What is the safest budget car seat ?

[Emh80]

Hi there,

My 6 month old is getting too big for his carseat so thinking of getting the next stage up. We have not got a lot of money but I want him to be safe. I have seen a few on black friday deals at mother care but some of the comments mention they aren't very safe.

Can anyone recommend a good one that wont break the bank?

Is there a website I can check for crash testing of carseats?

Are you sure he is too big? What seat is it? They normally do up to 29lbs/13kg

P.s. he still needs a rear facing seat at that age

If you pay £1 you get access to the which safety results.

Have you taken the newborn insert out of his seat? It should last him for another 6 months really.

Have a look at the Joie seats. Avoid Nania or generic/kiddicare/character seats.

The seat he is in should be ok till 15 kg but he can no longer wear a jacket or thick sweater in it anymore. His legs are also touching the back of the seat now. I have taken all the inserts out already. He is very big on the 98th centile.

Yes I did that this evening but still feel like I’m not getting the right info. :/

Shouldn't have a jacket on in the seat plus it's ok for legs to reach the seat. Only too big if their head is over the back or they are too heavy

Which seat is it?

Where are his ears & eyes in comparison to the top of the seat?

PS DD was 98th percentile & didn't come out of her first car seat until she was 13mths.

What’s your maximum spend?

As a side note, he shouldn’t be wearing a jacket in the car. The straps won’t be tight enough and be any use in an accident if they are over a jacket or blankets

Find it a bit too cold at the moment to not have something warm on. We also travel a few times a year to a much colder country and he definitely needs to wear something in the car when we go over Christmas.

His head is still within the seat but it’s a struggle to get his arms/shoulder comfortably in the seat.

Thanks Orlande I will check Joie seats.

OP- you tuck a blanket around the OVER the straps. Please don’t put you baby at risk. This is a real risk. You’re not using the straps properly if they go over jackets.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.goodeggcarsafety.com/blog/winter-coats-and-car-seats-the-winter-facts-every-parent-needs-to-know.html%3fformat=amp

Also- the travelling abroad thing is a red herring. Surely you have heating on in the car when you travel? Babies and children have been injured and died because they weren’t strapped in properly.

Thanks JuniperBeer point taken :)

Jacket out thin wooly sweater is in :P

Will have to figure something out for Christmas as the car takes a few min to warm up and we are talking very very cold temperatures.

Honestly a fleece blanket over will be fine. A few minutes won’t make a difference. Or you can get ones that sit in the seat and go through straps. Google car seat blanket and you’ll get loads. A car seat can have all the awards in the world but it’s still only as safe as the user using it!

If he's 98th centile then you'd want to max out your infant car seat then get a 25 kg seat - Britax Two Way Elite is the best if budget is a concern. The Joie ones only rear face to 18kg so no good for higher centile babies.

Which car seat have you got? My 98th centile DS didn't move from his until 12 months but even then he hadn't actually outgrown it. It's only outgrown when all the inserts are removed and their head is above the shell, or the maximum weight is reached. Legs aren't an indicator. FWIW, my DS is about 14kg now so weight isn't a concern for a long time yet.

And as you've been shown, a child should never be in a car seat in a coat or thick clothing. Neither should an adult for that matter. Mine have always been put in the car with a fleecy planner, extra socks if needed and then cost on once we've arrived.

any thoughts on this one

www.mothercare.com/combination-car-seats-group-0-1/britax-first-class-plus-combination-car-seat/LU0977.html?dwvar_LU0977_color=moonlight%20blue&cgid=car_combination#srule=Price+%5BLow+-+High%5D&sz=12&start=15

not a review on which for this particular model

Not good at all OP. It only rear faces to 13kg - the same as an infant carrier. Plus you'd need a new seat before he's 3 if he continues to follow the 98th centile as he will have outgrown an 18kg seat by weight - track it in his red book. It would be much more economical (and far safer!) to buy a 25kg rear facing seat.

www.carseatadvice-uk.com/everything-you-need-to-know.html

And check out their Facebook group 'car seat advice uk'.

ok thanks. Going to check out the Britax Two Way Elite tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your help :)

The Diono radian 5 might be good if you have a very large child. It is not super cheap but I think gives good value as it lasts so long. It can rearward face up to 25kg.