Stage 1,2,3

[nearlyamummyof2boys]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy a stage 1,2,3 car seat for my 11 month old!
He's a large boy lol and there is just so much out there it's overwhelming!
I was hoping someone might have some good recommendations.
Hope everyone is surviving in the heat!

Thanks
🥰

If he's quite big, I would recommend a 25kg rear facing seat.

There are quite a few to choose from but we like the Axkid Minikid. Both my 5 and 3.5 year old are in them and they're fantastic seats.

Hi OP

I wouldn't recommend a 123 seat for an 11 month old. The reason being twofold - first of all most of them are forward facing. I really wouldn't recommend forward facing at 11 months as their heads are still so large compared to their body at that age, meaning if you were to be in a crash the amount of force on their neck is incredible, the spinal cord can actually stretch which is incredibly dangerous and can lead to paralysis or if it stretches too far, death. The risk is greatest around a year of age which is why newer guidance recommends an absolute minimum of 15 months before forward facing, and newer seats even have 15 months as a minimum by law. (It is a bit confusing, but it's a good idea to stick to the 15 month minimum regardless of seat bought). Then the recommendation is to continue rear facing for as long as is practical after that. There are options for rear facing seats up to about 2 years, about 3-4 years or about 6-7 years.

The other reason I don't generally recommend 123 seats for this age group is that what you want from a harnessed seat and what you want from a seat which routes the adult seatbelt around the child are two completely different things. Generally trying to combine both types of seat into one leads to a compromise in safety on one or the other.

So I would recommend for now you get a harnessed seat only, either a Group 1, Group 0+/1, or Group 1/2 - and when he grows out of that get a separate booster seat later :) Ideally a rear facing seat, but if you're very keen to forward face then I'd recommend you max out the infant seat and still look at a dedicated Group 1 seat rather than a Group 123.

If he is big for his age he is likely to outgrow a seat up to Group 1 (sold as "up to 4 years") by the time he is about 3, so you probably won't want to put him in a booster seat that early, and will need to buy a second harnessed seat up to Group 2 (25kg) - it can make sense to just get a Group 1/2 seat now and save yourself the trouble of buying two.

Do you have a budget, do you know if your car has isofix and/or top tether, does the seat need to be moved between cars regularly, and are you still interested in Group 123 recommendations or would you like info about rear facing seats? :)

Also - a lot of the 123 seats are roomy in the hip area which can make them insecure for younger toddlers and most 123 seats the harness will only go up to 18kg/105cm so no good for a larger baby unless you're happy to booster at 3.

@BertieBotts thank you so much for all of that! It really is a mindfield to understand it all!
I'm more then happy for go for a stage 1/2 rear facing If it's safer - we haven't got our car yet but will be getting a fairly new car so I assume it will have Isofix.
I'm pregnant as well and am planning on getting the Joie 360 for the newborn as will not need to take either car seats out of the car so they can be in Isofix bases and remain in the car.

I have a budget of around £200 for both seats anymore advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks again

@BertieBotts would you recommend something like this Joie - rear facing till 4 year then forward facing till 7?

£200 for each seat correct? The Joie 360 is £200 by itself :)

The Stages is a nice seat but if your baby is big for his age, the harness won't last him - it's only up to 18kg which is age four average - for bigger children this is more likely to be age 3. Then it's only with the adult seatbelt beyond that which most people feel 3 is a bit young for.

If it is £200 for both seats then I'd get 2x Stages or 2x Joie Steadi and plan to save up for a larger seat when the oldest outgrows the harness.

Cars past about 2006 or something all have isofix so that will be fine if you are getting a fairly new one. Do check fitting lists for seats before you buy/before you settle on a specific car. Occasionally you can get into issues.

Assuming you mean £200 per seat:

For the new baby I think the Joie 360 is an excellent choice. You could also look at Britax Dualfix 2R. Both seats are suitable from newborn and can be used rear facing right up to 18kg. The baby can then move into the older child's seat as he will likely have moved into a booster seat by then.

For the toddler I would look at Diono Radian 5 and Britax Two Way Elite. Both of these seats can be used rear facing up to 25kg, which is about 5-6 years for a bigger child. They fit using seatbelt, but for extra stability they lean on the seat in front (so pick a seat you're less likely to move back and forth) and use lower tethers to secure which wrap around the seat in front. There are good fitting videos online or some online retailers will give video support.

I wouldn't recommend using the Two Way Elite forward facing, but the Diono can also be forward facing if you prefer later on, also harnessed to 25kg, but it needs top tether to fit in this way. Top tethers are standard in cars newer than 2013 but any older and you would have to check manually for it. The Diono is also flight approved which may be handy if you ever want to take a car seat for a toddler on a plane. The downside is that it is a little more complicated to install and use than the Two Way Elite. You will probably want the infant insert for the TWE.

Two more seats which are slightly over £200 but sometimes come down in sales:
Axkid Move
Britax Multi-Tech 3

These both have a bit more side impact protection and don't need to lean on the front seat so you can get a bit more flexibility there. The Axkid can't be used forward facing and the Multi-Tech is only forward facing with harness until 18kg, but the safety and comfort in them is very good.

There is also BabyAuto Dupla. Rear facing until 18kg (let's say age 3), forward facing until 25kg with harness (age 5-6), isofix and top tether both ways. It's cheaper, but I don't know as much about the brand and their safety ratings. It is sold by Smyths so you could have a fit check once you have the car.

@BertieBotts thank you so so much that's very kind!
Yes I did mean £200 each sorry!
I will go with the 360 for newborn and then am going to have a look at your recommendations for DS1!

😘

We've got the 360 and the stages, would definitely recommend. They're only rear facing to 18kg though so I'd check your DS's curve in his red book and see what age he's likely to hit 18kg.