Ultimate best RF carseat wanted

[NoHunIntended]

Dear Experts

Is there an ultimate best RF carseat please?
I am looking on incarsafetycentre.co.uk/catalog/index.php/cPath/30 and we will probably go to MK this weekend, where I know the shop assistant will advise, but I'd like to gather opinions here. Not set on going to MK, so if there is a better RF seat elsewhere, please let me know.

Thank you.

[ajaybaines]

I don't know about ultimate, but we've been really happy with the britax two way elite (purchased at incarsafety). We have one each for our one year old and three year old who both happily rear face. I like the fact that the harness goes up to 25 kilos rather than 18 like many seats.

Have no experience of other makes but I'm sure others will have good experience of others.

[EauRouge]

We've got a 2 way elite too, also from MK We're really pleased with it and we're planning on buying another for DD2 when she's big enough (providing it will fit behind the driver's seat when DH is driving)

[NoHunIntended]

:)

Thanks, All.

And Loopy, I take your point!

ajaybaines and EauRouge, there doesn't seem to be as much head support in the 2-Way Elite as there is with the Britax Multi-tech - is this correct, and if so, did something put you off the Multi-tech?

Loopy, we currently have the baby version of the BeSafe, and like it a lot.

[EauRouge]

What do you mean by head support? We had a cushion insert thingy when DD1 was tiny, similar to the newborn inserts you get in baby car seats. The Multi-tech didn't fit in our old car, only the 2WE did.

[dreamfeeder]

I have just bought a BeSafe iZi combi for 10 month old DD. Great seat, best in crash testing (bar the BeSafe iZi Kid which performs 1% better). By 18kg most children are about 4 (or so I was told/ checked in red book) and so ready to move on to pastures new (and FF) anyway.

Love the seat in all ways for DD, does limit passenger legroom in our Ford Focus a lot (but no more than the Britax Multi-tech we tried too), DH can't be a passenger and sit in front of it (but he is 6'4" with stupidly long legs).

Depends how the seats sit in your car which will work best for you. My main issue is DD still sleeps in car a fair bit. Or did, too busy looking out windows now. If she does fall asleep, her head lolls forwards. Just bought a Yondi neck collar thing for her from boots to see if it helps. Having said that, the Britax was FAR more upright in our Focus so would have been worse not better with a diff seat (also tried polaric whatsit...)

[NoHunIntended]

EauRouge, it just looks like there is more cushioning around their ears in the one I linked to. Would a cushion insert thingy make up the difference?

Thanks for the info, dreamfeeder. Was wanting to find out about the best in crash testing, so that is good to know. Would be nice if the BeSafe went up to 25kg.

We actually hardly ever use the car, don't do long journeys really either, but still concerned about his head lolling forward, so will bear that in mind, than you.

And I've already ordered my Yondi neck collar thing! :)

[EauRouge]

It worked fine for us, we took it out when DD1 was about 20 months maybe. If you're worried about head lolling then ask about reclining angles, we've just got a new car (mondeo) and DD1 is leaning back slightly more in the new car than she was in our old one (Alfa 147) because there's a bit more space.

[NoHunIntended]

thank you not than you!

Lovely, many thanks for your time, EauRouge.

[nicm]

hi, i have the two way elite as well. i did have the KISS too and now have 2 hi-way ii's as well. i've had the twe for over 2 years now and it's a great seat. have just got the hi-way seats and they go to 25kgs and have passed the swedish plus test. so far so good and ds1 likes it too. the twe can be reclined as much as the baby carrier. ds slept well in it and went into it about 9/10months.

:)

[NoHunIntended]

Thanks, nicm.

[aswellasyou]

I'd lean towards ones that have passed the Swedish 'Plus Test'. They should know at the shop in MK. I know the Klippan Kiss 2, BeSafe Izi Combi X3 and Britax HiWay all have.

I love the KK2! It has a group 0 (birth to 10kg) carrier with wheels that you can remove, although that may not be useful for you if your child is heavier than that. I've never used that bit in a car on its own, but I like being able to carry my daughter into the house in it and wheel her backwards around shops for no apparent reason. It's got a fantastic recline on it, unlike my BeSafe. And it's actually quite short footprint-wise and not too wide.

[CokeFan]

We have a TWE (from the in car safety centre). We chose that above the multitech because we couldn't comfortably fit the multitech in either of our cars (focus and avensis) and still sit in the front passenger seat. The TWE rests against the front seat so you get more room.

[worldgonecrazy]

We have a Besafe Izi Combi Isofix which we love so much we bought two, one for our car and one for the Grandparents.

I think the Besafe Kid has won the latest consumer tests but I've not seen it in RL so can't comment.

[NoHunIntended]

Swedish Plus Test, got it! Thank you, aswellasyou.
I saw that wheelability when I was researching our first carseat! Not sure I'd get so much use out of it now DS is a heavy chunkster!

Thanks CokeFan and worldgonecrazy. A lot to consider! I really just want the safest possible seat, I don't care if the other passengers are a bit squashed! We actually barely ever have other passengers, so it's not really a consideration.

[JuneMummy]

another fan here of the TWE. One of the best things ive ever bought. LOL! It fits most cars and i love how light weight it is and how easy it is to install. Both my parents and DH's parents have one too for their own cars (after i converted them to rearfacing) and they can even install it themselves without problems. Although i do always check it before they put DS in it. Just for my own reassurance :-)

[NoHunIntended]

Great, seems like quite a firm favourite! Thank you for replying, JuneMummy.

[NoHunIntended]

dreamfeeder (or anyone!), I've just received my Yondi in the post, aged 1-4yrs, it says 'recommended for children in forward-facing child seats'. The one for ages 0-12 months says recommended for children travelling in backward-facing safety seats. Hm. I can't believe there is really much difference with regards this Yondi neck support - am I wrong?

[dreamfeeder]

I don't think there is- after all, the child is in the same slightly reclined position no matter which direction they face, surely the difference is in the size to fit around their neck. I think it's just that in the UK we seem obsessed with turning our children round ASAP to forward facing as 'the next step' so it lets parents know it's for a car seat??. Everyone is amazed I've bought a group 1 rear facing seat... ANd I use my Yondi for sleeping in the back pack carrier too. It seems to help. I can also lean back or over (pulled over if I'm driving of course) to move her head back against the backrest and into her yondi if she gets head loll when we're driving. SOmetimes it stays there, sometimes i have to do it multiple times... We only had choice of Britax multi, BeSafe iZi combi and Recaro Polaric seats at the only shop selling RF seats near us, so I'm REALLY hoping I haven't missed a trick re: seats which recline more. Of those 3 the BeSafe was by far the best in our 2005 Focus. In every other way i love the seat.

[dreamfeeder]

Having just looked at the video of installing the two way elite, the BeSafe gives a lot of legroom for the child. May or may not make them more comfortable as tehy get bigger and taller, but makes me feel they might be.

Also as the lady who sold me mine demonstrated, the side impact protection for the BeSafe is excellent and best in its class, and the TWE looks like it doesn't offer so much- as in child sits deeper in the BeSafe giving better internal organ protection (so we were told and does seem common sense). She was pointing this out for the BeSafe versus the Britax Multi but seems to be same for TWE. She also said (from a small shop in Wigan) they sell 10-20 per week of the BeSafe, by far their best-selling seat and we are not talking a big shop!!

The BeSafe is not lightweight in the slightest but was so easy to install (we have the isofix one- another expense as I paid to have isofix adaptor kit fitted to our aging Focus) but on the whole I think it was a fantastic use of money!! The seat is so solid, not a mm movement in it, very confident of it.

[NoHunIntended]

Ooh, so glad you saw my update, dreamfeeder. Thank you for the response. That's what I thought. They look about the same, though I haven't compared them in the flesh closely.

From memory, I think the side-impact thing was a key reason we chose the first stage BeSafe for DS from birth. And it is SOOOO solid, chunky and heavy, it really does feel as safe as possible.

Thank you again so much for your input.

[dreamfeeder]

Oh- I should have thought- my DD is 10 months and using the Yondi for age 1-4 now in her BeSafe izi combi rear-facer. So it's clearly fine!!

For the first time ever I can stop off and get her in and out the car in short spaces of time without her kicking off at going back in- which I presume is because she can see so much in her new seat. Loving the BeSafe!!! (apart from the head loll- she pulls ehr yondi off- hence pulling off the blooming motorway today to sort her lolling her out!!!!! babies!!! Yondi back on- much better.

[NoHunIntended]

Yes, my DS is coming up to 10 months, and I bought the 1-4 Yondi. He never fits hats for his age, so I don't think he'll be too small for it.

We have our appointment at MK booked for tomorrow. :)

[aswellasyou]

I bought the 0-12 month Yondi for my 10 month old when she's in the BeSafe. It doesn't work for her at all, which isn't suprising since I discovered on Wednesday that her head's on the 98th centile! I wish I'd bought the 1-4 years one but she's gradually learning to sleep with her head back so she probably won't need one soon.

[NoHunIntended]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who was kind enough to reply. We have our new carseat - we went for the BeSafe. Love it! And it seems DS does too! Phew!