Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Carseats!?

43 replies

starfishcoffee · 07/07/2019 21:28

Posting here for traffic, really. But a little bit AIBU too because I can't bloody find any information about them.

DS is 13 months, he is quite a big boy (fairly tall and chunky) and looks quite cramped in his current car seat. We have the Joie Chrome 3in1, suitable from newborn.

I've been googling like crazy, but I can't find any rear facing car seats any bigger than the one we're using already. Do I have to get him a forward facing one? What are your 1 year olds in?

TIA and sorry for boring thread. Confused

OP posts:
driggle · 08/07/2019 10:12

We have just bought the Joie Every Stage for our 10 month old, which is rear-facing until 18kg (approx 4yrs according to the manual)

MRex · 08/07/2019 12:00

@Princesspickle777 - The fitting of the top of the straps should be above the baby's shoulder, not curving up and around over the shoulder, it was possible to put him into the seat but the straps then aren't safe and could damage his collarbone in the event of a crash. I checked with both Halfords and John Lewis assistants when I was trying him in new seats in the shops (I was buying anyway and just asking them when to switch, so they had no reason to be untruthful) and both said he was already too tall because it was curving over. The Simplicity had space for his head, but there just wasn't enough length for his body, and we had already removed the wedge at 5 months. As I say, I'm really surprised your DD fits at 82cm unless she's all legs (proportions do change to more legs past 12 months anyway of course)! He's 99.6th centile for height, but even so he wouldn't have been 82cm then, maybe more like 78cm and 11kg (long time ago now, I don't remember exactly).

Princesspickle777 · 08/07/2019 13:15

MRex I’m not going to debate about it as I know she fits absolutely fine and has a good few months left in it. The fit has been checked over by car seat specialists and by silver cross, who I messaged about removing the hood. Halfords and John Lewis aren’t good at giving the right advise about car seats so I’d be wary about what they have told you. For rear facing car seats (the simplicity in this case) the harness should be either level with the shoulder or just slightly below. For forward facing car seats then yes the harness should come from just above your child’s shoulders.

Princesspickle777 · 08/07/2019 13:17

Just to add, she also probably is all legs in her height so that’s probably why she has a good few inches left before she reaches the top of the seat. The seat in question is only used once a week so is checked fit wise by regularly to see if it’s still useable.

TillyTheTiger · 08/07/2019 13:21

Just adding my vote for the Axkid Minikid. We moved 98th percentile DS from his infant carrier (Joie Gemm) into the Joie Every Stage at 9 months and that was fine until he hit 18kg at 2.5yo. Beyond that weight the harness isn't safe, but obviously he was too young to sit safely forward facing with the adult seatbelt at that age (it's recommended not to use adult seatbelt until 4yo). So we had to get the Axkid Minikid so he could continue to rear face until 25kg which is much safer.

BarrenFieldofFucks · 08/07/2019 13:23

We have an axxkid move, and a britax two way elite. Both great seats. Can't remember weights on the axxkid, but the britax rear faces with a harness to 25kg. My 7 year old is still only 22kg 😂

The axxkid uses a support leg, the britax needs to touch seat in front or dashboard. Both are tethered.

BarrenFieldofFucks · 08/07/2019 13:24

I think that when rear facing the straps are supposed to come up from below shoulder level?

Princesspickle777 · 08/07/2019 13:31

BarrenFieldofFucks yes they should, it’s only when forward facing that they need to be above the shoulder.

MRex · 08/07/2019 13:47

The straps are supposed to be just below the shoulders rear-facing or just above front-facing, they are not supposed to be well over an inch below when rear facing, which is where it was for DS at the top setting. Babies come in all different shapes and sizes, asking trained people to look at the actual baby in the car seat is best if anyone is remotely unsure.

limitedscreentime · 08/07/2019 13:49

Contact the in car safety centre!! Source of all good knowledge!

They are also the only UK stockists of the brutal two way elite which rear or forward faces to 25kg and has passed the Swedish safety test. It is also nearly 100%universal so fits nearly every car. We have two Smile

AbbyHammond · 08/07/2019 13:53

My 22 month old is in a Joie Stages and 3 year old in a Hauck Varioguard - both rear face up to 18 kg.

My average sized 5 year old is only 18.5kg.

BarrenFieldofFucks · 08/07/2019 18:50

brutal two way elite 😂 love it.

We have two as well, they're so alight and easy. But we had to get an axxkid too as we needed one with a support leg for the campervan, seats are too far back for the lean on support the twe needs.

BitOfAKerfuffle · 08/07/2019 19:04

Mines in a britax dualfix. 3 and a half and still plenty of room although granted she is small for her age i think around 11/12kg
it only rearfaces to 18kg tho so if hes on the bigger centiles i would be looking at some of the recommendations on here of 25kg seats in order to keep him rearfacing as long as possible

starfishcoffee · 09/07/2019 09:45

Thanks for all the advice. I'll have a look and it's great to know there's an advice line.

Sorry if I didn't make it clear, DS does fit in the car seat but only just, his head presses against the hood (when it's on), no leg room etc. the car seat is part of a travel system with a 13kg max. I don't think he is 13kg, I haven't had him weighed in ages tbh, I'm just looking to buy a more long term car seat in the next few weeks.

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 09/07/2019 09:55

There are lots of RF car seats for his age on the market now thankfully :)

I've just ordered the Joie 360 Spin for DS2, after I noticed that his shoulders slipped out of the straps on his car seat because despite being at the highest setting they were far too low behind his shoulders. Hmm He's only 10.5 months and I was totally expecting to get longer out of the first stage seat, DS1 was in his for 18 months.

What do you want out of the next stage? As cheap as possible? Isofix? Easy to move from car to car? Universal? As safe as possible? User friendly? Good upright view? Decent recline? In your son's red book, what centile line is he on?

I'd look at/consider seats from the following brands, wouldn't touch any others:

Axkid
BeSafe
Britax-Römer
Concord
Cybex (but I'm not keen on them recently)
Graco (Slimfit only)
Joie
Maxi Cosi (Overpriced unless you already have the familyfix base)
Nuna

BertieBotts · 09/07/2019 10:12

If you put your arm across the end of the seat shell and it touches his head, the seat is outgrown and needs replacing, or if he's 13kg (this is an extremely rare way to outgrow a baby seat, they are designed to be outgrown by height first) or if the top harness setting places the straps more than 2-3cm lower than the tops of his shoulders when he's pulled right down to the buckle.

As others have said, there are seats available in the UK that rear face (or forward face with harness) up to 18kg or 25kg - but it's important to note that these seats are also usually outgrown by height before the child gets anywhere near the weight limit, because of the physical limitations of the harness, top position of headrest preventing taller shoulders from fitting or the height of the shell. These correspond (roughly) with European clothing sizes 104 and 122 - so an 18kg limit seat will usually fit children until about the point where they can no longer wear age 3-4 clothing in most stores, and a 25kg harnessed seat will usually fit children until they can no longer wear age 6-7 clothing. This is a very approximate rule of thumb, but is a useful way to think about it when looking at your one year old, having no idea what size they might be when older.

Therefore it's worth thinking about how quickly your child tends to go through clothing sizes, and whether you'd be happy with changing to a high backed booster seat or buying another expensive Group 1/2 harnessed seat at that age. If you are likely to have a younger sibling to hand the next seat down to and they'll both be in this stage of seat at the same time, or your child is of a size where you think you'd be alright for them to have a HBB when they outgrow age 3-4 clothing, it would make sense to buy an 18kg limit seat now. However if you think you would still prefer them to be in a harnessed and/or rear facing seat at that point, there will (likely) be no younger sibling and/or you just want to maximise their rear facing/harnessed time without buying seats in this pricey stage twice, go straight for a 25kg seat.

Generally the 18kg ERF seats can be bought in typical retailers like Mothercare and John Lewis, but the 25kg ERF seats are available directly from specialists (recommended, as they will give you a face to face tutorial in fitting and evaluate the seat for your car/child) or online only.

For me although I think DS2 will probably outgrow the 18kg seat by about 3.5 years old, I really want the proper recline you get with an 18kg seat and as we do (very) long drives a couple of times a year I think that's more pressing. We might have another child in need of the seat by the time he outgrows it, in which case I'll get a 25kg seat, but if we don't, I'll probably just get a very sturdy HBB with crotch strap.

For the poster with the Silver Cross Simplicity, did you know how to access the hidden harness adjustment part?

Bugsymalonemumof2 · 09/07/2019 10:14

My 19kg 2.5year old rear faces in the two way elite. Fab seat

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 09/07/2019 12:30

Don't worry about his legs he will cross them. Take off the hood. He is only outgrown once his head is over the top.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page