Which car seat to get!!? Maxi cosi/bugaboo

[NMarks88]

We are looking to purchase an initial car seat which will clip in and out of the car and bugaboo fox buggy until the baby (due sept) is about 12-15 months. I have been told that the maxi cosi pebble car seat is one of the best to get to start off with and then you can upgrade to their bigger car seat once the baby is older. However; I have noticed that bugaboo also do a car seat which fits the buggy without the adaptors for other brands. I suppose one of my main concerns is the adaptability of the base for the car seat as you need to get a base which permanently sits in the car (and these alone are quite costly). As such, is it just easier to get the maxi cosi because they do the base for their seats or do we go for the bugaboo and the base for that will also fit a maxi cosi later (are the bases standard and suitable for any brand car seat?). So many questions too little answers. Any help would be greatly appreciated in navigating this confusing new world!

Hi

The Bugaboo ISOFIX base (the Nuna) will only fit the Bugaboo Car Seat (the Turtle). The Turtle car seat is suitable for babies up to 85cm (usually around 15 months), at which point you will need to upgrade your car seat. The problem is that Bugaboo do not make a larger car seat, so when you buy a new car seat from another brand, you will also have to invest in another ISOFIX base, if you want one.

The good news is, other car seat brands (like Maxi Cosi that you mention), do make multiple car seats that fit into the same ISOFIX base, so you can use the same ISOFIX base from birth up to 4 years, even with different car seats in it.

The Bugaboo Fox is a great buggy, as is the Maxi Cosi Pebble Pro a great car seat. The Bugaboo car seat adaptors fit the car seat onto the buggy perfectly. I would recommend you get:

• Bugaboo Fox
• Maxi Cosi Pebble Pro
• 3wayFix ISOFIX base
• Bugaboo Fox/Buffalo Adapter for Maxi Cosi Car Seats (only £39.95)

Then when your baby outgrows the Pebble, you can buy something like the Maxi Cosi Pearl.

Hope that helps!

Lots of love,
Katie x

We literally have the systems recommended above

We’ve got the maxi cosi pebble plus as it uses the same isofix base as the pearl plus (next size up) so I felt this was a good investment of only buying the base once. Additionally it’s a very highly rated car seat which was important to me

I don’t have a bugaboo pram so can’t comment on adaptability but the general rule is that a newborn shouldn’t be in the car seat for more than 30 mins so in reality shouldn’t be in the car seat on the pram base - I’ve literally never put my car seat on the pram. I know some people do but it’s not for me. I just used the carrycot or the pram seat when appropriate

Also I can’t remember if they’re called plus or pro. But either way it’s the ones that go on the family fix base

Thanks so much for your advice! Brand new to Mumsnet so this is really helpful! Will go ahead with the maxi cosi pebble and then pearl. Glad we are on the right track

I'm going to complicate matters by recommending you look at swivelling seats for the second car seat. These come with an integral base so you don't need to buy another, and they're much easier to get a wriggling toddler into. Game changer.

The Maxi-Cosi Pearl seat alone is around £160-170, whereas a Joie Spin 360 is £199 (John Lewis). Personally I would spend the £30 and get the one that spins. If you get the Pearl and have a another baby when this one is still in the second stage seat (up to 4yo), you'll need to get another base anyway, so I wouldn't necessarily pick a seat purely on the basis that it fits the base you used for the first seat.

The only real benefit to the Bugaboo Turtle/Nuna Pippa is that it slots directly onto the pram chassis. In reality the adaptors for the Maxi-Cosi, Cybex (what we have) and Joie seats are very easy to pop on and off, so I wouldn't pay the premium for Bugaboo's own car seat.