Where to View / Test the MOST Car Seats ..?

[LDN1]

We struggle with our toddler getting comfy in her car seat. We have two different ones now and neither seems great.

Whatever shop we go to, have around 10 seats / maybe / to try out.

Where can we go that have a MASSIVE range of seats all on hand to look and get tactile with. Is there any such place? I mean like hundreds!

In the north west but happy to travel.

I don't think you'll find hundreds sadly! There just aren't that many on the market. Assuming by toddler you mean she is around 2, there are probably about 50-60 options on the market currently. Less if you want to narrow it down such as saying rear facing, isofix, spin seats etc.

I think to cover most bases, you'll want an ERF specialist stocking the Swedish rear facing style seats, like Cheshire ERF, and then a more standard/typical place like Kiddieland Prams. Maybe topped off with a visit somewhere that does the generic/cheaper seats like Smyths. Paul Stride in York is also meant to be very good.

The only places I can think of that do it all in one place is Little Peas in Scotland or the In Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes - neither anywhere near you!

Alternatively it might help to narrow down a criteria of what you're looking for so that you know what type of seat you want to look at and then look for a stockist of the least-common brand that makes that seat, if that makes sense.

For instance, are you looking for an extended rear facing seat? Up to age 12 seat? Spinning isofix seat? Portable seat? Impact shield? Extended harness? Don't worry if you don't know what any of that means.

I can also try to help with pointers if you're able to tell me what seats you have currently and what the discomfort seems to be, what seats you've tried in shops etc. It might be there is a specific issue that points to a specific type of seat being better for you, such as sloping seats in your car.

Pramworld, there's one in Stoke and one in Wigan.

Many thanks! I will visit Pramworld.

We currently have a Joie SPIN360 and also, a Mountain Buggy one, also ISOFIX and spin.

I've become less bothered about the spin (although it is good) - just want DD to be comfy and more likely to settle!

Looking at Group 1/2/3 seats at the mo' and ones like the Joie BOLD or the Graco Avolve. Also perhaps the Cuggl Partridge, the Cozy+N+Safe and Britax stuff.

I'd ideally have them all in front of me to test and try out. Seems impossible!

Out of those the Joie Bold is good if you need the extra capacity for weight/height (over 18kg/105cm in harness) but if your child is smaller (under 2 or 3) it can swamp them a bit. It's a good seat for larger children but I wouldn't bother if you don't need the excess capacity. Some children say that the crotch buckle is too tight and presses in.

Cuggl seats are flimsy and not very comfortable. I wouldn't go with them for comfort. They are also tiny and won't last long enough unless you have a very small child.

Cozy n safe seem comfy from what people have said, and have a couple of extended harness options. I don't rate the Graco for safety, although they do tend to be comfortable.

The Maxi Cosi 123 seat is really comfy but again a bit smaller in size - the harness struggles to pull around an average sized 3.5+ year old - it's good if you have a child on the smaller end. And Maxi Cosi make great seats.

We have the Britax Advansafix and I really like that. It's wide in the hip area though, so best suited to older children aged 2+. My 4yo is in it and says it's comfortable. I like the large leg support as he can pull his legs up onto the seat if he wants to.

The rear facing seats like Britax Max Way Plus are worth looking at from a comfort perspective. They last to approx 7 years so will last you longer if that is something you want. Rear facing also has the safety advantage.

From what you have - both are a bit notorious for having tricky inserts, so you might prefer one that doesn't use inserts or where they are a bit more minimal.

Wow! Thanks for the answer, so from what you've said, we might focus on the Joie Bold and the Britax Advansafix. I notice there are three versions of that Advansafix. They all seem the same though!?!