Not happy with my car seat

[saralola]

Hi everyone, so I have the cybex Aton made for mamas and papas car seat and I don't feel that my son is that comfortable in it. He looks like he's squashed in. He's only 3 months and apparently it's for up to 1 year! I brought it second hand so can't even take it back to the shop to complain. Does anyone else have this problem? I also struggle taking him in and out of the seat when he's in the car.
I'm happy to buy another one as we are going on a long hall car trip soon. Any suggestions for any car seats that won't break the bank please?!

Have you taken the inlay out to create more room?

@dementedpixie I have and I still feel like it's not comfortable enough. Am I being fussy? Lol it's just really hard getting him in and out. Really awkward angle.

Buy one that lasts for longer, the extended rear facing ones are best

We had the same issue though but at 6 months, we managed to keep ds in it until he could fit in to a stage 1 (usually 9 months but he is big). Also annoyed by how impossible it is to detach from the pushchair, kind of defeating the point of buying it with the travel system...

Stupid question but have you tried having a look at the straps, making sure they're high enough? I thought ours were fine but ds went up twice within about a month and I didn't notice for god knows how long

@stucknoue would I need to buy another isofix for that?

Iv got the joie spin. Love it. Very comfy solid and safe seat. Bonus it spins so I put my boy in it whilst it's facing out the door. Saving my back big time

You should never buy a second hand car seat - there’s no way of knowing if they’ve been in an impact or been dropped.

I have the GB Idan which is the exact same car seat physically, just sold under a different brand. My 21lb/10kg 14 month old still fits in it very comfortably.

Have you checked that the headrest and straps are at the right level? Could you take it into Halfords or somewhere similar to get them to have a look? The seat should fit up to 28lbs/13kg

I have a Joie 360 which is brilliant.

Have you tried adjusting the seat? The head support and shoulder straps move up with baby as they grow, there's a little hook behind the head support you can pull. As a previous poster has said, you can also remove the insert. I think with the aton 5 it tucks back on its self but would then give more depth to the seat - Cybex will have a manual on their website if you're unsure.
I'd definitely pop into one of their stores if you have one locally. There are lots of factors that could contribute to baby not sitting quite at the right angle in the seat so it's always best for them to see in person!

I have the Cybex Aton with a long-legged baby. It's fine if you get all the straps adjusted correctly etc? Can you post a picture?
I have the slot-in base thing.

When he was that young I always put him in the seat inside the house then carried the seat to the car and vice versa. Not the easiest but easier imo than trying to squeeze in and do it in the car doorway!

Also yes I agree with a pp it's hard to squeeze those little pads and pull to get it off the pushchair!

OP, it's recommended that DC stay rear facing for as long as possible and until at least 4 so if you're going to invest in another seat you might be better to look at something that goes from birth to 18kg rear facing. We have the Cybex Sirona for DS1 that fits this criteria but there are lots of others.

Only thing to bear in mind is that if your DC is high on the percentiles they might outgrow the seat before the age of 4 and before they are ready for a high back booster. You can get seats that will rear face until 25kg (weight of an average 6 year old) and these might therefore be preferable.

If you did want another infant carrier then you could look at the Joie Juva which is a decent seat and only costs around £40.

The In Car Safety Centre is excellent and can advise over the phone or email. They also sell seats that rear face up to 25kg (you can't find these in Mothercare etc).

There is a little hidden wedge in the Aton seats under the cover which comes out to make it a bit more roomy. These are smallish seats but I found it was just right at 3-9 months. How do you feel he's squashed? Sideways, position, length?

It is a bit tricky to take babies in and out of infant seats when they are in place in the car. They are designed that you put the baby into the seat out of the car (or with the car seat placed sideways facing to the car door) and then click the seat into the isofix base, or strap it in with the car seatbelt after the baby's straps are done up.

I didn't get the hang of tightening the straps on this until he was a bit bigger - you need to pull upwards on the strap rather than down/towards you.

Thanks guys, I took it to halfords to get it checked and the specialist told me it's fine. I have to buy another one at 9 months anyway. Most probably the joei twist one, looks great. Thanks everyone