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Where to start?!

11 replies

tinkxo · 12/01/2024 16:54

I have a 10 week old, my mum bought us the zummi solo travel system for our baby while I was pregnant and we were so grateful to have been given something so generous and saw it as one of the big items ticked off and didn't look into it any further.

Now we're using it, I just don't think baby looks comfortable in the car seat but feel completely out of my depth looking for something new.

Can anyone advise on how to even begin choosing something and what the main factors to consider are? I'm reluctant to walk into a shop and ask as I think they'll just push for a sale and not really give me advice(?). Thanks!

OP posts:
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OPKQ · 12/01/2024 17:00

I would join an ‘extended rear facing’ Facebook page.
Extended rear facing can be a bit of a contentious topic (maybe because it’s more faffy?) but it is ultimately safer.

BertieBotts · 12/01/2024 17:19

I'd start with thinking what type of seat you think you want.

At ten weeks you can choose from:

  • A baby, carry type seat which will last up to approx 1 year of age. Like the one you have with the travel system but hopefully with better inserts and positioning.
  • A seat which stays in the car, perhaps a rotating one, which lasts until around 4 years old.
  • A seat which stays in the car and lasts up to around age 6/7 and is rear facing (the safest type of seat, but cost quite a bit more)
There are also seats which claim to last all the way through/up to about 12 years but honestly they tend not to be the best option as you have a lot of compromises with fit along the way.

Do you know if your LO is on the bigger size, smaller size or average size?

Also, do you have a budget in mind?

Do you have isofix in your car, and will you want to move the car seat between different cars regularly?

tinkxo · 12/01/2024 20:34

My baby is 12lb 8oz at the min, just below the 75th centile, and me and her dad are both very tall, so I'm wondering if that impacts what car seat is best as I'm sure she'll be quick to grow!

The budget doesn't matter too much especially if it'll last until she's 6/7. If it'll only last a couple of years and then we'll need to buy something else, then we'll be more concerned about the cost.

Yes I have isofix and we share a car, won't need to move the seat regularly but would be handy if it wasn't too much hassle to move it for when grandparents start to look after her. I don't think my mum's car has isofix.

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 13/01/2024 09:41

Yes it does impact what car seat is best.

So on those centiles she is likely to outgrow the "up to 4 years" seats towards the later half of being three. That's too young to move into a booster seat, so you will likely need to buy another harnessed seat at that age if you go for that option. These are more expensive than high backed booster seats, and the ones which combine a 5-point-harness stage with a booster stage tend to have a less reliable safety rating, although honestly, they are improving.

However, if you plan to have another child this can be a reasonable solution - keep the new baby in the spinning seat and move older sibling to a harness + booster combo seat, or a larger rear facing seat.

But if you are likely to only have one child and want to stay rear facing at that age (which is the safest option) it can be frustrating if you realise that you need to buy a larger rear facing seat when you could have simply started with one in the first place.

So to start with the larger rear facing seats which are suitable from birth up to 125cm, you've basically got four choices:

Avionaut Sky
Besafe Stretch B
Axkid One2 +
Joie i-Prodigi

The Axkid is probably the bees knees of these - it's isofix fitted, light to move between cars and has a great newborn insert. However it does have a really high price tag. You're looking at about £600 for this seat.

Joie i-Prodigi is another isofix option, not quite as nice as the Axkid but much cheaper at £450 (still not a cheap option!)

Besafe Stretch B is seatbelt fitted and costs about £500 but does have a higher weight limit - all three of these seats are up to 125cm height but the Joie and Axkid are 23kg weight limit whereas the Besafe is 36kg weight limit, so could potentially last longer.

Avionaut Sky is the cheaper seatbelt fitted option, £379, suitable up to 125cm and 25kg.

With a couple of these seats (Axkid One, Besafe Stretch) you have the option of the version from birth/40cm, which comes with a newborn insert, or the version from 61cm, which is designed for slightly older babies who can sit in a semi-reclined position with support, usually recommended around 4-6 months depending on the seat. Because your LO is on the taller side for her age but she is only 10 weeks old, you will probably have to go to a retailer and try these out. It will likely depend on the seat whether you can go for the 61cm+ version or the from birth option. The 61cm+ options are generally a bit cheaper - for example the Besafe Stretch (not "B" version) is £479 and the Axkid One2 (not "plus" version) is £550.

In terms of isofix, all cars made since 2013 have it and most cars since about 2006 have it. If the car is older than 1997 (I think unlikely these days?) then it definitely won't have isofix as it is too old. But if you are getting a fixed seat, then it might be worth just getting one seat for your main car and then if your mum wants a seat later, getting a cheaper second seat to put in and out of that.

If £379 is too high of a price tag and you want to look at seats which go up to the 105cm limit, then again you have the option of from birth or from 61cm depending on whether or not they have the newborn insert. These seats spin so they can be used rear facing or forward facing (FF is only from 15 months) and a lot of people like the spinning system. The other advantage of these is that they tend to be stocked in places like Boots, Smyths, Halfords, John Lewis so you may be able to try baby in one a bit easier before you buy.

These ones are a bit more variable and don't always fit a 10 week old baby that well, these are the ones I would say do:

Cybex Sirona G i-size (just one version from birth)
Britax Dualfix Plus (version M from 61cm, or without M from birth)
Joie i-Spin 360 (just one version from birth)

These cost between £220-270 depending on the model, so quite a bit cheaper than the ones going up to 125cm.

Or Graco Turn2Me is only £150 if you wanted a good, budget friendly option, and don't want to spend hundreds (!)

Once those seats are outgrown, you can get a forward facing seat for approx £150-200 or a larger rear facing seat (not suitable yet) for about £220-250.

So if you're sure you want to rear face as long as possible, it does make sense to spend £379 now to save spending potentially £500 in total (or more if you wanted a more high spec long lasting rear facing seat). But if you're not sure or want to make the decision later, then it probably makes sense to look at the 105cm limit spin type seats currently.

Lastly an unusual/rare one to look at:

Recaro Salia elite - this is on offer at the moment on Kiddies' Kingdom for a good price and worth looking at because it comes with a clip out infant carrier which gives you the convenience of the infant carrier you have now with a bit of a better fit. They are even including a pushchair adapter so it's possible (not guaranteed) it will work with your pram. But it's worth checking the fit in your car, because some people say that the angle is too steep and the infant carrier is difficult to clip in and out in some cars if you don't have a big door opening. This goes up to 105cm in the main seat. Recaro is often popular with dads as they make racing car seats. It is a nice quality seat and nice to use.

If you wanted to look at the cheaper, longer-lasting rear facing seats which are only suitable from approx 9-12 months, you could get an infant carrier seat for now for about £100 with nicer inserts than the one you have, use it without any base. This is a good interim option if you don't want to bother with expensive newborn inserts or just like the convenience of carrying a seat around.

https://www.kiddies-kingdom.com/birth-4yrs/40695-recaro-salia-elite-select-group-0-1-360-spin-car-seat-night-black-free-infant-cradle-adapter-worth-29.html

tinkxo · 22/01/2024 15:16

Thank you so much for this, it's so kind of you to spend the time giving all of this detail. Sorry for the delay, I have been a bit upside down with baby being unwell and poor sleep! There's a lot to consider. I've been trying to find out if the recaro infant carrier will work with our system/if I can get the right adapters, that's proving a minefield! Grabbing time to look into it is hard at the min but your post has seriously helped me.

OP posts:
Sleepinghippo · 22/01/2024 15:34

If you live near an in car safety centre they're amazing for their advice and will help with the safest for your requirements, taking into account, your car, growth of baby etc. I used them for both my children, they have been so informative and not pushy at all. Highly recommend.

BertieBotts · 22/01/2024 15:48

The Recaro one needs the "infant cradle adapter" they are offering free on that website, the cradle then clicks into ordinary (Maxi Cosi type) pushchair car seat adapters.

It is the same as this even though this refers to an older version of the seat. It is a bit more of a faff than other infant carriers.

%27VisAlex

Connect RECARO Zero.1 Elite (i-Size) to RECARO Easylife Stroller (2 adapters needed)

A full step by step video for connecting the Recaro Zero 1 Elite infant carrier to Recaro Easylife Stroller via the 2 adaptors you need: Privia Easylife Adap...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?ab_channel=D%27VisAlex&t=2s&v=0X156RADsCw

tinkxo · 22/01/2024 20:23

Thank you for explaining! I've been googling to try and find out which ordinary adapters would fit the zummi solo but struggling to find anything about it. Guessing if I go back to Smyths where my mum bought the travel system they should be able to advise on which adapters to get(?) but then will it be a case of working out if those adapters will work with the infant cradle adapter or will it work with any adapters? I'm frustrated to come across so lacking in common sense! I'm usually pretty good at finding things out via Google, but for some reason car seats have me beat.

Also no in car safety centre near me - I'm in the North East. 😔

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 23/01/2024 09:54

It's so frustrating trying to find this info because I find it's not very transparent.

North East you've got WH Watts in Stockton or Paul Stride in York, if any use?

bobomomo · 23/01/2024 10:56

I would suggest checking the fitting carefully as sometimes this is the issue, not the seat. I used a fixed car seat from birth for mine but In retrospect it would have carrier like you have for the first 6 months then switch to the fixed ones because it's hard to get the position right so young

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