Which rear facing car seat and where to buy?

[AuntieMaggie]

DS is almost 9kg and so it's time for a new car seat. I want to keep him rear facing until at least 4 if possible. Which seat would you recommend and where is a good place to buy them?

I'm in the same situation as you. Need to buy one.
I like the look of Joie Stages. RF til 4, then FF til 7 (I think.. I've looked at so many!) Looks like it'll last ages. But RF it looks like the seatbelt might get in the way of putting DS in and out.
Will be watching this thread.

Do you want isofix or belt?

If I could choose again I'd have the Britax Dualfix as it's extended rear facing and swivels.
I've got the maxi cosi 2way pearl but it's a bugger to get my 11mo into already. I sort of dump him in, then sort him out, poor love.

Both are about £350 but go online and look for sites with voucher codes for a bit extra off. I think preciouslittleone has a 10% off if you like their FB page or something?

I have got my parents the Hauck Varioguard as they are only having him one day per week and I was reluctant to pay that much (bad I know). It's cheap & cheerful and can be used RF until 18kg.

Lots of good info here

Apparently they really know their stuff but I haven't contacted them personally.

I have (two!) britax dual fix. V good although BIG so ifu can check them out before you buy. We have a Nissan qashqai and there is not much room for the drivers seat to push back when in RF mode (although DH is 6 ft so manages fine but they do touch)

Do you live near an In Car Safety Centre? I think there's one in Rayleigh and one in Milton Keynes. They work on an appointment system and give really great advice, tailored to individual needs.

I'm in Bristol.

No preference about iso fix or seat belt - which ever is safer to be honest. That's my first concern I guess the next is how easy it is to use. Being able to use it til 7 would be a bonus I guess but aren't you supposed to replace after 5 years because of the plastic degrading?

DP is tall too

Britax maxway and Britax two way elite are both popular seats that rear face until 25kg (approx 6 years). Both are about £215. I found securatot very helpful when purchasing my lo's seat (klippan kiss which rest faces until 18kg). The only place you can get two way elite in UK is in car safety centre.

If you want it to use it to 7 you need belted as ISO fix only goes up to 18kg. Belted RF can go up to 25kg.

Securatot are great and have a showroom not too far from Bristol IIRC, at least closer tha Milton Keynes.

I wouldn't buy a TWE, there are much better seats out there now with much better protection. Particularly around the head.

Any experience of the maxi cosi assisfix? I was looking at one in mothercare and it looked very easy to use.
OP we are in the same situation as you....

An important factor would be what car you drive? Installation with seat belt or Isofix provide the same safety. Main benefit of Isofix is the fast and easy installation. Possible downsides are the heavy weight, in general more expensive price and the lower 18 kg RF weight limit.

An exception to the 18 kg weight limit would be Concord Reverso which is approved RF to 23 kg with Isofix thanks to be approved for the new R129 standard and having a low weight. This seat will last to around age 4 but are like other Isofix seats also a bit more pricey.

Have you considered the Joie I-anchor? It conforms to the European standard that supersedes isofix standards (I-size). Its the first one on the market in the UK that met these standards. It works either as an isofix type seat or seat belt seat. Rear facing until 4 years old.

more here

We have one. So it fits a Kia Picanto. DH is 6'2" but can drive with it behind him (though on notch in front of the one he normally would use without the seat). Its easy to fit and we sometimes move the base and seat to DH|'s car.

We got one fitted at mothercare but unfortunately they didn't have in stock so we bought elsewhere.

We've got britax maxways as our main seats but currently using 2 joie stages for 3yo and 18mo (after car accident/different car). They are as easy to get into each, I've been very happy with the stages on a trip today

I got the joie stages from mothercare, im really happy with it in my car (2005 citreon Picasso). But my parents car has dipped/ sports seats and this tilts the seat to a very upright angle, I worry about DDs head falling forward when she sleeps. The Mothercare car seat fitter said to use a c shaped neck pillow around DDs neck when she sleeps to keep her chin off her chest but that sounds a bit to me?

Muirsicle. No don't use a cushion. It isn't crash tested. Head lolling is fine although looks uncomfy it isn't

Thanks sockmatcher, the pillow suggestion was ringing alarm bells!

hi, it will really depend on your car and what fits it best.
Do you have floor storage boxes as this might make it more tricky to have a rf seat that has a support leg.
You also need to watch out for buckle crunch when using a seatbelt fastening one.
I would defo recommend going to securatot if you find any of these problems. (can you tell these are the problems I have had!!!!)
im in Bristol too and taking a trip to securatot in the next couple of weeks.

Although they can be very hit and miss I have found mothercare eastgate to be quite helpful. They tried every rf seat in my car but were quite prepared to tell me if there was buckle crunch or they wouldn't fit cos of the floor storage. (ie not just trying to get me to buy an expensive one as even those didn't fit). One staff member who wasn't as experienced in rf seats made a point of asking another staff member who was to come and help.

Got maxi cosi 2way pearl. Dd very comfy in it. We brought it from John Lewis, they were great