Car seat for one year old

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My DD, 12 months, has outgrown her Maxi Cosi Pebble. I’ve tried her in the Silver Cross Motion and Maxi Cosi Mica in John Lewis today and she looked very comfy in both.,They are i-size 360 seats and similar prices. Only differences are the Maxi Cosi reclines when in position (good if they fall asleep?), SC doesn’t, and the Silver Cross locks in the side position (easier to get her in?), Maxi Cosi doesn’t.

Just wondered if anyone with older kids could tell me which feature would be more useful for a toddler?

I would you for the recline however, look at safety ratings, that might help.

Have you looked at the cybex sirona z? I have it.

360. Reclines. Locks in side position. Basically the bee knees in my opinion

The rotating ones make it much easier to get DC in and out. The recline is essential, when my DC falls asleep in the upright position his head drops forward onto his chest and he can barely breathe, I have to pull over and recline the seat.

Look at 25kg Rear face seats. Don't get caught out with the 18kg seats!

@HeyMac
Curious, I have an 18kg one, how have I been caught out?

25kg just keeps your child RF for longer. Some kids will grow out of an 18kg seat before 4.

Thanks so much for the tips, I need to go with one that reclines when it’s in place then. @PPopsicle I decided against the Cybex they had in JL as they said you have to straighten the seat to turn it and I thought that may be an issue if you want to remove them from the car seat asleep. Have I been too hasty?

DD is tall and solid like me so checking the weight limit is a good idea too.

OP, I’ve never found it any issue, but ‘straighten’ you literally move it a cm, it’s never woken my child

I've just bought the joie I-spin 360 and my daughter loves it, she looks so cosy and safe in it.
£280 in mamas and papas, but they priced matched it to £219 from online4baby (I think) without us even asking!

No safety ratings for either of these seats as the Maxi Cosi is too new and the Silver Cross is only available in the UK - the ratings tend to be EU-wide so they focus more on the seats available in multiple countries. However in general, Maxi Cosi has a good safety reputation. Silver cross less so.

We have the Joie 360 and it doesn't lock to the side - doesn't seem to be a problem putting them in. Recline on the go however has been useful several times. I don't think it matters too much about having to un-recline to turn it, as IME once they're asleep they are asleep. But if they fall asleep when it's upright and you keep driving, they tend to get head flop which looks uncomfortable/risky (apparently it's not risky in a baby over 6 months, but I don't like it.)

I would not worry too much about weight/height limits - all these seats are designed around the same sort of standard. It will be 18kg/105cm dependent on whether it's R44 approved or i-size approved. You could take a tape measure, and see which has the highest top harness slot/headrest height, if you like.

Yes, worth noting that tall/heavy kids will not get to age 4 as these seats advertise. They tend to fit until they about outgrow age 3-4 in clothing - by this age you should have some idea about whether they are going through clothes sizes slowly, quickly or about on time. Some of the non i-size ones IF they have a very long shell (e.g. Joie) will last you about six months more. But yes, if you're concerned you won't get much use out of a seat like this, you might like to look at car seats which go up to 25kg instead. These cost about the same as the seats you're looking at, but they will last you a good 2-3 years longer which might be better value for money if you are concerned your child will be too young to go into a booster when they outgrow the seat you're looking at now, and you don't have two DC and need 2x toddler seats at once (in which case you can simply stagger the seat types).

If you do want to look at 25kg seats:

Rear facing only:-
Axkid Move, Axkid Minikid
Britax Max-Way, Britax Multi-Tech, Britax Two Way Elite
Besafe izi Plus

Rear and forward facing:-
Diono Radian 5 (but it's a marmite love-or-hate car seat) both directions to 25kg, but about 6 months less by height than other 25kg seats.
Maxi Cosi Beryl (however, only RF up to 13kg)

Forward facing only:- (NOT recommended at age 1 - but just for info)
Joie Bold
Cozy n Safe Excalibur

All FF 25kg seats except the Beryl need top tether capability.

Thank you so much @BertieBotts. I’m keen to keep DD rear facing for obvious reasons and definitely want to be able to put her in side on. I have discounted the Silver Cross Motion as it doesn’t recline in position and everyone is saying that’s a good option to have, interesting to hear about the safety too. I’m going to go back and try her in the Maxi and the Cybex. They don’t have the i-size Joie 360 Spin in yet but I’ll see if I can find anywhere else nearby that has. I like to try before I buy.

OK- just to throw a spanner in the works :) I would also recommend the Britax Dualfix to look at, as it does very well in safety testing and it's another popular spinning one. If you're willing to go up to the price of the Maxi Cosi Mica, you can also look at the Nuna Rebl Plus as this is also very highly rated, they are like Joie's "big sister" in terms of comfort/same parent company - different market segments.

The Joie harness can be a bit of a pain, and it wobbles in several cars. I would generally only suggest that one if you need the compactness, the backrest height or a budget seat (for the original). We have one and I like it, but it's solid in our car, and I don't mind some weirdness with the harness for the cost saving.

Defo recommend when you try them out see whether she's on the lowest harness slot or a higher one, and how many more she has to go. Also check passenger leg room when the seat is rear facing on full recline.

I also second the Joie have the absolutely crappest harness ever. My in laws have one for DS and it’s an absolute nightmare to adjust, I wouldn’t buy one again

I've got the Britax Dual-fix and love it. The recline is really good for sleeping toddlers and it's so easy to use and adjust as they grow. My son is 2.5 and forward faces now and the recline is still great for when he falls asleep. I've used this seat for about 4 years now as I used it until DD grew out of it, she's quite tall and heavy for her age and grew out of it by 3, my son is 2.5 and will probably be in it for another year

The 360 one is fine to adjust as it just goes up and down with the headrest, but the sticky pads make it "stick" on the child's shoulders so it ends up far too wide unless you hold it in place while you tighten it, and also the crotch strap is very short so you end up trying to buckle them in almost under their bum. And then because it's so far forward it leaves a big gap for them to get their arms out when they work out they can do that (not all kids do).

I know this thread is a little old but I had hoped to help someone. In my opinion the maxi cosi 360 mica seat does not suit the Ford Kuga or any car that would have sloped rear seats. We have sloped seats and as a result the recline is not enough for my baby. Her head falls forward when asleep and her airway is comprised. I contacted maxi cosi directly and to be honest I was more than disappointed in the customer service. The solution was that it will be resolved after 15 months when I can forward face my child. I would not recommend this seat to anyone who was hoping to use it from birth that has sloped rear seats and I think people should be made aware especially during these times when purchases are done online.

Wow! That isn't very good advice considering it is so much safer to rear face. I would actually push for a refund if you bought the car seat with the intention of rear facing up to 4 years, since it's not suitable for that purpose.

If you would like to continue rear facing I would recommend to you a seatbelt fitted seat such as Britax Max Way, these can be installed at any angle, they are not quite so dependent on the seat being flat. Axkid Minikid is another popular one.

There is one isofix seat which counteracts the slope issue but it's very expensive. Besafe izi Twist (or izi Turn).