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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

MNHQ have commented on this thread

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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

MNHQ have commented on this thread

Car seats

Car seat dilemma

30 replies

Ginge248 · 30/09/2020 12:55

So a bit of background...

I have had my heart set on the Cosatto giggle 3 pushchair ever since I started trying for a baby. Something I neglected to realise though is that the car seat that comes with the pushchair bundle isn't compatible with our car! With this in mind, I was thinking of getting the pushchair and car seat separately.
My partner has a very bad back so we were looking at the rotate car seats (unsure which, would appreciate ideas!)
Not sure if I'm overthinking it or not but these cannot be moved out of the car so each time we get in and out the car we'd have to take baby in and out of the car seat. Is this going to be a drama does anyone think? Has anyone used these car seats from birth and what are your thoughts/suggestions?
It's also worth noting that it's only my partner that drives, so travel with baby in our car will probably only be at weekends.
Being a first time mum is a minefield, all help appreciated - thank you!

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bridgetreilly · 30/09/2020 14:03

You're in the wrong forum. Ask MNHQ to move it.

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mumsiedarlingrevolta · 30/09/2020 14:07

Back in the olden days when I had first DC that's how a lot of car seats were-it was just beginning to evolve in to these bundles/contraptions.

So yes-I just hoiked him out and put him in his pushchair.

It was fine...

although I'm sure someone with more recent experience will come on with a suggestion of an all singing all dancing one which does everything so keep an open mind!

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mamabear26 · 30/09/2020 14:28

We had the maxi cosi cabriofix for DD and found it really handy that the carseat could also attach to the pram/be carried. It meant that we didn't have to disturb DD too often (though there are limits as to how long they're meant to be left in the carseat when they're newborn). It was a lot less hassle in the early days and definitely saved time and my back! She recently upgraded to the next stage carseat which is also great because she can see out better. However I do miss the days when I could just put the carseat on the pram instead of faffing with all the straps and a wriggling toddler. It's up to you what you'd prefer, often the infant carriers to have the option of an isofix base which might be easier on your back?

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tinytoucan · 30/09/2020 14:34

I had the giggle 2 car seat a few years ago with my first- I thought it was great at the time as could just pop it on the travel system when going to the shops. However, DS grew out of it very quickly and he wasn’t especially big for his age so we moved to a Joie Spin 360 which was great.

I now have a 5 month old and just used the Joie and have had no problems when getting her out of the car. It does sometimes mean we wake her up but she will usually drift off again quite quickly.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the guidance has changed so newborns can’t be in a seat for more than 30 mins, so there is less benefit to having a compatible seat/travel system. The Joie goes up to age 4 and was one of the best baby things we purchased!

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user19990 · 30/09/2020 14:43

Get a seat that can go onto the pram wheels... or you will regret it!

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DawnMumsnet · 30/09/2020 17:06

We're moving this thread over to our Car Seats topic for the OP.

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Letsleepingdogslie8 · 30/09/2020 17:23

My friend has the Cybex Cloud Z that rotates and you can also take off and attach to a pushchair. I was really impressed when I saw it.

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Ginge248 · 30/09/2020 19:13

@mumsiedarlingrevolta this is what I was thinking, you never know if you're being OTT or not because plenty managed fine without all the bells and whistles once upon a time haha

@mamabear26 exactly, you don't want to be disturbing your baby every time you get in and out! I'm not sure if I read your comment wrong though... Infant carriers and isofix? I'm confused? Sorry, it's been a long day!

@tinytoucan aren't the Cosatto prams so cute! Did you get on with yours ok? So you used the Joie from birth with your second one and found it alright? I know there's guidelines on how long they can be in car seats so if they can't be in them too long anyway, I don't really see the point if transferring to the pushchair if they'll have to come out anyway!

@user19990 any elaboration on this? I definitely don't want to make a choice I'll regret!

Thanks for the comments everyone 😌

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Ginge248 · 30/09/2020 19:14

@Letsleepingdogslie8 now that is impressive! What pushchair does your friend attach it to? I'll do some research on this 👀

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Letsleepingdogslie8 · 30/09/2020 19:24

@Ginge248 She has the Cybex Priam which also seems great as you can fold the frame with the pushchair seat still attached when you use that - saves a lot of faffing.

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welshweasel · 30/09/2020 19:28

Get a proper infant seat - you may wish to go in taxis/friends cars etc during the week if you don’t drive. Can get decent ones pretty cheap - the joie juva for example is £40 and very safe. You don’t need an isofix base. Once baby born you can then reassess and see how big they are - larger centile babies will need different next stage seats to smaller ones. At this stage it’s worth spending some money to get a decent seat, as you’ll be using it for years.

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ShirleyPhallus · 30/09/2020 19:29

@Letsleepingdogslie8

My friend has the Cybex Cloud Z that rotates and you can also take off and attach to a pushchair. I was really impressed when I saw it.

We have this too but be warned, it’s very heavy and if your partner has a bad back I don’t think the convenience of rotation would outweigh the weight!

You can get converters that switch it to be able to be used on most travel systems but I could count the times we have actually used it like that on one hand

My best advice would be to go to a pram warehouse type place or mamas and papas and test all of them, you’ll find one you are happy with the weight of and features

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Letsleepingdogslie8 · 30/09/2020 19:39

@ShirleyPhallus Ah yes I remember my friend saying that it was heavy now.

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ThePurpleMoose · 30/09/2020 19:49

We also had the Cybex seat mentioned above. I agree that it's heavy, but it was really convenient to put on our Mamas & Papas Sola pram base (pram comes with adapters). You can pull the seat out to a full recline when it's on the pram, meaning the baby can stay in it rather than worrying about getting them out after 30 mins.

Really pleased we got a swively one as it's so much easier to get baby in and out if you're leaving the seat in the car, and you only have to buy the isofix base once - we've got the next size Cybex seat now (thing it's called Sirona or something) which will last til about age 4 - rear facing at the moment but then can turn it to front-facing when she's bigger.

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Ginge248 · 30/09/2020 20:02

@welshweasel my sister has a spare now my niece is older so I could always borrow that if I need to go places during the week. Hadn't thought we could wait till baby is here before buying a long term one, just trying to be organised!

@ShirleyPhallus @Letsleepingdogslie8 @ThePurpleMoose yeah heavy is definitely no good for us!
We're going to go and have another look, just thrown a spanner in the works with the Cosatto one not fitting the car as we (thought) we had it sorted!!

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cazinge · 30/09/2020 20:06

I'm on baby #2 (now 4 months) both my infant car seats fit on the pram wheels but this time I havent taken them out of the car once (I did a few times with DC1).

As newborns they can only be in car seat for 30min so you have to move them and after that, they wake up when you park the car so you.might as well transfer to pram anyway IMO.

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welshweasel · 30/09/2020 20:06

@Ginge248 if you end up buying an 18kg seat now (like the one you’re looking at) and you have a baby that’s over 50th centile then you’ll end up needing to buy another expensive seat down the line. False economy!

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BertieBotts · 30/09/2020 21:07

Well, not a false economy if you spend the same/less on a rotating birth to 18kg seat as you would have done on an infant seat and base. I defo think it's worth exploring.

The PP talking about an isofix base - for many infant seats, you have a base which is semi-permanently fixed into the car using either isofix (metal hooks built into the car, the car seat or base has corresponding clips, which just click onto the hooks for easy installation) or using the car's seatbelt. You then just press a button on the car seat, lift it out of the car and be on your way. If you use a carry car seat without a base, you have to strap the seatbelt around the seat every time you put it into the car. It only takes a few seconds, but that can be annoying if it's raining or the baby is crying or you have a toddler to sort out as well. Usually you have to buy the base separately and often they cost £100+ on top of the seat itself.

Do you know why the Cosatto seat doesn't fit your car? As this reason might rule out other seats as well. One issue with a lot of the rotating ones is that if you have very sloped back seats in your car, the baby ends up tilted much too far forwards and that isn't safe for them. With a seatbelt fitted infant carrier, or some bases which add a tilt or recline function, this kind of angle can be abated. There's one rotate one which solves this too but it's very new and very expensive.

Or if you have an older car, you might not have isofix hooks, which would rule out a lot of seats as well.

I would add that the Cosatto infant seats which come with prams are OK but their larger ones for toddlers, rotating ones and all-in-one up to age 12 ones don't score very well for safety. The best rotating seats for newborns IME are GB Vaya, Maxi Cosi Mica, Joie i-Spin 360 and the Besafe one which avoids tilt issues but is very expensive.

There is also the new Axkid One+ which will take you right through until age 7 but that's very expensive as well! It's another completely new type of seat which is why the large price tag.

If your Cosatto pram has the option to buy car seat adapters for "multiple brands" or mentions Maxi Cosi you can use a huge range of infant car seat brands on it. So no need to necessarily stick with the Cosatto infant seat if you decide you want a carry function.

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Ginge248 · 30/09/2020 21:18

@cazinge that's what I was thinking, if you have to take them out anyway it makes sense having a car seat that stays in the car.

@BertieBotts I have no idea why it won't fit, just says it's not compatible with our car. We have a 2018 car so no problem with not having the isofix fittings? We're going to ask when we go to the shop this weekend and get advice. You've definitely given some good advice though, thank you 😊

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BertieBotts · 30/09/2020 22:36

Yes OK in a 2018 car you will definitely have isofix. In that case, it might be to do with the support leg being over a storage box, or it might be that the angle of your rear seats is too steep, or it might be that they simply haven't tested your exact model of car - it might be too new, if it's an older seat. Actually having a seat say incompatible is different from it being not listed, if that makes sense :)

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RaisinGhost · 30/09/2020 22:48

Unpopular opinion but I don't think travel systems are that great and I never bought one, always had a separate pram and car seat.

Firstly, I don't think they should stay in the car seat for that long. I don't stick to the 30 min guideline but having them in it half the day isn't good in my opinion.

Secondly, they rapidly become too heavy to easily lift the seat with them in it. Especially if you have a bad back.

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Noti23 · 30/09/2020 23:13

Young Babies shouldn’t be carted sound in car seats anyway. It’s terrible for the development of their spine and it reduces their oxygen levels while they’re sat in an upright position in a car seat (due to their heads being so large compared to their bodies). Newborns should have a break from the car seat every 30 minutes and shouldn’t be in a car seat for more than 2 hours a day max. Most people don’t know this and I cringe when I see little babies in car seats on prams for days out. It’s fine to do so if you’re popping to the shop but since you don’t drive it’s not going to matter anyway. I don’t drive but my partner does, honestly, the car seat on the pram was only useful when popping out to Tesco! Ds is now a toddler and we have a swivel seat- it’s brilliant. It’s a Britax Dualfix I-Size and it will rear-face up to 4 years old, way safer.

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user19990 · 01/10/2020 06:22

Not talking about keeping them in it for very long, but those moments where you want to run into a shop quickly, or drop a sibling off to school, (anything like that) it makes life so much easier not having to wake baby, or transfer them to the pram

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boringcreation · 01/10/2020 06:27

Just on the Cosatto Giggle, you might want to think about space under the pram. The basket is tiny and you'll probably need more than that. It doesn't even look like it would fit a change bag. Just something to think about...

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YayoKireZukusi · 01/10/2020 06:34

I was in a similar dilemma about 12 years ago and I no longer remember the exact brands of pram and car seat involved but I had done my research and chosen the safest sturdiest car seat and it wasn't compatible with the pram system I liked, and the car seat that was compatible didn't seem as good.

I found that it was possible to buy adapters which enabled the car seat I liked to fit to the pram. These were not made or endorsed by either the pram or car seat manufacturer but just found with a bit of googling. It was just a couple of bits of moulded plastic which slotted into the clicking mechanism of the pram and created the correct grip to take the car seat.

Obviously you are dealing with a completely different combination but I bet if you find a car seat with removable baby bassinet that is compatible with your car, you may well find that similar adapters exist to enable you to couple it with me pram you like.

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