DD has finally grown out of her RF group 1 seat and I'm at a loss as to what I should look for in a group 2 seat!

[HettyKett]

Can anyone advise?

She's been in a BeSafe izi for what seems like forever, she's almost 4 1/2 but small.

So, what should I be looking for? Group 1,2,3 with harness? Group 2,3 with just the seat belt?

If at all possible I'd like one that will eventually convert to a booster. Would like to be done with buying car seats really. But, safety first and all that...

We're not there yet, but if I had to buy a car seat for this stage, the two I would look at from the current market are the Besafe Izi Up X3, or the Jane Montecarlo. I've had car seats from both of those manufacturers and been very impressed with the construction quality. I had recourse to use Besafe's customer service a few weeks ago and it was outstanding.

Thanks for your reply!

I'm not in the UK and Jane don't seem to be sold here at all, the only BeSafe group 2 I can find is this but I'm not sure that's the one you mean. Probably not, it says X2 not X3.

Both DC (nearly 3 and nearly 4 1/2) claim our BeSafe izi combis are very uncomfortable compared with the MaxiCosi Prioris PIL have. They are obviously much, much safer than the MaxiCosi and do seem better made.

BUT from a child's POV they certainly feel cheaper (pah!), harder and generally more uncomfortable to me. See I don't mind paying a fortune I can't afford and making the DC uncomfortable (bum and body, leg room is fine) for the sake of being RF as long as possible.

The thing is I can't help wondering if there's as much variation in the safety of the different group 1,2,3 and group 2,3 seats as there is between RF group 1 and FF group 1.

Gah.

I'm also dubious about having a seat without a harness at such a young age. Is that really OK?

Oh, and we don't have ISOfix

It was this one: Besafe UP

It also comes in a non-Isofix version.

If you can find a Jane distributor, or get someone to deliver internationally, the Jane comes with a shield which holds the body in case of an accident, that might be a better alternative?

Are you wanting to keep her rear facing or are you turning her forward facing?

We've been facing the same issues with our 4 yo who is also quite small for his age. In the end we went for the Britax Evolva 123 Plus (you can see them on the John Lewis website). You can keep them in the 5 point harness until 18kg, at which point they turn into a high back booster with the seat belt. I feel quite uneasy about turning him forward facing, but we are very short of space behind the driver's seat (DH has long legs) and couldn't fit any of the rear facing seats behind it. His brother has had to move into his ERF seat as he's finally outgrown the infant carrier.

The other option we did consider was the Klippan Triofix (I think Securatots have it). It is a group 1, 2, 3 seat, but at nearly £400 is pricey. We will probably buy one for DS2 as he needs a new seat for our other car. You can secure it with a seat belt and it looks quite good for space too.

have a look at the Kiddy car seats we bought the guardian pro from john lewis it has the cushion on the front which is great when they are smaller , you can tip it so they can sleep. you then remove the cushion and have the seat belt and then it can turn into a booster... it also scored high in the which reports.

My 7 year old still fits easily forward facing into the Britax Two Way Elite. She is smallish though, but is well within the 25kg weight limit. The straps have a lot of extension in them.

Harnesses are better than just the adult seatbelt. I bought the twe ff, it does add more cost but I prefer it too 3 point belts :)