I'm a FTM and have been spiralling for days over what car seat to get when the new addition arrives. I am beginning to feel unhinged and would be grateful for advice from those in the know.
I've narrowed it down to a few Cybex models...partly because I think they all have good safety scores, all go to 13kg / 87cm (as opposed to 75cm with Maxi Cosi, for example) and there are discounts on a website I have received gift vouchers for. The options from cheapest to most expensive are:
CYBEX Aton B2 i-Size Car Seat + Base One (£161)
CYBEX Aton B i-Size Car Seat + Base M (£280)
CYBEX Cloud Z2 i-Size Car Seat + Base (£409)
I am conscious of costs given how many expenses there are when a newborn arrives on the scene but was initially tempted to splash out on the CYBEX Cloud Z2 given its rave reviews, rotating chair and lie flat/recline (even in the car) features. However... I've scoured Mumsnet for advice and hung on the words of resident guru @BertieBotts and wonder if it would make more sense to get an equally safe but less expensive/no bells and whistles car seat to begin with. Whatever car seat I get would need to be able to be installed via Isofix and seatbelt harness, so we can use it in other cars if need be.
From what I've read it sounds like the rotating/spin function, while a 'nice to have', is much more useful later when child is heavier and onto their second car seat sometime between 12-24 months. I do think the recline/lie flat function sounds good if it means a safer position for the babe to be in for longer periods in the car (although I have also read reclines can arguably impact spine alignment) and transferring to the pram flat when they are sleeping and to avoid being in a sitting position too long....
At the same time, I am wary the other two cheaper models are much lighter, so better for carrying babe out of the car back into the house, especially when they get heavier. At the same time I don't think I'd use it for much more than this as an infant carrier however, since they will presumably often need to go into their bassinet pram to lie flat after being out and about in the car.
Adding to my dilemma is that I cannot find any information clarifying the difference between the CYBEX Aton B2 or CYBEX Aton B, or Base One and Base M - including on the Cybex website!
Finally, there is also one CYBEX Aton M i-Size Car Seat + Base M available in the sale. I have no idea how this is different from the Atons (despite looking for comparison charts) but I assume it is superior in some way because the original price is higher, however I really dislike the colour available.
I would be so grateful to hear which of these particular seats you would go for and why!
Apologies for the long post and thank you for bearing with my rant if you got to the end! :)