Car seat for four year old

[Kittywampus]

I'm looking for a new car seat for my four year old. He has been rear facing till now, but wants a forward facing seat. Unfortunately he is 19 kilos which is too heavy to forward face in our existing seat.

I would ideally like a seat with a harness. I have looked at the cozy n safe Excalibur but can't work out if this can be used without isofix?

Failing that, could someone recommend a good high backed booster?

Thanks

[Lipperfromchipper]

Cosi and safe Excalibur is tethered around to the bar at the bottom behind the seat. It’s not there On all cars though.

[Charis1503]

Cybex palas? Its isofix though...

[Kittywampus]

Thanks for the replies. My car definitely doesn't have isofix. I'm not sure whether is has a bar under the seat, I can have a look tomorrow.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

There are 3 forward facing 25kg seats: the Joie Bold, the Cosy n safe Excalibur and the Diono Radian 5. However, all 3 require top tethering and if your car doesn't have isofix, it's unlikely to have top tether points. They're located in the boot normally in the back of the rear seats. If you do have those, your only option is the Diono radian 5 as the other two require isofix as well.

Otherwise your options are 25kg rear facing seats or a high back booster.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Sorry I think the cosy n safe installs with seatbelt and top tether over 18kg as well so that would be an option if you have top tether points.

[Kittywampus]

Thanks, my car doesn't have the tether points so we'll have to look at a high backed booster.

I'm looking at a joie trillo which appeals because it is cheap and seems to get good safety ratings.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

We have the Trillo for my 4.5 year old for her after school club collection. It's seems fine but it hasn't been in a crash with her in it! She has a Cybex HBB as a spare for my mums car which also seems fine. A bit sleeker than the Trillo. She rear faces in a Minikid most of the time though so we don't use the HBB that often yet.

[Kittywampus]

I'm also looking at this one which is a bit more money, I'm not sure if it is worth the extra www.uberkids.com/diono-mxt-group-2-3-car-seat-1298890/?sku=DIO10803&istCompanyId=37dca0b5-f08f-460a-9189-9153d7108287&istFeedId=d9cf8065-c9cb-46fb-ad6f-e41e2a9742dc&istItemId=willmpawl&istBid=t&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=MPX_UK_SHP_R_None_UK_SHP%20Reseller_Medium&utm_term=4581527519109483&utm_content=Car%20Seats&gclid=CLv9qNWt-ecCFQPlGwodfTMMOw&gclsrc=ds

[Kittywampus]

Or a cybex solution one because it says the head rest reclines (ds still sometimes sleeps in the car so this might be more comfortable for him). Too many choices!

[BertieBotts]

There is one more forward facing seat with harness up to 25kg that doesn't use top tether, Maxi Cosi Beryl. But it's about £300! And not that tall in the harness apparently, so I'd want to see it "in the flesh" before you buy and check how much growing room you have. Top tether isn't a bar under the seat BTW, but if you don't have isofix it's very unlikely you'll have top tether anchors.

High backed boosters again the max height on them varies. At 4 this obviously won't be a pressing issue, but if you want to use it right up until he can use the adult seatbelt safely, then it might be something you want to bear in mind. Otherwise you're looking at changing to a backless booster once their shoulders get too big to fit under the headrest, or buying another HBB once you get to that point.

Diono is a great choice as their Monterey one gets great safety testing results (which means their other ones most likely do as well) and they tend to be very tall, some of the tallest on the market. There is a cheaper one called Cambria 2, if you want. I don't know what the difference is between them, you could try contacting them via email or social media.

Don't worry about isofix on high backed boosters, BTW. It is always just for stability and can be folded away.

One feature you might like to look into with high backed boosters is the ones with a hook or loop that goes over the lap belt to help keep it in the correct position and reduce the risk of the child submarining under the belt. I think there are 3 on the market at the moment - Besafe iZi Flex Fix, Britax Kidfix series, and Chicco Fold & Go isize.

The Britax Kidfix ideally should be checked in store because they cause issues with the seatbelt retracting in some cars which is a safety issue. However if they fit correctly they are some of the highest scoring seats for safety on the market at the moment.