Group 0/1 seat that is actually decent for newborns?

[Glitterandglue]

I'm due a new niece in August and I will likely be taking her out every now and then, as I often do with my niece and nephews now. However, I only started taking them out in the car when the youngest was almost two, so I had a group 1-3 seat which did fine.

Now of course I'll need something suitable for a newborn. I don't really want to be paying a lot of money because it will be very occasional trips and they won't be far, certainly until she's older. Having looked at the choices I figured a group 0/1 seat would be best as if the new one is anything like her sister she will be tiny, so I don't want to have to stick her in the 1-3 seat as soon as she hits 13kg because I think she'll be uncomfortable in that for a long time.

But from the reviews I'm reading, all the complaints seem to be that 0/1 seats really aren't great for newborns. Lots of people saying their newborns or even four or six month olds were lost and uncomfortable in them, and this baby is likely to be small for a long time so I don't really want to subject her to that.

Are there decent (and not hugely expensive, as in probably less than eighty quid) 0/1 seats that are actually good enough for newborns? Or will I have to bite the bullet and get a 0+ and then possibly a 0/1 when she is bigger?

[TheWiseOldElf]

Will your DN have a newborn car seat in her parents' car? They're normally very portable. My parents have a toddler seat for DD1 but if they were to take DD2 in their car as well I would just transport her seat (maxi cosi cabriofix) into their car. I often get DD2 in and out of my car in the seat anyway so it's in and out all the time unlike a toddler seat.

[Glitterandglue]

She will, but the car won't always be there and I cannot rely on her father remembering (or bothering) to take the seat out. I used to use one of their high back boosters for one of my nephews but it got to be such a hassle trying to get it at the right times I bought one myself in the end. Wish it could be that simple though, seeing as it should be...

Actually, I might talk to my sister. She has a fetish for pushchairs (at one point had four, and only the youngest using them!) so if I can encourage her to have a fetish for car seats she might end up getting more than one anyway, heh.

[AliceMum09]

I used a Britax First Class Group 0+&1 combination seat from birth for two of my babies (they were 6lbs 8oz and 7lbs 5oz at birth, so not massive) and they were fine in it, laid fairly flat thanks to the newborn insert cushion.

My seat is 8 years old now, the ones currently on sale are just the same but they have a much-improved newborn insert with a head hugger attached, which mine doesn't have, so if anything they will be even better for a newborn.

It's a great seat, and you should be able to use it rear facing right up to 13kgs - this is the same weight limit as an infant carrier, but because the seat is more roomy for the baby you'll find they do actually fit in it at 13kgs (a lot of babies are moved out of their infant carrier before they reach 13kgs due to the fact that they are tall and their head has reached the top of the seat, or they are 'chunky' and are really squashed width-wise). Rear facing until age 4 is the ideal scenario for children in the car, but certainly until 13kgs is better than moving to a forward facing seat at 9 months.

It's not a bad price for a seat that will last birth to about 4 years www.johnlewis.com/britax-first-class-plus-car-seat-black-thunder/p231779007 and like you said, better than a Group 1-2-3 seat for a child under 2

[Glitterandglue]

Thank you, having a look and that does look pretty decent. It's a little more than I'd like to spend but I'll feel better knowing I've got something good rather than just okay. Might even get to use it for my own kids one day!

Thanks

[McPheezingMyButtOff]

You can't beat a Maxi Cosi Pebble IMO.

[minipie]

We've just got that Britax seat for our DD age 16 months to use as the group 1 onwards stage. I wish we'd bought it from birth - I think it would be fine for a newborn, with the insert, it's pretty padded around the sides. And we'd certainly have saved money compared with buying Group 0+ and then this one.

If your baby is really really really tiny, you can get specific inserts for car seats designed for preemies.

[Glitterandglue]

Maxi Cosi Pebble is out of my price range, unfortunately (and would mean I would still need a group one seat or another 0/1 seat later, so even more money). The Britax seat is looking quite likely.

Cheers for that about the preemie inserts, minipie - I didn't know you could put anything in that didn't specifically come with the seat, thought it might make it less effective if the wrong shape or size or something...though I suppose that makes sense as babies wear all different kinds of clothes and it's fine, obviously. Hopefully she won't be needing that, but there are some risk factors which might lead to complications so I'll keep it in mind in case.