Joie I spin or Britax Römer for newborn?

[Sickasadog2020]

Hi,

I’m trying to decide on which car seat to purchase for when my baby arrives. I have narrowed it down to either the Joie I spin or Britax Römer Baby-Safe Plus I. Can anyone help?

Many thanks

[BertieBotts]

Both are good seats. Have you tried both for fitting in your car and any other cars they'll be in regularly? That's an important consideration. The Joie is known for being a bit wobbly in some cars, which can be annoying, but isn't unsafe. Some people also find the harness to be a bit of a pain (you have to hold it in place to prevent it going into a V as it catches on the child's shoulders). But I'm happy with our Joie 360 overall and would have used it from newborn.

The big difference of course is the fact you can take the baby out and about in the BabySafe, whereas the Joie seat will stay in the car all of the time. That can be quite a big help when they are little and they nap several times a day because it means you're not stuck in the car waiting for them to wake up. Although you can just transfer them into a pram/pushchair and start walking - that is often a useful trick :) It's also useful for things like school runs (if you'll want to reuse a seat for a future baby), paying for petrol, doctor's appointments and swimming lessons where you want to be able to hold the baby one handed and without disturbing them too much.

Season might be a consideration too - it's easier to bundle a baby up safely in an infant carrier than it is in a fixed seat, because you shouldn't put them into a car seat in bulky clothing like a snowsuit. When are they due?

If you are ever likely to get lifts with somebody else or want to transfer the car seat to someone else's car the Britax will be better short term as you won't need to buy a spare (but as you will eventually anyway, this can be a false economy.)