Avionaut Sky vs Axkid Minikid 4

[Maisymouseinthehouse]

Hello, I have two main questions - thanks in advance if you can share your experience :)

1. If you've had the Avionaut sky, what age/height was your child when they outgrew it?
2. If you have the Axkid minikid 4, do you get headflop when baby sleeps?

We have a small car and both parents are tall so need legroom. Just tried both seats at our local independent retailer. I prefer the sky for now as it is more reclined (our 18 month old naps a lot in the car), whereas the minikid had to be fairly upright in order to fit. The sky also gives more comfortable legroom in the front for us. But I don't want her to outgrow it too soon - I know the minikid has a taller shell. She is 80th-90th centile, I think I'm happy for her to go into a HBB around age 5.

The Sky lasts to about 115cm. You should be absolutely fine to get to age 5 in it - it's only really an issue if you have very tall children and are aiming for age 6/7. The Minikid shell is absolutely huge - it fits the 10yo crash test dummy in it. Don't worry about needing a seat as tall as that. It's great if you're aiming for ERF as long as possible, but with an aim of 5 it's not a big problem. Don't worry :)

@BertieBotts Thanks so much, that's really reassuring! While I'm here, can I ask another car seat question?
I’m trying to work out the difference between the joie steadi, stages and every stage as rear facing seats? The newest/R129 versions if applicable. It’s for a spare for travel/grandparents. Is any of them going to last longer in height? Is any of them more compact? Thank you!

Yes no problem.

I'll include all of them just because it's simpler.

Joie Steadi -

Has R44 and R129 versions. Not a lot changed between these.

This is a rear and forward facing seat only. (No booster mode). R44 version is up to 18kg. R129 version is up to 18kg/105cm (whichever comes first).

It's the most compact, and lightest. There is a very close model to the R129 version by Graco (which is a sister brand to Joie) called Graco Extend R129. This is often cheaper.

Joie Stages -

This one is only available under R44. It covers three stages - rear facing, forward facing, HBB. This one will last the longest for height, but does have the 18kg weight limit still. It needs quite a lot of seatbelt, and cars with a shorter seatbelt (e.g. older Fords) may struggle to fit it in without using the short seatbelt method, which is a bit of a pain.

Converts to a HBB seat up to 25kg/approx 125cm. The HBB mode is OK. Not the greatest fit ever. Would recommend only using as a RF seat, but it's not bad to use as a HBB for occasional use or as a spare.

Graco branded version is Graco Enhance (I am not sure if this is even available any more).

Every Stage - R44 version

This is basically the same as the Joie Stages, but the booster mode lasts up to 36kg/around 140-150cm. It got a bad crash test result when used as a FF 5-point-harness seat, but OK in rear facing or booster mode. (I don't know if the same judgement applies to the Stages - they are fairly similar in design.)

It uses a bit less seatbelt than the Stages, and despite the longer lasting use, I believe it may be slightly more compact for fit. You also get an extra recline setting to use, though honestly they're both very reclined - you won't see much difference. It might make a little bit of difference for front to back space.

Arguably, it has even more height capacity than the Stages, but in reality you'll hit the 18kg weight limit before maxing out the Stages in height, so I would say they are equal in terms of height capacity for rear facing. I am not sure whether either has better leg room.

Every Stage - R129 version

Joie changed this seat a fair bit for the R129 release so it gets a separate section. They removed the forward facing harness mode entirely, so it's just a rear facing seat up to 22kg or 105cm (whichever comes first) and then a high back booster seat up to 150cm.

So you get a little bit more weight capacity, but the height is restricted. (R44 Steadi usually lasts until more than 105cm, and R44 Stages or Every Stage definitely lasts longer.)

There is a Graco version - Graco Slimfit R129.

Hi @Maisymouseinthehouse, really similar situation here - tall parents, small car, looking for an ERF seat to get our 16 month old to around 5 years old before switching to a HBB. He's on the 75th centile for weight and 85th for height.

Been looking at the Avionaut Sky Q, Axkid Minikid 4 and Axkid Movekid. The Sky Q seems the most compact, but I've read quite a few reports of even lower centile children outgrowing this seat at 4 years old due to the short shell, so I'm wary. I think it depends on whether the child carries their length in their torso or legs. My son definitely has long legs but how his torso compares to other kids I don't know!

Thanks @BertieBotts, that's so helpful! Think we will go for the stages to last as long as possible then.

@Owl86 we went for the sky and I am really happy with it! My daughter is very comfy and sleeps well in it, and it is super compact. Decided that even if she outgrows it before she is HBB ready, we hope to have another child and so will probably end up needing two ERF seats anyway.