To be completely confused about car seats

[maroda16]

I need a new car seat for 7 month old ds. Was all set to buy the nuna rebl but I see now it's not safe at all! Can anyone recommend a different one?

Donut I feel the very same, it's hard to trust any of them fully now, the rebl was supposed to exceed safety requirements. Very frustrating

My ds was out of his group 0 car seat by 7 months, he couldn't fit in it width ways properly (he's no chubber, just broad) and his head was over the top (off the centiles for length since he was 5 months old) so it's perfectly possible that the OP needs a new one.

Thanks maroda - will check it out

If he's 90th centile he will outgrow an 18kg harnessed seat well before 3. my 99th centile son would outgrow at 2.5z It's safest to terrace and harness till at least 4. For this you will need a 25kg read facing limit seat. There are several on the market but they are all seatbelt fix as isofix is only rated to 23kg Including seat weight. There is the Britax two way elite, British highway 2, Axkid minikid, Axkid rekid and diono radian. There may be a few others but these are the ones that stick in my head. I've gone for an Axkid rekid which is isofix till 18kg and then belt fit after, it has also passed the Swedish plus test which is the most rigorous car safety test. Try the car seat advice for mummies and daddies page on Facebook for some good advice.

Loads of typos there should be Britax hi way, 2 silly autocorrect!

Mothercare don't give great advice as they don't check what age your child will outgrow etc and they don't sell 25kg limit seats. I would recommend ringing in car safety centre or securatot for some advice.

maroda16 there's a brilliant facebook group run by experts- if you give them the info they ask for they can recommend. Car seats are the most confusing thing ever so worth getting good advice.
The FB group is "Car seat advice for mummies and daddies"
I have the nuna rebl btw for my nearly 2 year old

There's a FB group called Car Seat Advice for Mummies and Daddies - the admin are experts in car seat safety and fittings, will give you good recommendations on safety and which seats are appropriate for your car. I think you can post with your DC's weight, age, and type of car you have, your budget etc and they can advise you on what your options are.

X post black!

Thanks so much for all the help!! I'm off to check out the Facebook group now!

I used the Facebook group mentioned in the last couple of posts. We have the brutal 2 way elite, harnesses up to 25kg both rear and forward facing. It is fitted with a seat belt but as the experts on the group have said before, as long as it's fitted correctly with the belt it's as sage as an iso fix fitted one.

Love the two way elite for my tall 4 year old.

Thanks a mil! This is so much better than mothercare!!!

We've just got an Axkid Minikid (extended rear facing til approx 5 yrs - up to 25kg). I was going to get a Besafe up to same weight limit but the shell is a bit smaller and my elder children outgrew a 25kg seat height wise at 3.5 so I wanted to get large shell to ensure this baby in it as long as poss.

You need to consider what car you have as some seats don't fit some cars very well or at all (seat angle, understorey compartments, buckle position and more). If you're after Isofix they only go up to 18kg. If you're happy to fit with non Isofix by using foot prop, seat belt and tethering (extremely safe and have many have passed the Swedish plus test) then there are a wide range of seats.

Great resources are:

• securatot (phone, visit or email for advice)
• in car safety centre (as above)
• rear facing page on facebook

I agree with Maxi cosi 2 way Pearl, expensive but may go on your existing base and lasts rear racing until 18kg.

I've got the two way elite too fudge, DS loves it. Hoping to keep him rear facing til 4. It's just a bit tricky to fit it at first until you know what you're doing I found, but I learned a lot from that Fb group

I think 18 kg is fine for most. Mine were both tall and high percentiles for ages, but neither reached 18kg before 4 1/2 years.

My almost 7 year old is 22kg, so 25kg seat rear facing would last him weight wise until 9+ years at guess

We used the cybex sirona until 4+ years, and have since swapped to the cybex solution for 18-36kg. It was one of the safest stage 3 seats. I think cybex in general have very good quality car seats.

I wouldn't want a newborn -12 years seat I don't think. Some car seat manufactures only guarantee them for 5 years as the material can weaken, so 12 years use in one seat doesn't seem great on a safety perspective

18kg is fine for any chile below 75th percentile. Anything above that will reach 18kg before 4.

So many typos today! Fat fingers and a grumpy, teething baby climbing over me, apologies!

The safest one is the one that fits your car,
Cybex Sirona is fantastic but you'll need to check its been tested in any cars you plan on putting it in

Joie 360 is fab- like the cybex airing but cheaper

*cirona!

Thanks so much for all the help!! Going to go to the shops tomorrow with Dh and have a look!!

Completely agree timeforachange. It irks me a bit as I often read people advising others that their child will be fine based on the average stats. As said in my other post, both my first two children outgrew a 25kg Britax Hi-way II at 3.5 yrs. They outgrew height wise but we're only couple kilos off weight wise. Although they're not overweight I have tall, solid children.

My baby is 11 mths and already weighs 14.5 kilos and wears clothes for 2 yrs. Her level of growth would render an 18kg seat useless pretty soon.

If I had average or petite children then an 18kg Isofix seat would be a no brainer. However OP says she has a tall child and based on my experience a 25kg tall she'll seat would be my only choice. For me I'd be looking at Axkid Minikid, Diono Radian, Two way elite (though in car safety centre said they are being phased out), britax multitech. There are others but these are my initial ones with good weight and seat allowances and excellent safety records.

*25kg, tall shell seat

newmum we used old Moses basket sheets with holes cut in for the straps! Dd was puking machine.