ERF for 3 year old...

[Livingmagicallyagain]

...which keeps the seatbelt out of the way when they get in and out!

DD is currently in the AxKid Minikid, which has been great. But is has reached the lifespan (6-7 years in use) so we need to replace and I am interested on one which is a little easier for her to climb in and out (without the seatbelt in the way at the side).

Hoping to keep her rear facing til age 6 so willing to invest but we do not have a huge budget. I have access Which? but many seem to fail on installation alone there, even ones which have passed the extra Swedish tests. Which I am cinfident we can manage. Interested in Britax ones.

TIA!

Edited: and narrow enough as her two siblings are in the back with her! Though I think all R129 ones are around 44cm wide?

Hi OP,
All the tethered ERF seats have low belt paths which shouldn’t hinder the child climbing in and out themselves. If the Minikid was an issue, I guess your only other option is an Isofix ERF seat, but they are £££.
I’ve heard good things about both the Britax SafeWay and MaxSafe Pro, although I think they can be space hungry front to back.

Axkid say 8 years in use now: https://axkid.com/frequently-asked-questions/faqs/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-an-axkid-car-seat/

So if you want to, you can wait. If you're thinking about using the seat for another 2.5 years for example and that would take it to about 8.5 / 9 years old, I would be happy with that personally (as long as the seat is in good condition with all working parts) It's not as though the seat will become unsafe on the first day of the ninth year of use.

OTOH if she is only just 3, and/or it's already more than 7 years old and/or you're hoping to use it for another 3-4 years then it would make sense to look into a new one so you get the most use/value out of it.

Only i-size seats have the width restriction, not all R129 seats are i-size. It's a bit confusing because the first phase of R129 was just the i-size compatible seats, so a lot of people (including professionals) used the two terms interchangably so most people reasonably assume they are the same thing.

I-size seats are all isofix fitted and up to 105cm child height, so no use to you anyway.

You can still buy the Axkid Minikid 2 and Move fairly inexpensively - there are also newer/R129 versions of these seats, called Minikid 4 and Movekid. I believe these are still the most compact options on the market. They also have much better weight capacity and extend up higher in the headrest compared to the original Minikid. There is a good comparison video on youtube by Rear Facing Toddlers, if you wanted to see.

Britax have retired all their older ERF seats, but have a new one called Max Safe Pro, which is on a good offer at a lot of places currently. I'm not sure how compact it is but it's definitely worth looking at.

There is also Avionaut Sky - but I think this will be too short in the shell for your wishes. Besafe Stretch - but this is bulky. Klippan Century/Opti - but these are hard to get hold of and not that popular on the UK market.

Where did you buy your Axkid 6/7 years ago? Could you go back to that retailer and see what they advise? Axkid also have a stockist list on their website, so that is another option - see who is selling them in your local area and go and ask about the current models

Oh and I wouldn't worry about the Which reccommendations in terms of installation - they really don't like tethers. All the seats with that low belt path have tethers. So Which rate them low. Just look at the safety rating and maybe something like the ease of adjusting the harness :)

Alternatively there is the Swedish equivalent to Which - Folksam! - Most modern browsers (Chrome for example) will translate this to display in English for you. If you open up one of the sections and find it still in Swedish, just toggle the translation off and on again and it seems to work.

https://www.folksam.se/tester-och-goda-rad/vara-tester/bilbarnstolar

Thank you so much everyone!

The current seat is definitely part it’s best - we got it second hand for DD’s older brother so happy to invest in a new one to last the next 3-4 years.

I speak a little Norwegian, which is similar enough to written Swedish so I may be able to look through the Swedish site!

I think it’s between the Kippan and the Britax models. I can get both here, Britax often on offer and the Kippan is under €400 too at the moment.

So the tethered ones generally have a low seat belt path? The AxKid is low ish but definitely gets in the way of get getting out.

I’m a Britax user and just about to change into the Advansofix. I can’t speak to that issue, but their seats are generally brilliant.

Well done for ERF there's so few people who do it / understand how much more dangerous FF is . It should be rammed down parents throats at your first maternity app imo

We have an almost 4 year old in the Britax MaxSafePro and have no issues with the belt being in the way 😊 he climbs in and out himself with no issues.
Its the only seat we have in our car so I can’t speak on space issue with other seats (although I believe it’s one of the bulkier ERF options).
It comes with a wedge to put in to extend the legroom too (which we haven’t had to add yet) so I know we’ll get a good few years out of it 😊

I had DC1, now a teenager, in a Britax (can’t remember the model) way before ERF was a thing here, it lasted rear facing til 2. Unheard of at the time!

DS2 outgrew the AxKid at 4.5 ish (he was the height of a 6/7 year old by then). DD is tiny and should last until 6/7!

The MaxSafePro is on offer but “stock coming soon”. The Safeway M is available and on offer. Is there much of a difference?

This is the info I was given when I asked the same on a Facebook group before buying our MaxSafePro 😊
Are you in the UK? I know that Facebook group has many independent retailers around the country that may have stock if none are available through Britax

What about the newest Axkid model? The One 3? Could you get to a retailer and try it out. I know what you mean about the straps in the Minikid, we get round the issue by extending them fully and tucking them up under the side of the headrest every time. I do it as I'm unbuckling the child so it's set up for next time.

Thanks all, I’m not in the UK and anything we get will be online but I can definitely get the models I’m interested in (and are within our budget of up to €400) sent here.

Aakid are horridly expensive, Britax are much more palatable.

Rear facing toddlers on YouTube did a video comparing the max safe pro and the max space or whatever the two current Britax models are.

I bet you had a first class plus - I had one for my 15yo, I couldn't afford ERF at the time as they all started at about £300 and weren't available in normal stores!

Check carseat dot se and Jollyroom depending on your country - they are often good for ERF seats.

I did have the First Class Plus! It was the only one I could find here that was RF until 2ish (13kg)! Otherwise you had to buy outside of the country and even then it was pretty much unheard off - everyone was FF from 9 months!?!?

Just found a Max Safe Pro on offer for €289 (cheaper than the Safe-Way M) so I snapped it up, delighted! Thanks for all your help! Love that it is Swedish tested.

YY very different to now! I remember the most safety conscious in my NCT group kept them RF to about age 1 and my HV told me at DS's 9m check up that he's 9kg now so it's unsafe to rear face any more 🙎 she was a bit taken aback when I disagreed and said I'd keep him RF to 13kg! A friend's daughter was very small for her age and not quite 9kg at 16 months but they turned her FF anyway because "it was getting ridiculous".

That sounds like a good deal.

@BertieBotts that makes me so sad sooo tiny it really needs to be wider known doesn't it

The Max Safe Pro just arrived and it is absolutely brilliant! Will easily last until 6/7, easy to install and worth every cent! It looks comfortable, will report later when I pick up 3 year old DD! It looks much better than our Axkidd tbh.

Really glad you’ve managed to get hold of a great seat.

I just bought a Britax Max Safe Pro for my 3yr old when using her grandparents car and it is great! She climbed in and out herself, I thought the seatbelt path was pretty low and she looked really comfy. She slept in it a lot on our recent visit and had no complaints. Hope it's as good when you collect your DD!

She loves it! Here she is trying it out, we just needed to adjust the headrest. It is so spacious somehow, LOADS of leg space, doesn't take up much space from the passenger seat (in fact, room to spare). Narrower than previous seats so great for her older brother and sister! I would say the best car seat we have. And the Safeway M is more or less identical so a great budget option. Either of them fab options for anyone wanting to stay RF. Thanks again all!

Revisiting this with another question! And in the meantime, the Britax Max Safe Pro is the best car seat I have ever used in 13 years of being a mom!

We have had to get a second car, a 2013 BMW 318d Touring estate. The kids will be in it occasionally and I still want the youngest to be rear facing, is there a reasonably priced rear facing for occasional use? @BertieBotts are you around with any ideas? TIA! Youngest is 3.

I think safe way M is still on offer in some places? £170 is a good price for an ERF seat. Joie Stages is usually the other one which is about £100 and goes up to 18kg with a generous height limit.

Oh wait sorry, I forgot you're abroad. Then, I'm less sure. You could look at graco slimfit r129 or try Jollyroom and see if they still have older stock there.

Thank you @BertieBotts , I am in ROI so have some similar websites to UK. Is the Joie Stages one rear facing until 18kg (is that age 5?). That could work, I can see it for €150. Super!

Age depends on your DC's current weight and centile line - do you have any record like the red book?

You can also check here. Find the weight of your LO now and follow the line along until it hits 18kg to see roughly what age they will be.

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/uk-who-growth-charts-2-18-years

The other ones to look at would be Graco Extend R129, Joie Steadi, Joie Every Stage R129, and if you have Halfords they have a very cheap own brand one which is RF to 105cm but I think the shell is quite short on it.