Can 0 - 4 years car seats be used for Newborns?

[Malinna]

Hi all, expecting my first in Jan and am super puzzled by the car seat options out there. I have seen products listed as being suitable from "Birth to 4 years" - I thought great - better to spend a little more on one carseat than have to buy one for a Newborn, and then another from 9 months plus.

However, I found a comment on one website that suggests these carseats aren't actually appropriate to use right from Birth. Reading the reviews of the Mumsnet top rated Besafe Izi Combi Isofix, this is in the "from birth" section, and yet I couldn't find any comments specific to using it for a newborn.

Does anyone have any advice re using this type of car seat literally right from Birth? Or do I need to get a specific baby seat for the early months?

Sorry if this all seems like dumb questions - this is all very new to me!

Malinna

I have a Besafe Izi Combi - no way it suitable from birth. It's way, way too upright.

Most prefer to have a portable seat (infant carrier stage 0/0+) as they are more designed for lo's and can be carried in and out of car or even used as part of a travel system with a pushchair chassis. You can use Stage 0-1 seats for a newborn but they tend to be bulky, remain in the car so you have to disturb your baby each journey and less snug.

we used britax first class si which you can use rear facing frm birth up to the 4yr mark, v sturdy and you can still recline it when forward facing when dcs fall asleep. would def recommend it

The birth - 4 years ones don't always have a recline option which goes as far as the infant seats do. Also, although I never used my car seat with a pushchair (found it handy to get DS used to being moved from seat - pushchair when asleep, he soon dropped back off with the movement and he's quite a heavy sleeper now) it was a godsend the times that he fell asleep in the car on the way home from somewhere, as we could just bring the seat in and get anything up to an extra hour to relax when we got home!

TBH though, if you've got a 0-4 seat, then it's probably fine to just get a cheap infant carrier, because it doesn't much matter if they grow out of it at 6 months or if the side impact protection is only really enough for a tiny baby, because you already have a better seat you can move them to. Since the cheapest ones are around £30-40, I do think it's worth it to have an option. You'd also have a more portable spare then as well.

The KISS sounds like a good option.

The First Class is a good seat but can only be used rear facing to 13kg - then you have to use it FF. :)

The KISS is sounding like the best option, isofix, extended rear facing and insert :-) I'd go for that one to be perfectly honest!

Britax first class - love it, would use from newborn but as stated by BertieBotts only rearfacing to 13kg and isofix would be much more secure!

I've got a Klippan Kiss 2 and I would highly recommend it. You have the benefit of a removeable infant carrier (with wheels and a handle!! ) that can be fitted in a car seperately, it reclines in three positions, can be used up to 18kg rear facing and has passed the Swedish Plus Test. If I had my time again, I'd have just bought that from birth.

However, you may like the idea of attaching your carseat to your pushchair, in which case you'd need to buy a group 0+ seat that can clip onto whichever pushchair you have/will have. I never did this either, but some people swear by being able to do it.

You can buy it here (branded as an Akta Graco Duologic 2, but is exactly the same seat) for ?280/£240ish plus post, or from here for £300.

I forgot to mention that it's actually quite compact compared to other extended rear facing seats and fits in the back of my Mum's 3-door Peugeot 207 with the driver's seat almost all the way back.