to carry out some tests regarding this matter as it is obviously extremely dangerous for a child to be able to escape from the seat during transit. I am now in a quandary as to whether I continue use of this seat or replace it with a different model, which is obviously not ideal as the seat was not a cheap option.

Are you waiting for a child to escape, cause an accident and be seriously injured or worse before you investigate this? I am aware I am not the only customer who has had this problem. I would appreciate an urgent response to this email."

In response they stated (extracted):

"Throughout the last ten years we sold 400.000 seats with impact shields. Consumer information and complaint sheets proof that this incident is really a singular case." and "Of course it is necessary to fasten the seat belt according to the manual. By this the child shouldn't be able to unbuckle the impact shield."

So apparently my case is the only case and it is obviously my fault as I haven't strapped him in properly. Yet, I have watched all the instruction videos available and read the instructions in detail. Plus as from this page and the reviews on the Infinity and Guardian Pro as well as reviews on Which? this is clearly not an isolated case. I have sent back a strongly worded email and copied in many of the reviews I have found. I await response.

So beware, if your child is a wriggler then DO NOT purchase this seat and if you do complain to the company beware they will probably insist it is YOUR fault and you are the ONLY person this has happened to rather than investigating this serious safety issue.

I bought this seat after reading the Which? reviews, and it coming out on top as the safest seat. Plus we were limited in our choice as we didn't have Isofix.

I was a bit concerned that my little boy wouldn't like the impact cushion but at first he was fine with it, and seemed comfy. Then the problems started! Firstly it's really hard to get a protesting child into it, and during a tantrum it took up to ten minutes to get my son into it.
But that is a mere inconvenience...
There were a couple of occasions where he managed to push the cushion out of it's slot and slip down. I initially put this down to it being in a different car, and that my husband had fitted it instead of me. But then a few weeks ago he managed to stand up three times in one week from the seat, by pushing the cushion forward. Very scary, and the last time I used it. He is a very active child so I need something that will contain and this is not the seat for doing that! I have emailed Kiddy twice and have had no response as of yet. I'm annoyed as it isn't a cheap seat, but isn't fit for purpose with a child that happens to want to escape. I'm now looking for a five-point alternative.

Which? December 2010 - BEST BUY Group 1 - Higher than the nfinity now!

The first thing that struck me about the Kiddy Energy Pro is how stylish it looks. My DS looks pretty as a picture in the Anthracite seat cover, and even better, it's both washable and breathable, which gets a big thumbs up from me, especially if it's going to last her until he's 4 years old.

The Kiddy brand is very safety aware, and having won awards for previous models and been in the business for over 30 years, you definitely feel you can put your trust in them when it comes to car seats.

The impact shield is an extra part of the seat that slots in once you've sat your child down. It's made of highly shock-absorbing materials and offers the best impact protection in the event of a head-on collision. The risk of dangerous neck injuries is reduced as the impact forces are directed into the impact shield, preventing your baby's head from being thrown about. And if that wasn't enough, an additional energy-absorbing layer has now been integrated into the surface in the Energy Pro. The high-performance material installed at the core of the original shield has, to date, absorbed 60% of the energy created in a crash - so the newly integrated layer takes care of the remaining 40%.

At first, I thought this extra bit (the impact shield) would annoy, as it slots in either side and across the body, but he actually really likes it. He waits with a big grin on his face as you're strapping him in and likes to loll his head on it when he's tired.

The price tag is pretty parent friendly at £169.90. It's not the cheapest car seat out there, but it's certainly not the most expensive, so for all that research, testing and safety, it's a pretty good buy!

Delighted with this car seat. Chose due to safety rating, use of seat belt rather than five point harness, lightweight, portability and fool proof fitting. Also it fits our car, which for a 5dr hatch seems to have ridiculously small rear seats and short seat belts. Chose this over other models as it seemed to be the newest so benefits from the latest updates (breathable fabric etc. check out the Kiddy website). Baby loves it, whether awake or asleep, been on several long journeys and he's been comfortable and slept peacefully for hours. I've even managed to take him out of the car in the car seat (it's light enough) without him waking up. It's also easy to clean.