Please help me find a new car seat

[Just1outof8billiontoday]

Hello

I need some help finding a new car seat for my 2.5 year old.
We had the maxicosi cabrio fix from birth. She grew out of that very fast at 11 months old.
We have been using the maxi Cosi mics pro for 18 months now, but unfortunately she has now met the top end of the weight requirements.

I was gutted as paid extra for the mica so that she could rear face for longer, but she had to be turned recently due to her long legs.
She's a very tall girl and looks more like a 4-5 year old then a 2 and a half year old (thanks to her 6ft8 dad).

Anyway, I've been looking at the car seats suitable up to 12 years and from what I've seen they don't appear to show use of 5 point harnesses? That is what the photo shows anyway, no harness, so I assume you'd need to use the seatbelt??!

After spending £500 on two cars seats that only lasted 2.5 years my budget is max £100 ideally.
Fine to give up the swivel feature, I just need a nice safe seat for my girl.

I've spent hours looking and my brain is fried and I'm thoroughly fed up.

Please can anyone recommend a car seat they've used for they're similarly sized child?

Thank you in advance!

Aya Comfort Group 1/2/3 Car Seat - Sand - goes right up to a backless booster seat but has the 5 point harness.

We’ve just bought our second maxi Cosi titan plus (we need car seats for each of our cars) and we’ve been really pleased with it. It is more pricey but from what I saw the ones around your budget are the child car seats which don’t have the harness. This one can be used up to 12yrs and our 2 and a half year old DC still has a long way to go until shes at the hight limit for using the seatbelt only.

https://www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/car-seats/titan-plus-i-size

Ask the incar safety centre they’re very good at advice by email if you can’t get there in person.

if she is more the size/weight of a 4 year old I’m afraid that most harnessed seat will not fit her. You need something harnessed to a higher weight. Axkid move/minikid (rear facing) or Joie bold is the ones I can think of at the moment. The bold is forward facing and around £120

Join the Facebook group Bump to Booster car seat advice - if you give her weight, age, height and budget, one of the super friendly admins will recommend a seat. A 2.5yo won't be sensible enough to sit with the seatbelt only, which is what lots of the "up to 12yo" seats say once they are over 105cm. Is she rear facing at the minute? I'd go for a rear facing 36kg / 125cm height seat like the Axkid pp mentioned or a britax max safe pro which is often around £179 and is harnessed so will keep her much safer than a seatbelt at 2.5yo. You might be able to sell on your existing seats if they've never been in a crash and recoup some of the difference.

What's her weight and height? At 2.5 a seat belt only seat isn't going to be suitable even being big for her age as her skeleton just isn't developed enough.

I think car seat regulations are changing in June, you may want to review them before you make a purchase

Is she 25kg? You need an extended rearward facing seat for the 5-point harness. We have axkids and they have lasted until old enough to forward face with a seatbelt and high back booster.

Axkid Minikid, suitable for rearfacing up to age 6 so she can go rearfacing again and you'll get years from it

My 7yo still uses the minikid although he is short/skinny. If she's very tall it should still last her to 5

Hello all

Thank you for your replies.

So she is 97cm tall, and just over 18kg.
She doesn't look overweight but she's built sturdy, she's been in or over the 99th centile since she was about 6 months old.
She's currently forward facing as she was complaining her knees and hips were hurting rear facing, even though our current car seat says it's rear facing up to 4 we had to stop at just over 2.

I will join that Facebook group, and can see someone has said regulations are changing in June.
With that in mind I think we'll hold out until then

I will try and sell the other two when we do buy I new one, I just didn't think there was much of a market for second hand car seats as there's no way of me proving we've never been in an accident?

I did look at the axkidd when she was 11 months old but the cost seemed a bit out of my budget. I may have to just bite the bullet though as I just can't put her in a high backed booster at her age!

Another vote for the Axkid. Not only is it a very safe seat, it's also very easy to do up. I have no arguments with the straps and I'm always happy with the fit of it (unlike many other car seats). My daughter is in her Axkid still age 7.5, we are moving her out of it soon but just to show that it can last a long time. Rear-facing is definitely safest until at least 5.

Having just looked at the axkidd there seems to be some for around £300.
I could have sworn when doing this hunt 18 months ago they were approx £700 (unless I am getting them mixed up with another brand).
£300 is doable if this is hopefully going to be her final car seat, I'll take a look now

The axkid movekid is on offer for £295 and would be a great seat for you. Your current seat is outgrown and no longer safe to use at all so you need a new seat asap!

Can I just ask, those using the extended read facing feature on the axkid. I assume you do not face any discomfort/pain issues with you children? Do they cross their legs, or do they go to the side? I have a Peugeot 208 and I just can't see how there could be any more leg room for her to face backwards again.

Yes they cross their legs or put them up on the seat or hang them over the side!

I have a Vauxhall Corsa and a 5 year old rear facing in an axkid and she has never complained about space or being uncomfortable.

This was my then 6 year old in the axkid minikid.

We have the britax rather than the axkid but my nearly 4yo 105cm DD1 likes to have her legs crossed or up on the seat back. She says her erf seat is much comfier than her previous spin seat. If you look on axkids website, they have a list of stockists and you might be able to find one in an independent retailer that you can try in the shop first.

Mine was still in the Axkid at 5.5 and only moved out because younger sibling needed it. Legs he sat cross legged or legs in the gap between the the child seat and car seat. He never complained.

Yes just cross their legs like at school

It's meant to be more comfortable than forward facing as their legs aren't dangling..no complaints here yet!

No complaints from my 7.5 year old about uncomfortable legs. As another poster said it's actually better for them because their legs are supported rather than dangling. OP you need to think back to when you were a small child - cross legged was rather comfortable even if it isn't for an adult now.

We have the Axkid Minikid btw but not sure how it differs from other Axkid brands. Seems to be around £249 for the Minikid 2 (there is a Minikid 4 available which I assume costs more).

Neither of the two pictured seats at the top of the thread will be suitable because of her higher weight centile. Although they go "up to 12 years" the 5-point-harness has to stop being used at 18kg.

Axkid Minikid would be a good choice or Britax Max Space/Safe Way M - these go up to 36kg or 125cm, so should last her a good long time. They can be installed in such a way as to provide leg room, even in smaller cars, although you probably won't get the combo of small car + child leg room + big leg room for front passenger - pick a maximum of two of these.

If you look on the Axkid website there is a space for retailers/stockists and you can try the seats out in your car in person, which should help. Axkid stockists tend to be rear facing specialists and often carry other brands as well so you can compare the different seats.

Is she happy rear facing? You will struggle if you need a forward facing seat for her. There isn't much on the market for children on higher centiles.

Besafe Beyond might be worth a look as it can be rear or forward facing, but it is very expensive because you have to buy the seat and the base. Also the weight limit is a bit lower at 22kg, so might not last you long enough.

You can still buy the Cozy n Safe Excalibur or Hudson seats - those are harnessed up to 25kg and then convert to high back booster. They are forward facing only. The Nursery Store also has a clone of the Excalibur called Puggle Safe Fit & Gro which is actually on clearance at the moment for £69. The build quality of them is not as nice as the Axkid/Britax/Maxi Cosi seats IMO but if you need forward facing they are options.