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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

Car seats

Which seat to get for tall/light 4 year old? Help!

13 replies

TexMex · 01/12/2013 13:37

DD is 4 and 12kg, but her head is at the top of her current seat which is a Britax duo plus. I was all set to get her the Britax xtensafix but it has now been withdrawn, as it seemed to tick the boxes; I wanted an isofix seat with a 5 point harness as I read somewhere a while back there is evidence a seatbelt and HBB aren't as safe as a 5 point harness until a certain weight (is it 18kg?) I am really struggling finding decent info and car seats for her weight as she is quite tall! Any recommendations from anyone in a similar boat?

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AliceMum09 · 01/12/2013 20:35

How about the Britax Evolva?

It seems that height is the main issue you have, at 12kgs aged 4 it's going to be ages before she reaches 18kgs (the weight limit for the harness on the Evolva). I don't think you really needed the Extensafix anyway, the harness limit was 25kgs, but I'm sure your DD is going to be tall enough to sit without a car seat by the time she reaches 18kgs.

A child can use a high backed booster from 15kgs, but in general it's better to use the 5-point harness right up to 18kgs. But again, because your DD sees so light for her age she'll probably be mature enough to sit correctly on a HBB by the time she weighs 15kgs (aged 6 or 7?).

The only problem is that the Evolva is not an ISOFIX seat. I know that ISOFIX seats are simpler to fit, but they can be heavy and there is little safely advantage to using ISOFIX over a correctly-fitted seatbelted seat. I have an Evolva, once you've fitted it a couple of times and you know what you are doing to takes only a minute to do it or move the seat between cars. It's not complicated.

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TexMex · 01/12/2013 21:32

Thanks so much for your reply AliceMum, that is just the info I was looking for. I was having difficulty predicting what weight she would be at different ages so that has helped enormously. Will check out the Evolva, really good to have a recommendation and also know fitting without isofix is not too much hassle. Thanks again.

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JellyTopicecreamisthebest · 01/12/2013 23:32

You may find she is to tall for the harness in the seat. I would take her to a shop with all the seats and sit her in them. I went from a maxi cosy tobi yo a duo issofix and got another year of my child being in a harness, she was then 18kg so not the same situation as you were in.
I didn't look at the evolva as I knew I wouldst be able to fit it as I have arthritis.
You could also look at the two way elite I didn't know about it when I was looking

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BlondieTinsellyMinx · 01/12/2013 23:46

I have the two way elite, DD will be 4 in January and she's v comfy in it.

She's a very slight build (25th centile for weight) but I'm 5'8 and her dad 6'5 and while she's average height ATM she looks reedy iyswim?

Could you get to either of Milton Keynes/Southend/Belfast ? To try lots of seats? Really really recommend this company - they are amazingly thorough and MILES better than Mothercare / Halfords etc!

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onetwothreefourfive · 02/12/2013 14:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bundaberg · 02/12/2013 14:54

she hasn't grown out of her seat until her eyes are level with the back though.... so you probably have a fair bit of time.
the xtensafix I suspect will come back on the market once improvements have been made..

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TexMex · 03/12/2013 19:13

Wow thanks for all the advice. Unfortunately I'm nowhere near the car safety centres, but will have a look/read and look at the 2 way elite also. I haven't looked at it before for some reason (probably because I was too busy looking for isofix seats!)
Also I thought she was too big for her seat as her head is at the top, but if it's her eyes at the top of the seat we have a bit more time to fees her up!!

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Janek · 03/12/2013 19:28

Have a look at the centile lines in her red book, if you follow the one she is currently on, you should be able to predict when she'll be 18kg.

And doesn't where the straps are over the shoulders dictate when a seat is outgrown as well?

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TexMex · 03/12/2013 19:30

Ooh what a good idea, I'd not thought of looking at centiles charts! Thank you!

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TexMex · 03/12/2013 19:36

Right, looking at centiles charts she'll be 6.5 by the time she is 18kg, so I guess it depends on height when her seat will need replacing.

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Janek · 04/12/2013 09:41

My (skinny) dd1 was 6 when she came out of the harness of her evolva 123, she was not yet 18kg, and the top notch of the harness still fitted her, but due to my niece needing to move up a carseat, my dd2 needed to, so dd1 had to. Dd1 was not tall tall, but i would say she was on the tall side of average. (I just checked on the height chart, she was 114 cm, if that gives you a guide).

The evolva 123 definitely gives more shoulder height than the britax stage 1 carseat (ie just harness, not removable harness) she had before.

And now, age 7.6 she weighs 20.5 kg, which seems astonishing. Still skinny though. But beautiful.

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Janek · 04/12/2013 09:42

Also carseats fitting relies on back length, so a tall child with long legs may fit in the straps for longer than a shorter child with a long back.

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BlondieTinsellyMinx · 04/12/2013 20:23

It'd be worth ringing in car safety for a chat though - they may be able to make suggestions based on your daughter's build, your car etc. They were so helpful to me I really recommend them!