Carrycot car seats approved by Which

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Jane Strata 77%


The Jané Strata is a rearward-facing Group 0+ child car seat and is designed for children from birth to 13kg (12-15 months). The Strata is secured using the adult seatbelt and can be purchased as part of a travel system or on its own. Read on to find out how it fared in our tests.

Safety

It scored an excellent five stars in the front crash test and four in the side impact, so it should protect well in both types of accident.

Fitting and using the seat

The instruction manual is easy to follow and contains some useful advice.

Its lightweight frame makes it easy to manoeuvre and the seat is easy to install. It has a carry handle that makes it easy to carry to and from the car. We suggest that you push the handle up against the backrest of the car seat when positioned in the car.

Adjustment of the harness is easier on this model than many others, thanks to its clever design, which allows the height of the harness to be adjusted without needing to unthread the belts.

It is also well-padded, which provides comfort and further safety, and it offers good leg- and head-support to the child.

The seat cover can be removed but can only be washed by hand.

Overall rating

The Strata is a very good seat for both crash protection and ease of use. It narrowly missed the threshold to gain the Best Buy recommendation.

Updating our tests

We changed the car body we use for testing in 2011, to more accurately reflect the current typical family car seatbelt layout and design. We carried out some repeat testing, to ensure that previous tests shown online are broadly comparable to the current ones. However, such a significant change means we can't make absolute comparisons.

This result is from our 2008 tests

Pros: Offers good protection, excellent head support, easy to adjust

Cons: Cover is not machine washable

Britax Baby Safe Sleeper 76%

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The Britax Baby-Safe Sleeper is a lie-flat child restraint that is suitable from birth to 10kg (9-12 months). It lies across the rear passenger seat, secured using the adult seat belt. Read the full review to find out how it performed in the Which? Child Car Seat tests.

Safety

Most of the seats and carry-cots designed to carry babies lying down that we've previously assessed have been very tricky to install. And they have usually been found wanting, with major weaknesses in a front crash, side crash or both. However this car seat offers five-star crash protection in both front and side impacts.

Fitting and using the seat

Installing the Britax Baby Safe Sleeper is quite a complicated process compared to conventional child seats for this age group, but it has clear instructions and good warning labels, minimising the danger of it being installed incorrectly.

The baby travels in a well-padded, comfortable restraint and, to help cope with the normal spillages and leaks associated with newborns, the cover is easily removed and fully machine washable.

Britax has sensibly decided not to try and make the Baby Safe Sleeper work as an upright seat (which might have compromised its overall performance), but this means you ll have to purchase another seat as soon as you want your child to start travelling in an upright, seated position.

The Britax Baby Safe Sleeper seems to address many of the concerns about transporting newborn babies safely.

Overall rating

The Britax Baby-Safe Sleeper was the first 'lie-flat' child restraint system we've tested that protects the child well in a crash. It's a good solution for newborns overall, but it falls a little short of our Best Buy grade.

Updating our tests

We changed the car body we use for testing in 2011, to more accurately reflect the current typical family car seatbelt layout and design. We carried out some repeat testing, to ensure that previous tests shown online are broadly comparable to the current ones. However, such a significant change means we can't make absolute comparisons.

This result is from our 2008 tests.

Pros: A safe, comfortable solution for anyone wishing to carry their newborn in a lying down position

Cons: Cannot be used to carry children sitting up. Limited to use by very young babies (up to 10kg)


Jane Transporter 72%*


The Jané Transporter is a lie-flat child restraint that is suitable from birth to 10kg (9-12 months). It lies across the rear passenger seat, secured using the adult seat belt. Read the full review to find out how it performed in the Which? child car seat tests.

Safety

Most of the seats and carry-cots designed to carry babies lying down that we've previously assessed have been very tricky to install. And they have usually been found wanting, with major weaknesses in a front crash, side crash or both. However this car seat offers impressive five-star side crash protection and four star front crash protection.

Fitting and using the seat

Installing the Jané Transporter is quite a complicated process compared to conventional child seats for this age group, but it has clear instructions and good warning labels, minimising the danger of it being installed incorrectly.

The baby travels in a well-padded, comfortable restraint and, to help cope with the normal spillages and leaks associated with newborns, the cover is easily removed and fully machine washable.

Jané has sensibly decided not to try and make the Transporter work as an upright seat (which might have compromised its overall performance), but this means you will have to purchase another seat as soon as you want your child to start travelling in an upright, seated position.

The Transporter seems to address many of the concerns about transporting newborn babies safely and makes a good alternative option giving more choice to those with this specific need.

Overall rating

The crash protection offered by the Jané Transporter is very good and while it is complicated to install, the design is well thought through and the instructions are fairly clear. However, it falls short of the Best Buy threshold.

Updating our tests

In 2011, we changed the car body we use for testing to more accurately reflect the current typical family car seatbelt layout and design. We carried out some repeat testing to ensure that previous tests shown online are broadly comparable to the current ones. However, such a significant change means we can't make absolute comparisons.

This result is from our 2011 tests.

Pros: A safe, comfortable solution for carrying newborn babies in a lying down position, good front crash protection, excellent side crash protection, easy to install, good padding, high-quality finish, easy to clean

Cons: Cannot be used to carry children sitting up, only for very young babies (up to 10kg), quite tricky to install