Second car seat for 10 months+ to switch between several cars

[notalwaysalondoner]

We bought a Britax Maxway Plus for our main car seat once DS grew out of his infant one and are very happy with it. However it isn’t easy to switch between cars as it has multiple tethers - we only have one car so for the most part this wasn’t important to us. However my parents will be looking after DS one day a week and there may also be occasional other carers who will need to put him in their cars e.g. if he’s sent home from nursery unexpectedly. So we’re looking for a second car seat that is:

• Very easy to put in and out of cars using just the seat belt
• Reasonably priced
• Easy for arthritic grandparents to use
• Fits child for as long as possible so we don’t need to replace again when child is 4, for example. DS is fairly large and heavy, haven’t weighed him for ages but he was born on 91st percentile then went down to around 75th I think.
• Rear facing for as long as possible, although this will have only occasional use so not essential to be until 7 years

Any suggestions? The Joie Stages and Tilt look ok for installation and price but aren’t rear facing that long and need replacing once child is around 4 years.

[BertieBotts]

I don't think you'll find much other than what you've already looked at. All the rear facing to 25kg ones need tethers (except for Axkid One which is really expensive) and all the just seatbelt ones are only rear facing up to age 4 maximum. The Steadi is a better option than the Tilt as the Tilt is short in the shell, a tall child will outgrow it quickly.

I'd go for the Stages, you might get lucky and he'll be alright. DS2 was 91st/99th at that age and then went down to 75th and now he's nearly 4, 100cm tall and only 15.8kg so could probably rear face in a Joie Stages for ages if I wanted him to. He could probably fit in our Joie Spin for another year or so but we need to give it to DS3. Their growth slows down so much after about age 2.

[notalwaysalondoner]

Thanks! Any other suggestions? So difficult to find the optimum solution….!

[BertieBotts]

What other suggestions are you looking for? Those seatbelt fit ones are the only/cheapest ones. You could look at the Graco clones - Extend and Enhance.

As for 25kg ones the cheapest are Axkid Move / Two Way Elite but they do need tethers.

[AegonT]

You could get a spare set of tethers for their car so they only need to clip and tighten the car seat to them rather than attach the tethers round the seat rail/front seat each time. I find our Britax TWE quick to fit I'd the tethers are in place already.

[TokenGinger]

I have a Two Way Elite in my mum's car which is really quick and easy to install if you leave the tethers in place. Though it's not great for a younger baby. My niece has only just fit into it at 18 months.

The Tilt is quick and easy to install but has a short shell and is outgrown when the head is level with the top, so it won't last long with a higher centile baby.

There's the Concord Reverso Plus which is isofix, but only up to 105cm rather than 125cm like the majority of other ERF seats.

If you do opt for a seat that has tethers, you can have tether loops installed into the car at the back of the rail. Axkid sell their own for around £15, so they're inexpensive, and save the hassle of threading tethers through each time you move it.