Go for a new infant car seat or a Pink Group 1 Car Seat?

[FastAndFuschiaOus]

I told my toddler that they could have a pink car seat when the baby was here. Just in response to a series of questions about where the baby will sit, where will I sit, can I have a pink one etc. I had a quick Google after and saw the CYBEX Solution T i-Fix Plus Car Seat - Peach Pink and thought phew. Toddler will be just 4yo when baby is here.

Well I’m 8 months pregnant now and my toddler is 96cm and 13.5kg. So nowhere near outgrowing the Joie I-spin 360 they’ve been in since they left the hospital and that I was planning to use with baby 2, nor are they going to be 100cm and able to use the pink Cybex one I found.

So I have a series of questions!

Is there a group 1 car seat in pink you’d recommend? I’ve seen the Britax Evolvafix in pink but then I read some threads on here that didn’t rate Britax as a brand. I’ve probably read too many threads on here.

When can my toddler use the Cybex Solution T? I don’t understand the limit, is it when they’re 100cm or 15kg or both?

My toddler is front facing in the Joie I-spin 360. I’ve recently read some threads on here that it is less safe front facing than other models. So should I prioritise purchasing a Group 1 car seat anyway?

I’m leaning towards borrowing an infant car seat for a year or purchasing a cheaper one and hoping my toddler grows out of the Joie before the baby grows out the infant car seat. I really value the spin functionality post partum though and it’s mainly me and the baby that will be out and about on mat leave. I want to make the safest choice. I feel like if I buy a new seat for my toddler it’s got to be pink as she’s super focused on that now and I’m not sure if one that fits her is on the market. She’s already very emotional about baby related things.

As you can see, I’ve read too many reviews, articles, Car Seat UK posts and threads on here and I am confusing myself. As well as worried about upsetting my toddler further amongst all the change. Any clear direction is greatly appreciated.

does the @bertiebotts summoning dance

I don't fully know why they put a height limit on either, although it would be a problem to use the seat if she is too tall to physically be restrained well by the harness, IME that happens past 105cm anyway.

It could just be a guideline thing or it could be to do with the regulation - the seat can only have "i-size" certification up to 105cm. It is still approved under R129 but in order to be classed as i-size the harness mode can't go over 105cm.

You can buy seats which are forward facing with harness and harnesses can be removed when heavy and tall enough.

Me again. We changed to seat belt a couple of weeks ago so DD 5yo and 0months. She had a growth spurt and it became very obvious the harness wasn’t suitable anymore. After spending so much time measuring her over weeks!

The car seat comes quite close to the seat belt buckle, so the car seat rubs the seat belt fabric - is that ok? The seat belt doesn’t “snap” roll back. I have to pull it tighter, though it does snap and lock if pulled. But I think it wouldn’t roll back anyway, because it’s going through the guides. Just want to check as can’t find anything specifically about this.

Also any tips on how to do it up appreciated I’m finding it quite hard to do it without seeing and have to sort of get in the car and lean over to see and be able to reach the buckle.

Oh and for anyone with the same dilemma - I did end up buying a Cybex Cloud G car seat and isofix base after baby was 1yo for an holiday and wish I’d done it when baby was born. God having a seat you can carry around baby in around shops is such a convenience. I don’t think it would have made that much difference when I had just one, but with a toddler and more time constraint it was perfect. Even just putting a coat on older child whilst baby in car seat inside house makes life easier. 2nd baby small centile too so will last until they’re 2yo hopefully. Baby loves sitting in it so hopefully that will last, saw some reviews saying older babies don’t like infant seats.

Hmm, if the seatbelt doesn't automatically retract through the belt guides it could be a compatability issue with the car. You could try swapping it to a different seat in the car and see if it has the same issue. If it's only the lap belt and it gets the slack out when you pull this might be OK. If the shoulder belt doesn't auto retract that is potentially a problem as children do move around. Ideally it should free flow through both. Make sure it's inserted through the green clip belt guide on the headrest, and the headrest is adjusted to the right height. If it won't go up any higher, it could still be attached to the straps, there is a button clip thing on the back - the manual shows how to do it.

The seatbelt should be running through the belt guides, which are the exposed black plastic curved in bits with the green highlighting, rather than over any fabric. I am concerned if it's running over fabric it might not be in the right place. The other thing to look out for is if the hard part of the buckle is touching a hard plastic part of the car seat - this is called buckle crunch and is not allowed.

You can send photos to Britax, they have always been really helpful when I have asked them things. If the car seat sits too far over with the isofix attached, you can also fit the seat in booster mode without it, although it's quite a heavy booster so is ideally better with isofix.

Thank you so much @BertieBotts . I think it might be what you called “buckle crunch” 😱. I’m not sure what you mean by asking separately about the lap and shoulder belt retracting - it’s the same? I will double check it all in the daylight tomorrow.

I’ve definitely set it up correctly through the green guides at headrest, either side of lap and the guide in the middle of the seat. Watched a video a few times. I think it would retract if there wasn’t the buckle crunch. Yes I’m using the isofix. Fiat 500X and the Britax website says the Britax Advansafix is compatible. She’s 107cm and still lightweight maybe I should change back.

Baby could be 2.5yo before she’s 87cm is it ok to keep using the Cybex Cloud G to that age if she’s happy in it?

https://www.goodeggcarsafety.com/blog/what-does-buckle-crunch-mean-update.html?format=amp

this article says you can’t get buckle crunch on booster or high back booster?

😵‍💫 I will definitely take photos tomorrow and message Britax. Luckily we don’t drive much or far.

Ah OK then I might have misunderstood about buckle crunch in HBBs! I know it's a problem for belt fitted car seats but those are more rarely seen these days. I don't think it's good for the buckle to press against the frame of a HBB but to be honest I don't know for sure. Britax will be able to tell you certainly.

For now possibly detach the isofix and push it to the side a bit, or install on the side the middle seat buckle is and borrow that buckle (if it's compatible) to give you more room, until you get a response from Britax. Borrowing the middle buckle was what we did in our old car with the Joie HBB we have for DC2. It fit nicely with the Advansafix, but with the Joie HBB it sat so close to the buckle it was like it was putting pressure on it and I felt worried about it. It was also really difficult to get it buckled in as you say, and DC was not able to do it alone, whereas they could in the Advansafix from about age 6 - he found this frustrating.

I know they are the same thing sorry - what I mean is, you mentioned when you buckle the seat and then pull the belt through the buckle, it tightens. That is what I mean by the lap belt part. If it's getting stuck because there's pressure on the actual buckle itself, but you can correct that manually, then it might be OK because once seated your DD is unlikely to move so much that it would loosen the lap belt, and if it's tight because of pressure, then it's also unlikely to slip back to being looser (in my head this makes sense, anyway!)

Whereas, if it's getting caught higher up on the diagonal belt and not retracting at all, it's a worry because her movements in general may loosen the seatbelt overall. The lap bit being snug is more important than the diagonal bit being snug, but ideally they both want to be. Seatbelts retracting means that even though people naturally move around, the seatbelt should always stay snug on the body but it does need to move freely to do this.

I would not change her back to the harness if she doesn't fit well in it. She will be safer in a seatbelt than a badly fitting harness. If the harness fits OK, then it might be a solution until you get an answer either way from Britax.

WRT DC3 - yes absolutely, there is no age limit on the Cybex Cloud so they can stay in until 87cm (or 13kg or head reaching the top, whichever comes first) even if they were 4 and going to school which is unlikely of course. 2.5 is perfectly fine. This was relatively common a few years ago before height limits and the Joie RF seats were available - people keeping DC in an infant carrier past their second birthday. No problems at all.