Toddler to child car seat for overseas travel

[LaVitesse2022]

Hello, I'm trying to find a good affordable car seat for my 13-month old that will last for a few years. This is to take to his grandparents abroad (we don't own a car so don't need it here but might need to use in different cars over there) so ideally it wouldn't be too heavy.

Any recommendations?

Wounld't it be easier to buy one there? Then you could also check it fits well in your parent's car and that they can install it.

You will need to ensure that whatever you buy meets the child seat safety requirements of the country you use it in.

You can’t say ‘oh, I’m British and just visiting so this British seat is ok’ when you put the seat in a car registered to grandparents overseas.

It would be easier, but they are generally more expensive than here and most brands I'm not familiar with. Would prefer to get something I can trust expert reviews on safety, etc.

The regulations are different in Europe/the USA and Canada/Australia and New Zealand. You need to know what the rules are for the destination country before you buy a seat.

Does your DH have any younger relatives, ideally with kids, living in the country so they could advise? Also could GPs ask around their local friends?

What country? The regulations are different in differing countries, it's not necessarily as simple as just taking over a British one.

It's an EU country so rules are very similar (I've checked). R129 is the golden rule.

For a 13mo I'd go for Graco Extend R129, then when they get to the high back booster age change it for a folding HBB like Maxi Cosi Tanza i-size (but whatever is around when your LO is the right size/age, because it will be different by then).

Only issue would be if DC is on higher centiles - are they?

Thank you, I'll have a look at those. My son is on the 90 centile on weight though, does that make a difference?

Yes it will, because the seat I recommended is only suitable up to 18kg. For a 91st centile boy, that would be outgrown at about 3 years old which is too young to move to high back booster.

Graco Slimfit R129 or Joie Every Stage R129 are similar but have a 21kg weight limit, which would be better in that case. They do have a 105cm height limit for the rear facing mode, so he'd need to be 75th centile or below (preferably less than 50th) for height, though this goes more slowly, so it might be possible if you happen not to visit when he's close to the limit.

With centiles they can drop a few once they get mobile so it's not necessarily a given that he'll stay on 91st, but worth bearing in mind.

If you wanted to be certain to be able to have a rear facing seat until over age 4, then you'll probably need one with a 125cm limit - problem is these aren't cheap.