Confused about 'combination' seats

[Wilf83]

Why would someone buy a car seat that goes from 9 months to 4.5 years when you can get one that goes from 9 months to 11 years. Is it just a matter of personal choice & expense or is there another reason why someone wouldn't get one. I've got to buy one soon & not sure what to get- all my friends have got 9 months to 4.5 years.

the ones that go from 9m to 11y are not as good at each stage than one produced for a particular stage. Also car seats dont last for 11 years and its advised to replace them much sooner e.g. 5/6 years

mind you we had an evolva 123 seat and it worked well for ds although he was older than 9m when he went into it.

The thing about the 9 months to 11/12 years seats is that by trying to cover such a wide age range they tend to compromise somewhere. This is usually seen in the form of a lack of recline for a younger baby. Some don't recline at all, others only do a small amount.

I would go for a dedicated Group 1 seat (9 months - very questionable by the way - to about 4 years), preferably a rear facing one because this is by far the safest way for children under the age of 4 years to travel in the car.

Car seats are grouped by weight anyway, so Group 1 seats are 9kg to 18kgs.

Also, the 'expiry' date of a seat depends on the manufacturer. I've had it confirmed by Britax in an email that their seats do not have an expiry date, so if you were to get their Evolva 1-2-3 seat you could safely use it from 9kgs right up to the point when your child didn't need a car seat any more (135cm in height, or 12 years old)

Because rather than a Jack of All Trades id rather have a master of one.

I also wanted dd rear facing til at least 4yo and there are no seats that do that and last til 11yo

Ahh that all makes sense! Thanks ladies! x

I have a seat that is supposedly 9months - 12years but also has an expiry date of 8 years!

I wouldn't use it for a 9 month old personally, or an under 2 really.