Gah! What car seat!

[absolutehush]

I have a very squirmy, tall and light toddler (11kg, not sure quite how tall, only just 2).

We have a Ford Fiesta, 5 door. She's currently in the cybex sirona but I hate it, she hates it and her legs are bunched up. I won't use it FF as it's not safe.

(The cybex sirona is a terrible car seat)

I would like to do RF for as long as possible.

I'm probably going to have another child next year, when DD would be approx 3.5. This will also mean a new car!

What do I need?

• something that spins and do FF if needed
• something I can pop a newborn in (or will last so long it's worth buying a newborn in)
• something that has a chance of going in a new car
• not £300
• safe!

I find all the safety regulations overwhelming and confusing.

I think the joie 360 ticks the above but I'm so lost!

I realised that I didn't really ask any questions!

Any joie 360 owners out there? Any downsides? Is it good and safe? I need a spin as my back is horrible.

Does it mean the front passenger has to sit super far forward and has no leg room?

Thanks!

I’ve got a 360 but it’s big! I used it in my Mum’s Fiesta and it was a squeeze.
I have a Skoda Octovia so fine in my car, my DD is 1 and her feet are on the back seat of the car but it doesn’t seem to bother her.

Pros: the spin is a massive help, it also has a tilt, we used it from newborn - took DD home from the hospital in it
Cons: it takes up a lot of room in some cars, I do think you’ll have to have the passenger seat forward, DD managed to escape from the straps a few times (she is a tiny Houdini), you can’t use it in a travel system

I spent ages searching as i needed one for each of our cars. We went with the cosatto isize RAC come and go. I wanted isize and i needed a spin due to me having a 3 door. Had no problems with either

Hmmm! Sounds like leg room will be an issue! Thanks everyone.

Does anyone have the maxi cosi mica? That seems viable!

Hello! Any mica owners out there, is that huge?

I honestly think you'd be better off with a britax max way plus or Axkid move.

No they don't spin, forward face or accommodate a newborn, but you don't need the spin as the sides are lower. There's tons more leg room but they don't take up masses of space in the car. It will accommodate a taller child much better than any of the spinning ones do. If you're going to rear face until the limit then you'll only need a high backed booster seat for forward facing after that anyway, and you can get a good one for £40 or a very good one for about £80.

In theory the sirona you already have can do a newborn, although I don't think it's a brilliant fit to be honest. What did DD go in as a newborn? Can you reuse that seat? Or you can get some of the maxi cosi infant seats for about £60-80 at the moment via their outlet site or a joie juva does the job and is £40.

The Mica is indeed unfortunately huge and the only spin seats that have more leg room for the child than the sirona are Besafe izi Turn or nuna Rebl plus, both of which are about £400.

For a tall child the seats like the Sirona, Joie, Maxi Cosi only last until approx 3.5 years old and tend to start looking cramped by 2.5 / 3, - Sirona is especially short - whereas the Britax/Axkid will comfortably last them until more like age 6, so plenty of use in them. You could of course swap to a booster seat at 4/5 years old if preferred, or if you wanted to put the younger child into the bigger seat. But it just gives you a bit more space and comfort in the meantime.

This is also a comparison pic of Britax Max Way vs Joie 360 Spin - Cybex takes up a good 5cm more space than Joie.

Max Way Plus is £240 in a lot of places at the moment, I think this might be an Easter deal so may only be this week. I personally prefer it to the Axkid although the Axkid is a little bit cheaper.

These are also car seats which have passed the toughest crash test in the world (Swedish plus test) which is a very high accolade for safety.

(Sorry - had to wait until I was on the computer to get to the files!)

And a good comparison photo of leg room in the Max Way (front of pic) compared to a spin seat (background of pic).

www.facebook.com/BritaxGB/photos/a.170095353018749/3173587989336122/?type=3

If not on FB I'll post the pic here directly :)

Agree with pp and would suggest Britax Max Way Plus or Axkid Minikid. These would last longer RF (as go up to 25kg) and sides are much lower than 18kg seats so you can get/child can get themselves in and out easier therefore not needing a spin option.

I have a Fiesta and used to have a Sirona which my tall but light 2.5 DD had almost outgrown. After lots of research I went for the Britax Max Way Plus. I have it in extended leg room mode and there’s still more room for a passenger than the Sirona. The lack of spin isn’t an issue because the belt position and low sides means DD climbs in and out herself. I’d definitely recommend it.

We have the Joie 360 for my eldest and yes it is big but we have it behind the drivers side (youngest the other side) and my husband can still have his ear back enough for driving and that's a long way. My plan is to move my youngest up to the 360 at about 1 then my eldest will change seats to one that will do him till he no longer needs one.