Car seat recommendations!

[ksfrx]

Hi,

I’m becoming very overwhelmed in the hunt for a new car seat. My son is 3 months old and still in his travel system, but I know he’ll be outgrowing that very soon. We don’t have a very big car, Ford Fiesta 3 door, so I need one that is easy to get him in and out of.

I’ve been looking at the Ickle Bubba Rotator 360, due to being able to rear face until 3/4 years and the rotating aspect. Has anyone got this car seat? Or have any recommendations?

TIA

Highly recommend Charlene at Saunders & Smalls, she does video appointments if you don't live in commutable distance, including installation help.

saundersandsmalls.co.uk/pages/about-us

Sweedish plus tested seats are the gold standard and really don’t cost much more than the others. I’d recommend going to a car seat shop and talking to them and maybe trying a few in your car.

Hi OP,
This wouldn’t be a seat that many reputable retailers would recommend, as it only rear faces up to 13kg, which is the same as most infant capsule seats. You’d be best sticking to bigger brands which will do more than basic testing on the their seats: BeSafe, Avionaut, Axkid, Britax, Joie, Maxi-Cosi and Cybex.
Swivel seats can be tricky in smaller cars as they take up a lot of room and often can’t spin due to lack of space. A fixed rear facing seat might be better.
I’d be tempted to wait a little while longer until you know which centiles your little one is settling on for height and weight. This will give you a better idea on what seat will
work for them, so he doesn’t grow out of it too early, meaning you have to buy another harnessed seat before he’s ready for a high back booster.
Also, highly recommend Charlene as above.

He will have a while longer in his current seat so don't worry They often last until about 12m. The baby seat stage can be the more convenient stage because of the base.

For rotating ones you want to check where the release thingy is for the rotation to be sure you can use it in a three door car. The all-stages ones tend to take up a lot of space as well, so I would look at a 0-4 years seat instead if you want rotation. Lastly the top tether on this seat looks totally impractical for a three door car - if you look at reviews or fitting videos online, you'll see that where you unclip the tether to allow the seat to rotate, it then hangs down on the car backrest. Not an issue if you are standing at the side by the door, but would be awkward to reach in to get it, and then have to pull towards the back of the car if it needs tightening at all.

IME Joie, Maxi Cosi, Britax and Cybex are the best ones for rotating seats. But there are also longer lasting rear facing seats as the other posters say. If you can find a specialist nearby that is usually the best thing to do, to look at seats in person.