Graco Junior Maxi

[Mocked]

Hi

We have had a Kiddy Guardian Pro for the past 3 years for our ds who is now 5.5. Within 6 months there was a problem with one of the side wings and now it has almost completely come off so if we had an accident it would offer no protection at all. I assume this is because we frequently move it between cars.

So, we are now looking for 2 car seats to replace that one (not very happy after only 3 years tbh!). I saw that the Graco Junior car seat gets high ratings on the reviews on this site and, as they are reduced to £20 at Argos, bought 2.

I have since seen some reviewers discussing a bad Which review and other bad reviews. I don't get Which any more and can't find anything other than passing references to problems with the seats.

Can anyone advise me what the problem is with the seat (if there still is one!) before I cut off the tags! Also (cheeky requests) does anyone have a Which subscription they could check for me?

Thanks

Actually, thinking about it, we don't move the Kiddy car seat that frequently. Maybe once a month? I am guessing there is no warranty for that?

I know it is a which don't buy for reasons of a poor safety score. Perhaps look at britax or maxi cosi boosters instead. Really £20 is far too cheap for it to be a safe good quality product that could save your child's life

Which? automatically mark the Graco high backed boosters down because you can remove the back and use them a booster 'cushion'. So they are always going to score less than the high backed boosters that stay in one piece.

However the Which? review also basically says that the Graco seats offer practically no side impact protection even with the back attached. Obviously I've not tested this myself, but I have two Britax high backed boosters and my mum has a Graco Junior Maxi as a spare for her car - one of my seats is Britax's 'budget' seat, the Adventure, and at the side of the Graco one you can see that it's far superior. For a start off the back is not removable, and the whole Britax seat is heavier and more sturdy with much deeper body and head 'wings'.

My son is nearly 9, and 134cm tall, but he sits comfortably in both my Britax high backed boosters. The other one is an ISOFIX KidFix that cost over £100, but there is no difference in quality between that and the £30 Adventure. I like the fact that the KidFix is attached to the car, just so that I don't have to fasten the seatbelt over it if the kids are not in the car (like I do with the Adventure), but other than that my 9 and 6 year olds switch easily between both seats (depending on who wins the argument about sitting next to the two year old!) and don't have a preference between the two.

Also, one last thing about the Graco - the base is very wide. If you have a car with recessed seatbelt buckles it is likely to cover the buckles, and if your car's seats are at all 'shaped' or 'sculpted' the Graco will wobble about. I know this is not especially a big safety issue (like it would be with a baby seat or Group 1 seat if that were wobbly) but the Britax seats have narrower bases to more closely match the shape of your car's seats. They just feel more secure when you put them in the car, even before you belt the child in.