Car Seat Advice Please!

[NannyRach]

Hello everyone,
I have spent the morning researching and still have some questions so any answers or advice would be very welcome!

I am a nanny for a family and we are looking for a new car seat for the youngest who turned two last week. He is on the taller and heavier side (weighing 16 kg currently!)
I know it’s safer and he should still be rear facing but due to severe travel sickness he has been forward facing for around 6 weeks. Our problem arose when he can now escape the Cybex Pallas B-Fix no matter how it is done up (one his older brother is also currently in but doesn’t escape (he is 3.5 and is aware that he needs to keep his seatbelt on!))

They also have a Britax one which has a 5 point harness which he cannot escape and has been turned around so is FF. They have asked me to research and recommend a 5 point harness FF car seat (if it turned into a booster seat for when he is older that’s great!)

I am currently looking at the Joie Bold and Cozy N Safe Hudson as they both have a 5 point harness which can be used up to 25kg and due to his current weight it seems a little pointless getting a car seat with a harness that can only be used until 18kg and they are a similar price. I have also tried to look for the safety ratings to see if there’s a huge difference but have had no luck!

Does anybody have any experience/ recommendations between those two seats or another one? Basically any advice at all I’m looking for! Thank you!

Joie Bold for sure between those two. I think your research has done well :)

For the 3.5 year old, they are also safer harnessed (or in the impact shield) rather than with a seatbelt if they are light enough for the shield/harness. 3.5 is really young to just be in a seatbelt. If he's already over 18kg, it would be a good idea to get two Joie Bolds if the budget allows.

When you get the seat, watch the Joie videos on installation - it needs isofix, top tether AND seatbelt at all times. If you buy from Halfords they have been known to incorrectly advise people that only two (or sometimes one ) of these is sufficient, which is absolutely not correct.

Beware that the R129 versions of both the Bold and Hudson are not 125cm limit on the harness, they are 105cm limit, which will probably be outgrown by children on higher centiles.