Narrow car seat for 18 month old

[coupebaby]

Hi can anyone recommend a narrow car seat please? Preferably isofix. A lot seem pretty wide at the top but I’m looking one as narrow as possible. Slight recline for when he falls asleep would be great too. Thanks 👍🏼

Are you looking for narrow to fit between other passengers or other seats? Forward or rear facing?

Did you find one OP? I’m looking for one that will give me enough space for a passenger in the middle of the back seat (with a car seat on the other side too.)

The i-size seats have a maximum width so that 3 can be put side by side in bigger cars with 3 sets of isofix points.

That's true but not much help if OP doesn't have a bigger car with 3x isofix points.

Extended rear facing seats (Britax Max Way, Avionaut Sky, Axkid Minikid for example) are typically the best to fit an adult passenger between, as they allow more space for shoulders. These are great for an 18mo.

@BertieBotts doesn't really matter if they have 3 sets of isofix you need a fairly wide car to get someone in the middle of two car seats.

We could do it in the Ford Edge and a size 10 adult. But wouldn't shoe horn them in there for a long journey.

Hi so sorry only getting back to everyone now, was out of action on internet for a bit there 🫣 Thank you so much for replies, haven’t got one yet, was more so looking forward facing as there’s disabled extension rail on passenger seat and not crazy room as it is in back so ff more practical as rf wouldn’t fit and probably have front seat users near the dash 😂 I’ll look into what was suggested, I have other young kids on boosters so was looking for narrow one for that reason, more so because they behave like they’re 6ft body builders fighting for space when in the back together even though they’d slide through a letterbox they’re that skinny 🙄 Appreciate the help thank you everyone.

I'd go somewhere that you can try a few in the car and see what actually fits. You might be surprised by some of the swivel type RF seats.

The 25kg rear facing seats are actually pretty compact and don't take up as much space as you'd expect. I'd have a look at Britax Max Way if you can find somewhere to try it out? Also Joie 360 Spin is very compact, that's an isofix one. Took up less space than our infant carrier.

18 months is very little to forward face. If you are set on FF though, look at Maxi Cosi Tobi/Priori or Britax Duo Plus (and squeeze every last month out of the infant carrier before you switch). You get a bit more leeway with a belt fitted seat to move it slightly to the side whereas with isofix it's rigidly in the middle of the seat. Avoid 123 seats that turn into booster seats, they're either incredibly wide or incredibly flimsy.

Tried the joie 360 spin, rf, just wasn’t happening unless nobody using front passenger (or someone with extremely short legs 😝) it’s AR Giulia so back seats are pretty slack on space 😂 currently using a friends seat as he was bulging out of his doona, fine for rare use maybe but not regular as he was cracking up, he’s fair bit over 2 stone, quite chunky legs, ass and tubby belly, it can be rf, can’t remember what brand it is but it’s a swivel seatbelt one and as with others I’ve tried rf just not going to work unless front seat empty and slid forward. He’s not even fussed much when rf still so that’s not even an issue so I can use it while front seat not in use so having a swivel from rf to ff would be handy. and no not planning on 123 seats, I find they can figure their way out of those easily as you say they’re quite flimsy and he’s a huge climbing fanatic and bit of a Houdini so straight jacket style seat be a bonus if they exist 🤣

Your 18 month old can't be over two stone! DS is remarkably heavy, solidly built, tall and 2 stone 6 at greatly 4!

Nearly

2 stone is a bit under 13kg, not an unusual weight for an 18mo - yes on the heavier side. 6lbs is quite a big difference - they tend to take about 3 months to put on a pound after 6 months, after the rapid weight gain in the first few months this seems very leisurely! Perhaps your toddler has slimmed down from a previous centile too, as 2 st 6 is about 15kg which is average for a 3yo and about 25th centile at 4.

OK - OP with that weight you're on the cusp of outgrowing any infant carrier so need a replacement ASAP. I find the Britax seats are quite robust in terms of containing them - you could look at Britax Max Way (rear facing/takes less space than Joie 360, slim at base for passengers, plus will last to 25kg) or Trifix which has a higher weight limit of 21kg rather than the usual 18kg. Also has a top tether. As you're short on space in the back, minimising the forward rotation on the seat is absolutely essential which means making sure the seat itself is installed tightly and the harness is adjusted correctly and done up tightly. Top tether is beneficial as it holds the seat back, i-size seats are beneficial too as not only are they narrower, they have a stricter margin for the allowed forwards movement.

With an 18kg limit seat whether it's a spin seat, group 1 or 123, you'll find your little one if he stays on the same centile is outgrowing somewhere around 3yo, which is likely to be too young for a seatbelt especially if he doesn't like being contained. So to future proof, look at 25kg limit harness which will last to approx 5yo. Britax max way as mentioned before, or for forward facing Joie Bold is a popular choice, but it's very wide and bulky. Cozy n Safe Hudson is a more compact option with harness up to 25kg but isn't as substantial as the Bold, or the rear facing options.

As an aside if your older children are on booster cushions, it might be worth investigating upgrading them to full sized high backed booster seats as this will also help reduce forward movement if you were to crash. Important given the lack of space in the back seats.