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2 replies

AmusedSquid · 05/05/2024 10:05

Hi,

I've ended up completely confused about cars/car seats so just wondering if anyone more experienced has some advice!

I have a 9mo boy (10kg, 72cm) and am expecting a little girl end of September. My boy is currently in a Cloud T in my Octavia and a Cabriofix in our second car (rarely used).

I'm planning on keeping these for the new baby and moving my boy up to a new seat, but confused on whether I should go for an 18kg or 25kg.

An 18kg like the Joie 360 would be great for now (cheaper and I love the spin features), and then move him up to a 25kg when our new baby needs the 18kg seat. I'm wondering if this is a false economy - will we ever need 2 25kg seats at the same time, or will they always be staggered (I'm thinking probably not due to the close age gap)?

To make things a bit more complicated I would ideally like to be able to fit a 3rd seat/adult in the back of our car occasionally. So I know the 360 would be very wide for this...but would probably be ok with an Axkid. We're planning on trading in our 2nd car soon for something along the lines of a Superb so hoping this is achievable!

I'm on a bit of a budget with back to back mat leaves so that's a factor aswell! Wondering if I should buy a cheaper 18kg and then an axkid Move for our second car to cover all bases!

Sorry for the long spiel, there might be a really simple answer to this!

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BertieBotts · 05/05/2024 12:16

OK so your gap is around 13mo. Your boy is around average size so you can estimate he will outgrow an 18kg seat by around 4yo, especially the Joie 360, which has a nice long tall back.

You're expecting a girl who tend to be slightly smaller. You have two generously sized infant carriers (is it the R44 cabriofix, or the i-size one?). It's actually possible she could use these seats (at least the Cybex, but also the Cabriofix if it's the older one) until she is about 2.

At this point your son will be around 3, so can't move to a booster seat, he will need to continue to be harnessed, ideally rear facing. So something like Axkid Move would be great at this point. You could also look at something like Joie Bold, or Britax Evolvafix depending on your preference at this time and his stats.

Assuming you go the ERF route - so the kids are 2 and 3 and move up a seat each. Eldest in Axkid, youngest into the Joie.

It's likely the Axkid will last your eldest until he's around 6-7 years old. Your youngest could use the Joie until somewhere between 4-5 depending on how tall she is. It is unlikely she'll outgrow it before 4, unless she turns out to be very tall. Eldest will be 5 or so. Will you be happy to move to HBB at that age? If so then this is a good combo. In fact, if you stick to long-backed seats and your DC are average height or less, then you could get away with 2x 18kg seats if you are happy with HBB at 4.5 or so.

If you want to be sure you can max out both DC in ERF seats, then it makes sense to go for 2x ERF seats now. However check the suitability - the R44 Axkid Move is too big for a 72cm tall child, children typically fit better by around 80cm. It might be that by September, he's fine in it, but it's a bit of a gamble. The Movekid adjusts a good bit smaller so is likely fine even from 72cm.

If you are less bothered about maximising rear facing time and just want to get to the 4 year milestone, I think it's highly likely you'll be able to do this with an 18kg + ERF combo. You may even be able to manage with 2x 18kg seats, though this will be more of a gamble. (You can always wait until your youngest is getting close to the infant carrier limits to judge this).

One thing to bear in mind with the Joie seat is that the leg room is severely compromised RF after about 2 years old. It works, and you absolutely can have a child RF up to age 4+ in it safely, but if for example your partner is not totally sold on ERF it can cause frustration and the fact you can easily just turn the seat around means that a lot of people do end up doing that.

For a slightly higher price you could compare with Cybex Sirona Gi i-size and Britax M Plus - these also both have a higher weight limit at 20kg which might help extend the life of the seat for you slightly. Because they have a rebound bar, the leg room is a little bit bigger in these seats. John Lewis or a local independent baby store would be good places to go if you want to have a look and compare the three.

Bear in mind also that the side impact protection on the original Joie 360 Spin is quite minimal compared with other spin seats. You could look at Joie 360 Spin GT or Graco Turn2Me i-size (which is based on the GT version) for some similar seats with more up to date side impact protection.

AmusedSquid · 05/05/2024 14:55

Thank you for such a detailed response! That's brilliant thanks - I was getting bogged down trying to figure out how long each would be in each seat so this is really useful!

I haven't thought too much about maximising ERF, just that I'd like to get to around 5 I think at least! Sounds like we'd be ok with an 18kg and a 25kg, we're not gifted in the height department so hoping we'll get lots of years out of this combo!

Really appreciate your help! Thank you!

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