To ask if a spin car seat really does make things easier,

[carseatchoices]

We are trying to decide on a second ERF car seat and not sure whether to go for the Axkid spinkid or Avionaut sky. Both are Swedish plus tested. We already have one of them so debating getting the other, but DH thinks we should get the spinkid and thinks the spinning feature will be very useful. DD is currently 6 months and pretty average centiles.

Will it be really useful in toddlerhood to have one that spins? She already arches her back when going in 😂

YABU - no need for spin
YANBU - one that spins makes things so much easier

we have one and can honestly say have never spun it lol

Oh wow really?

Interesting results so far! The only thing with a spin is that it doesn’t last as long and I’m not sure if centiles can change

I wouldn’t be without our spin seat, we used it until dd was 3 and then when she went into a high back booster my DS got it. DS is a lot heavier then dd was at the same age and it would kill my back if I couldn’t spin it to put him in.

We did our first kid with no spin seat, and did our second kid with one - no contest that the spin seat wins every single time!! We were gutted that we hadn't got one the first time round! 😂

My two year old is still in his joie 360, it’s just a case of adapting the seat as he grows. Absolute back saver, would not be without it after starting mum life with a non spinner.

This is good to know thank you!

Spin seat every time - soooooooooooooooo much easier than trying to lean across a flailing child in a small space, or lift a heavy weight from an awkward angle.

Yep. Love a good spin seat.

Loved my spin seat. No spinning seat with my oldest and it was definitely more hassle getting her in and out of the car.

Why not try using your existing seat without spinning it a few times and see if it annoys you.......

to be fair my child was 2 when we first got it so already climbing in himself

Just be aware (as you’ve mentioned) of the weight limits. My lo went from infant to fix ERF at 12 months old. She’s still RF now, turned 3 last week. She weighs 16.5kg, so would be reaching the limit of the spins that were on the market when we bought (18kg) and we are nowhere near ready to forward face. Our seat is 25kg. The time between the infant seat being useful to clip onto pram and her being able to climb into her erf was very short. It also means we’ve only ever bought her two car seats, and she’s got a way to go until her next one.

That being said, they might have bigger weight limits now.

I think it depends what you're comparing it to. I liked having the spin because I felt it made the harness easier to tighten equally. But a lot of the ERF tethered seats have enough space to get them in nicely anyway.

Spin seats are harder to get them in in small cars because it's so high on the base which leaves you not much space to avoid bumping their head as they get bigger. And there's more temptation to turn them forward facing since it's really easy to do that and they don't have as much leg room. OTOH it makes it possible to RF part time, which I think is a benefit if you're more leaning towards FF at some point anyway. However this is not an issue if you're only looking at a 180 degree spin.

I've never seen the point in spinning for infant carriers. For the toddler stage it's good but not a necessity. The other thing to realise is it's harder for the child to climb up themselves because the seat moves around and is higher and more bucket shaped. We ended up letting DC3 climb into the middle and turning the seat the other way for him to get in which was a bit faffy.

What's the leg room like on the axkid? For the plus tested spin seats it's worth comparing to besafe izi twist (which I love) and Britax swingfix.

Depends on how long it will last you. We’ve got to almost 5 with our spin one as she’s only just hit 17.5kg so we need to get a new seat now. But yes with a toddler absolutely! We maxed out our infant carrier though first, until about 14/15 months

yes. Would never not have a spinning car seat again! We had the joie 360 and it was good.

We had spin seats for both DC. Used it until DC1 turned 3 and now with DC2 under 1. Both best decisions as getting them in and out is easier. But I see it as a first world problem. Can you be bothered to submerge yourself in the car every time or you don’t mind.

I had a Joie 360 with child number one and do think the spin function was helpful, it's good until the age they can manoever into the seat themselves. That said my high centile child outgrew it age 2 and then needed to get another rear facing seat. I wouldn't have been happy if I'd spent £300 on a spin kid and then needed to get another £300 seat!
If you do want a spin seat why not get one of the cheaper ones like Joie and then get another axkid when they outgrow it?

@Mkuterthats interesting with the growth! I’d suggest going for a brand that does a universal isofix for their ranges and then the car seats from them that you can use the base for. So we have a maxi cosi infant car seat now with the 360 base and the plan is when DC outgrows that, we will get a bigger size maxi cosi

I don't have these specific seats, but we have a spin seat (Joie 360) in one car and a normal ERF seat (Britax Safeway M) in the other for our 18-month-old. I don't find much difference in the convenience of getting the child in and out. The non-spin seat as BertieBotts says is not as high up as it doesn't need a base, so there's more space to get the child in. He used to resist when we had non-spin seat with a bulky isofix base and it was more awkward lifting him in, but he's perfectly happy with the lower one, and it's cheaper and will last till he's 6. His brother was climbing in by himself by the time he was 2, and that's much easier to do in the static seat. But I do still see some of DS1's friends being lifted into the car at ages 3 and 4, so I guess it depends on your child and your approach.

(Admittedly DP thinks the Spin seat is more convenient, but she doesn't drive the other car very often and is comparing to the previous seat which was a bit rubbish).