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Car seats

Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here. For Mumsnetter-approved essentials, sign up for Mumsnet Swears By emails here.

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Original poster

too big for group 0, too small for group 1...

31 replies

WelshCat · 13/03/2011 20:27

DS is 7 and a half months old and a bit of a chubba, his head is level with the top of his Group 0 car seat so I need to buy a new one. However, he is not too good at sitting yet (coz he's rather large I think..) so he can't have a Group 1 seat. I know they sell combi ones that face rearwards then forwards when they can sit, and I'm all for these, especially as I have a friend who makes me watch car seat crash videos and loves the rear facing seats so much her 2 year old uses one.

Problem is, there are so many of them, and since I'll most likely be buying online I cant check the padding etc, and I really don't know which one to buy. Kiddicare has a Babyweavers Shuffle on sale for £45 at the moment, but I'm sceptical of 'cheap' seats, as they seem to be cheap for a reason. I was also looking at Nanias, but have heard terrible things... help?

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sazm · 13/03/2011 23:46

biggest problem with these types of seat is they need quite a long seatbelt to fit them,probably better trying halfords/mothercare/toys r us to try some in your car and see how well they fit.

i also looked at the babyweavers one ( my lo is forward facing at 2.6yo) but it looks pretty good.

Original poster

WelshCat · 14/03/2011 12:17

thing is i don't have a car, its just for when my sister/family etc take me and the baby places.. its a pain coz i cant really check them then! i might go for the babyweavers one then..

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sazm · 14/03/2011 13:10

think kiddicare let u send them back if they dont fit,

Debs75 · 14/03/2011 13:13

If you have the money then try a kiddypro

Debs75 · 14/03/2011 13:17

Good the link worked. It should be from 9 months and baby should be able to push themselves back up,i.e if they are sat and they lean forward they can push with their hands and sit upright.
the roll bar/cushion is good as they can lean against it. There are no tight straps so in a crash his head won't get thrown forward and back, he will roll over the cushion. It is easy to move from car to car and will last him till 4 or 11, depending on how much you pay.

I agree with your friend, rear facing are so much better but as you have no car it is a big seat to have lying around. Mine is isofix and was fitted by the supplier, and it is huge. DD will be in it till 3 then in a kiddy pro as dd3 will need the rear facing by then

Original poster

WelshCat · 14/03/2011 14:09

the kiddypro looks mental! on some reviews it says some stuff about shorter seatbelts being a problem though..

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Debs75 · 14/03/2011 14:16

Your other options could be to buy a o stage seat which is larger and will hold him till he is at lest a year or to hold off and not buy him a seat untill you really need it. although that does depend on how often you are in others cars

Carseatcrazy · 14/03/2011 20:52

I would definitely recommend looking into the rearfacing ones. If you don't have a car, the Britax Two Way Elite could be a good option. It's very light weight, I understand very easy to fit (I don't have that one myself- I have a besafe and KISS), it doesn't take up much room, and can fit little ones up to approx 6 (including forward facing later on if you want to. Have a look at some of the other discussions on here for others who have them (and all seem to rave about them :) ) They cost approx £199 and are sold by the nice ladies in Essex.

The KISS may also be a good option for you, although it is more expensive. It can be isofix or seat belt fitted, doesn't need any tether straps and so easily transferred between cars. Again, the nice ladies in Essex sell it - or the nice man in Sweden where I got mine from!! :)

I hope this helps. I would definately advocate keeping LOs rearfacing as long as possible. My DS is approaching 3 and loves his RF seats. They are high up, and so he has excellent vision all round - out the back, the sides and also uses his mirror to tell me when the tractors are approaching from the front! He has loads of room for his legs. All in all I love the fact that I know he is in the safest possible option that I could put him in - we invest so much time and love in our LOs. It is a tough decision, but have a look at some of the info on www.rearfacing.co.uk to help you through it :)

Hope this helps :)

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 19:26

thanks for all your help :) have ordered the babyweavers shuffle. just a thought though, do you have to put them front facing when they get to the right age or can you keep them rear facing until the grow out of the seat?

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RitaMorgan · 15/03/2011 19:29

I thought you didn't need a new seat til their eyes are level with the top?

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 20:04

woman in John Lewis told me if his head is over the top of the group 0 one he is too big, and his head is about level now..

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BertieBotts · 15/03/2011 20:08

Rearfacing it is their head. Forward facing it's the eyes :)

mybootsaremuddy · 15/03/2011 20:36

I just looked at this seat on kiddicare and im pretty certain that the info on shuffle actualy only rear faces till 9kg then has to be turned forward till 18kg! Unlike most other 0-1 seats that have rear facing limmit of 13kg like the infant carrier type seats. But are taller so are good for keeping a taller baby rf longer than if in an infant type seat.

If it was extended rear facing you were after then somthing like the Britax TWE rf & ff till 25kg as sugested by carseatcrazy would have been better. Or any of the other extended rf seats will keep them rf till 18kg.

sazm · 15/03/2011 20:37

most of the combination seats you keep them rearfacing until they are 13kgs,then turn it around,
let us know what you think of the babyweavers as i fancy one for my ds :)

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 20:43

mybootsaremuddy the only reason i need a combi one is coz he is already 9kg but cant sit up so cant go in a forward facing one! bollocks if i cant have that one im gutted! im far too poor to spend loads on a car seat, im a single mum. and seeing as i dont have a car myself and it would just be used for family trips/lifts etc i cant justify spending loads..

sazm i am gutted if i cant get one, its such a good deal!!

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BertieBotts · 15/03/2011 20:47

Hmm myboots - I think you are right. Kiddicare says this too. OP how much does your DS weigh? If he's big he's likely to hit 9kg way before 1 year and I really wouldn't recommend putting him forward facing before then.

With most of the combination seats the limit on rearfacing is 13kg (the Britax First Class for example) - some are 10kg. 9kg is a very low limit. 13kg is generous as most children slow down their growth a lot when they hit age 1 - DS was 11kg I think at age 1 and now at 2.5 is under 13kg so could technically still be rearfacing in one of those seats. I have the kiddy one though and I love it :) I don't drive and it's been fab for fitting in any car. I don't think a short seatbelt would be much of a problem with it. It would have to be so short it barely fitted around a person!

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 20:54

right, i just asked my step father, who has a 5 year old, and he explained:

rear facing limit is to do with the weight impact the back of the car seat can take, when the baby is forward facing the seat of the car takes the impact too. (i hope that makes sense) so to my understanding thats why the baby weavers seat is so cheap, coz its got a pathetically small rear facing weight limit.

so, no baby weavers for me then! DS prob wont be sitting up confidently for a month of so yet, and he already 21lbs...

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AppleAndBlackberry · 15/03/2011 20:56

It sounds like you just need a seat that reclines rather than specifically needing rear facing. Some forward facing group 1 seats do recline quite a bit, e.g. we have the Britax Eclipse (£80 from Mothercare) which I would think would be ok for what you need though it would really be best to have a look in person if you can.

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 20:59

im so stressed out about car seats now! lol i thought it would be easier than this. im so glad i didnt order the babyweavers shuffle.. im thinking of just getting a bloody expensive Britax or something. at least i know he will be safe.

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mybootsaremuddy · 15/03/2011 21:34

Its odd as to my eye the Nania one looks the same as the babyweavers yet the nania is rf till 13kg. The britax 1st class often gets good feedback and im sure if you look around you may find a good deal somwhere.

Sorry to stress you out but i just thought you may have wanted to know about the 9kg rf limmit before you spent money on it. As you said ds was a 'chubba'(I love chunky babies) in your 1st post i was concerned for you that he may be close to or already 9kg in which case youe hope to keep him rf for longer would be imposible with the babyweavers.

Whos car would you most likely travel in the most? It may be worth trying afew out and finding one that fits that car well and then just hope it fits ok in any others you go in.

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 21:46

i am eternally grateful to you for bringing that to my attention! i would have wasted money otherwise, i was one click away from purchasing it! i have found a Britax First Class for under £100, so i might get that. and i am beginning to think just taking the person with the smallest car with me to get the car seat would be a good idea.

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mybootsaremuddy · 15/03/2011 21:54

Sounds like a good plan to me. The only problem you may have is seat belt length (think it goes round back of seat). But i will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Original poster

WelshCat · 15/03/2011 22:04

thanks :) seat belt length is the one thing thats gonna screw me over i think!

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BertieBotts · 16/03/2011 01:21

Seat belt length isn't an issue usually unless you're talking about really old cars, I wouldn't worry too much.

The good thing about the First Class from memory (DS has one which XP now uses in his car) is that it has 2 ways of fitting when forward facing so if seatbelt length or buckle crunch is an issue, you can usually get a good fit with the alternate belt routing.

I was really pleased with the seat, I found it really solid and sturdy :)

sazm · 16/03/2011 12:48

seatbelt length is still a problem in newish (02 plate onwards)
i found a few cars that is was very aukward to fit my cabriofix in as the belts were very short.

also the likes of the eclipse (which i have) is fine for when your lo is older,but a def no atm while your lo is far to small to go forward facing,reclined or not :)

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