Best HBB for skinny 5yo

[AngelicCurls]

Just that really, we have 2 cars, 2 kids 5 and 3. The 3yo is RF in a klippan kiss and a Hauck Varioguard but he’s uncomfy in the Hauck and I’ve gone off it after reading belatedly about it scoring badly in the which tests. Currently the 5yo is in a joie stages FF in both cars(she rear faced until 4 hence why we bought them). My plan is to use one of the Joie stages to replace the Hauck for the 3yo to keep him RF and to buy a new seat. I was originally going to buy another joie stages but then realised it seemed daft to buy a seat that realistically is only going to be used as a HBB for the 5yo, it seemed and expensive way of doing things. But not sure what the best HBB is to get. I’d like isofix ideally so the seat is fixed when not being used but other than that I’m not entirely sure what the difference in cost gets you between some of the more expensive seats and the cheaper ones and I’m not a which member to see the reviews. Any help/opinions gratefully received

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

You really need to try a few because the best fit will be the one that fits both your car and your son the best.

Is there any reason you're moving the 3yr old out of the Klippan?

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Sorry, misunderstood! Keeping the Klippan and scrapping the Hauck for the Stages!

[BertieBotts]

IME with HBBs the main difference is how tall they go at the upper end, so I'd recommend going into a store which has a lot to try out and measuring them, as well as letting your 5yo sit in them to see which are comfy. :) You're looking at the maximum distance from the seat to where the shoulders would come under the headrest when it's at maximum. Another consideration for comfort is where his knees bend, and whether this is adjustable (TBH I'm not sure that any are.)

I'd say most if not all HBB seem to fit DC until the UK legal minimum of 135cm, but not all children at 135cm are tall enough to sit correctly under a seatbelt alone, especially if you have very deep seats in your car. Whereas almost if not every child does seem to fit the adult seatbelt properly by 150cm which is the law in parts of Europe, and the recommendation in the UK even though not actually law. So if your DC outgrows the HBB then you end up needing a backless booster which is annoying - it would be better to get a seat which retains the side impact protection for as long as possible, IMO. This also reduces arguments with DC if they are aware of the law - my 9yo is in a backless one now and the law here is 150cm and he is desperately measuring himself every few weeks to see when he creeps up to that measurement as he really wants to go without a seat at all! He was really happy when we finally admitted that he couldn't comfortably fit into the HBB any more. Though it is easier for him to buckle the backless one without it sliding around.

I agree that isofix is very useful. We got one without and I wish we'd had one with - we will be looking for that next time!

[BertieBotts]

HBBs are much like infant seats in that they are so simple you can get decent quality at a low price so as long as you don't get one of the really flimsy ones, you can be reasonably sure that the safety protection is good and you are really only looking at personal preference. There are not very many fancy features to be added to HBBs either. Some have a bit more stringency in their belt guides like some of the high end Britax ones. The Kiddy ones expand outwards as well as upwards which can be helpful for chunkier framed kids who might struggle to fit into one which only expands upwards, but might not be relevant for you if your child is skinny - I think you'll be looking for differences in shoulder clearance mainly, so take a tape measure to the shop or try borrowing an 8 or 9 year old if you know any!

[BertieBotts]

However (sorry one last point I promise :)) the Britax RÖMER Kidfix XP SICT is the only isofix HBB to get a ++ rating for safety with ADAC over the last few years. There are plenty which get a + rating but this is the only one with ++.

[AngelicCurls]

Thanks for the advice, mich appreciated. I was looking at the kidfix so we may well go with that one