Car seat advice for 3 year old

[Hewlettthedogsout102]

Hi there, please can you recommend a car seat for my three year old. I'd like one she can use for quite a few years so possibly a 123. I have an isofix base. I' don't mind if it is only forward facing as she refuses to sit backwards anymore. I'd obviously like it to be as safe as possible, comfortable and easy to use/strap. She still occasionally naps in the car. I have a budget of approx £150. I would say she is pretty average for weight and height in case that makes a difference.

Does your car have top tether anchors as well as isofix?

Thanks @Viewfrommyhouse . No I don't think it does.

What is her weight?

This one looks like it has great reviews and is on offer on Amazon in case anyone has any thoughts. I feel a bit clueless about it all. Thanks :-)

CYBEX Silver Solution X-Fix Child's Car Seat, For Cars with and without ISOFIX, Group 2/3 (15-36 kg), From approx. 3 to approx. 12 years, Pure Black : Amazon.co.uk: Baby Products

I would really recommend the Britax evolva 123 SICT.It has a 5 point harness for younger children, is comfy and sturdy and has isofix so feels nice and secure.My DD aged 6 has had one in each of our cars since she was 3.5 and stopped going rearfacing in her previous seat, and its been fantastic! She moved up to using it with the 3 point belt about 6mths ago.

It is a good seat BUT high back boosters are not recommended for children until they're nearer 5yo. Whilst it's legal after 15kg regardless of age, the skeletal maturity of a 3yo (particularly the spine) isn't enough to fully withstand a collision forward facing. Also, if they nap, they still tend to slouch and slump which means they're not sat properly.

I'm no rear facing fanatic as such - my son was forward facing at 3yo - but he was light and didn't hit 18kg until he was 5yo, so could remain harnessed. If you can get a weight measurement for your dd, there could be safer options for her currently than the seat you linked to.

Joie Bold is good as can be harnessed for longer. You want to avoid early seatbelt use.

These are decent seats (my ds had one 😊) but they only harness to 18kg, and then can only be fitted a certain way (the wedge underneath HAS to be in the forward position) after the child is 120cm. I couldn't get a decent fit after that so had to get a new seat.

If the car doesn't have top tether anchors, the Joie Bold can't be used.

Thanks so much all. Thats really helpful. @Viewfrommyhouse her weight is somewhere between 14.5-15kg.

Its all such a minefield! 😩

Ok I just googled and apparently our car does have top tethers...'has two sets of lower Latch anchors in the outboard seats and three top tether anchors on the rear shelf behind the head restraints' in case that makes a difference.

Hi OP

I found car seat’s a minefield also!

If you live near any of the In Car Safety Centres (Belfast, Milton Keynes, Essex) it might be worth going in and having a look and seeing what suits your child, car and budget.

If not I’m sure there are other reputable car seat specialists elsewhere, I found actually seeing the seat really helped personally

My 3 year old rear faces in an Axkid Move. He's never questioned the rear facing because he's never been given the option. At 15kg, she's also still small enough to rear face in the Joie seats. Graco enhance (same as joie stages) is about £95 on amazon today.
She's far too small for a booster.

That's fab! If you want forward facing, the Joie Bold would be your best best.

Thanks so much @Viewfrommyhouse .

Not that many cars don’t, it’s just that most people don’t know what they are, or don’t look!
DH was in the car trade for a long time so we are used to swapping car seats out. We had 3 press cars last month for him
to review and all were compatible with our various seats despite being too new to be officially tested yet.

She’s too young to be forward facing, and I certainly wouldn’t be giving her the option to refuse.

You’re the parent, not her, and it’s your job to keep her as safe as possible, not pander to her whims because you don’t want to deal with a tantrum.

It seems to be a factor of age and spec. Many older cars (10 years+ for example) don't have tether anchors. I'm not in the motor trade, but we have several cars at home. A 59 plate car didn't have them but another 06 plate did. They were a standard option in all cars until a few years ago. They can be hard to locate but luckily the OP found hers.

Indeed, the OP is the parent. Not you. She didn't ask for advice on rearfacing v forward facing.

OP was asking advice about actual car seats not a lecture about forward v rear facing seats 🤦‍♀️
OP I shall check which car seat we have when I get home from work. It’s a Joie one but am not sure what model .

They were standard from 2013, but a lot of older cars do have them, if you know where to look but they are also easy to retrofit. I know we had them added to a car from early 90’s without any aggravation.

I'd go for the Joie Bold if I was FFing at that age.

You'll be hard pushed to find any car seat manufacturer that would approve use of their car seat with retro fitted tether anchors. Isofix, maybe. Tether anchors, no.

So? That’s only because it wouldn’t pay them to approve it.
You do realise that the whole “approval” process is purely done on a volume basis. They test the main brands of seats on some cars. We own electric cars and one of ours that is very new model of car had for the first 7 months absolutely zero approved car seats for it. This is for a standard family car-because the manufacturers were so behind with it. Didn’t mean the seats were unsafe and then magically safe. We still had to fit a seat in it in the interim.