23 months outgrowing toddler seat

[gingertom11]

Hi, I'm after some car seat advice. DS (2 next month) is currently in the Cybex Sirona I-size. He's a big boy, and is currently just under the 18kg weight limit for the seat. The headrest is also extended to its highest point and he is a couple of cm away from his head being above it. (Just to mention I don't need a pep talk on childhood obesity etc etc. DH and I are both very tall (and healthy), I am one of the smallest in my family at 5ft 11in, and we saw the HV just last week who was v happy with DS's progress). We were expecting to have use of this seat for quite a bit longer but DS's size has other ideas! I've started researching for the next stage seat, though I'm struggling to find one with a 5 point harness suitable for over 18kg? I feel like he is much too young to be using the car seat belt but this seems to be the next option after the toddler seat? I've seen seats such as the Maxi Cosi Titan Plus and Cosatto Judo which would go right through to 36kg but fairly sure it advises to change from 5 point harness to car seat belt over 18kg? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

From what I've read (I also have a big baby!) he is definitely too young for just the seat belt. There are a small number of 25kg harnessed rear facing seats which would hopefully see you through to the age he would be ready for just a high back booster. We have the Axkid Minikid which is fab and they also do the cheaper Axkid Move. Britax have the Max-Way and Max-Way Plus and also the basic looking but safe Two Way Elite. There are a few more but these seem to be the most popular.

I'd really recommend the Facebook group Car Seat Advice Uk. There are some very knowledgeable admin on there to answer questions but just using the search function will give you a lot of information.

To add to the above - Diono Radian can both rear and forward face and harness to 25kg. Joie Bold forward faces with harness to 25kg.
Check the fixings your car has - Joie Bold for example uses top tether points so will be no good if you dont have those in your car.

We have just switched from the joie 360 to the joie bold as we hit the weight limit earlier than the seats age limit. This seat goes to age 12, and can easily change from a 5 point harness to seatbelt when ready.

The joie bold is forward facing however, and i can't see your preference in your OP.

Do you want to keep him rear facing or forward facing? The rear facing ones up to 25kg are typically up to height of 125cm, and seatbelt fitted whereas the other 25kg forward’s facing seats require isofix and top tether.

RF car seats

Low budget under £250

Britax two way elite
Axkid move
Britax MaxWay

Middle budget £250-300

Britax multi tech
BeSafe izi plus
Diono radian 5

High budget £300+

Axkid MiniKid
Britax MaxWay plus—but bear in mind it can often go down in the sale—I saw it for £215 a few days ago!

Forward facing seats to 25kg

Joie bold—require isofix+tether+seatbelt for installation
Cosy n safe Excalibur—has a slightly shorter shell than the bold so may not last as long
Cosy n safe Hudson—the cheapest of 25KG seats
Diono radian 5–seat belt installed, requires tether for FF
Baby auto dupla— can actually RF to 18kg, harness time 25KG then a booster
Maxi Cosi beryl—the only one which doesn’t require top tether. Can be seatbelt installed or isofix

Yes you're going to need a seat which goes up to 25kg. These aren't sold in chain stores but mainly independents. There is a list here: www.carseatadvice-uk.com/specialist-retailers.html You can also buy online, I'd recommend contacting one of these retailers anyway and seeing if they are able to offer remote support.

As he's tall I'd go for Axkid or Britax from the above RF list if you want rear facing, which I would recommend :) These seats are likely to last him if he continues on his current growth line until he's about 3.5 - 4 years old. If you're lucky he'll slow down a bit and you'll get to age 4/4.5. The Klippan Century is even taller, but it's quite slim and since his height and weight are in proportion I don't think you'll get any longer out of it. Axkid Minikid is on offer this BH weekend and Britax Max Way Plus is on offer at the In Car Safety Centre currently as well.

For forward facing BabyAuto Dupla or Joie Bold have the highest harness heights. But as said you'll need top tether for these. And I wouldn't recommend the boosters that they convert into for a just or not-quite 4 year old.

Once he outgrows a 25kg rear facing seat, I would look for a store which has a large selection of booster seats, take him when he's in a good mood and look for one which fits him very well, with the lap belt crossing the top of his thighs as high as possible while not coming up onto the soft abdomen. Shoulder belt should cross the collarbone and not rub the neck. Adjust the headrest so that you get a nice shoulder belt fit. A few seats on the market currently (and maybe more in a couple of years' time) have what they call a fourth point of contact - a strap that somehow holds the lap belt down and helps avoid slouching/positioning issues. I would also recommend using a cardboard box or piece of polystyrene in the footwell as a footrest for him as this will help him sit correctly.