What do we buy next?

[becomingfall]

Thanks in advance for any advice- car seats are such a minefield!

My baby is 9.5 months old and currently in a Cybex Cloud Z i-size. To our (extreme) shock we’ve just found out we’re expecting again and baby will be due in Feb when no. 1 will be 17, almost 18 months old.

If new baby goes into the Cybex what should we be looking at for our first? I want to keep him rear facing as long as possible and hopefully something that will last a decent amount of time- hopefully not too crazy expensive as this little surprise has meant I’m only going to be going back to work for 3 months so things are going to be very tight.

Hi OP. Do you know what centiles he’s currently on?

@FamilyAreEverything yes he’s around the 9th centile currently

@FamilyAreEverything sorry that’s for weight, length he’s 97th! Very long and slim!

Ah ok. So I’d max out your infant carrier and then have a look at the Axkid Minikid 4. It’s a 36kg 125cm rear facing seat, which obviously you won’t get near the weight limit, but it has the longest shell on the market for rear facing, so should get you to a safe FF age of at least 5 years. If he carries his length in his legs, then you may get away with a 25kg seat, which have shorter shells (even though they’re still 125cm seats).
If you can find your nearest independent retailer, they’ll be able to help decide on which seat by trying them out in your car and with your child. They will
also provide you with post sale support for the lifetime of the seat.

So I’d max out your infant carrier and then have a look at the Axkid Minikid 4.

As baby is low centles and OP says money is tight, the Minikid 2 would suffice as has same height limit as the 4 but only a 25kg limit.

These are currently significantly cheaper than the 4

Can you look on the Axkid website and see if you have a stockist near you? This will be an independent ERF specialist and they will likely be best placed to advise you.

Another option would be to get something like Cybex Sirona Gi i-Size or Joie 360 Spin GTI for your eldest, being aware that they will probably reach the height limit of it by around 2.5-3 years old, with the aim to try to last new baby in the Cloud and toddler in the spin seat until roughly end 2026/early 2027, and at that point upgrade your oldest to a larger ERF seat (which cost around £250-300 unless you find a very good offer) - this would give you time to put money away towards a seat of that type.

The Minikid 2 does in theory have a 125cm limit, but the shell is smaller so often outgrown before 125cm, especially if the child’s height is carried in their torso.
But you’re right, it could be a good seat for toddler when baby arrives, and then OP would need to purchase a second longer lasting seat for toddler once baby outgrows the infant carrier.

Was just with budget being mentioned