Best Car Seat for a Newborn

[catgirl1976]

Hi

Would reallyappreciate any advice as am rather overwhelmed by the choice! I am a first time mum to be.

Looking for a car seat in the 0+ group but have no idea whats best...safety comes first, then I guess ease of use, then looks.....price isnt a huge issue but they seem to vary so much I have no idea if you really do "get what pay for" in this category, or if buying an expensive one or sticking to a brand name is just getting ripped off.

Any help at all much appreciated

Here's my experience of group 0 seats...

Graco Junior Baby: definitely my favourite, has an insert that grows with the baby, good shape, nicely padded, great safety reviews, cheaper than most.

Silver Cross Ventura Plus: great for newborns, comfy looking, comes with a footmuff, sometimes seems too reclined for an older baby, hood gets in the way of the seatbelt.

Maxi Cosi Cabriofix: great for attaching to loads of pushchairs, lightweight, not that comfy, hood only goes fully up or completely down, overrated in my opinion, expensive.

M&P Primo Viaggio: rubbish! too upright, no neck support, worst newborn seat possible.

It also depends on whether or not you think you'll want to put the car seat onto a pushchair. A lot of people claim it's essential to be able to do this, but I have never once needed/wanted to and my daughter's 8 and a half months old.

Thanks aswellas...not bothered about attaching it to a pushchair!

Will have a look at the Graco one :)

Maxi Cosi pebble. Impossible to fit incorrectly.

Maxi Cosi cabriofix

Britax Babysafe

All of the above can be used with bases if you discover that they will not fit in your car. Also a good idea if you have a 3 door car.

I had the M and P primo viaggio and it is very upright and no neck support. Both of my babies were whoppers so it wasn't as much of a problem for me but I can imagine if they had been tiny (which I consider around the 7 pounds mark to be!) then it wouldn't have been very good.

I've always though the maxi cosi cabriofix looks far nicer.

The Maxi Cosi Cabriofix (used with the base) got the only 'excellent' rating on the which? best buy, it also performed better than most in crash tests, would definately recommend getting a base with it too

i have had a chicco infant seat,a graco autobaby and a maxi-cosi cabrio,
the maxi cosi was by far my favourite - easy to fit,fits on either the isofix or non-isofix base,fits on most pushchairs,very lightweight,lays flatter than most for a newborn, my lo was very comfy in his,

Thanks all - Maxi-cosi cabrio is looking like a winner

Can I ask a really dumb question? What's a base for?

Sorry - first timer!

The base means that you don't need to arse around with the seatbelt every time you put it in the car.

You fix the base into position with either ISOFIX points or the car seatbelt and it stays in position in the car, just clipping the infant carseat on and off the base each time.

Using a correctly fitted base means that it will always be secure, whereas sometimes when using the belt alone, if you aren't paying full attention, it is easy to not fit the car seat correctly or tightly enough in the car.

One of my colleagues had been fitting her children's infant seats incorrectly for 8 years before she realised.

Brilliant - thanks

There is so much to learn!!