Where is good to try out high back booster seats?

[RedCarAndBlueCar]

I'm in the lookout for HBB seats for my 7 year old DT. I have taken advice from here to try stuff out first, but am finding it hard to find anywhere I can do this.

Halford don't seem to stock any safe HBBs. John Lewis do, but it's several weeks before they have an appointment available and they don't have the one I particularly like, Britax kidfix, in stock in my local one.

Any suggestions? It seems for an expensive item (and I need two! ) that needs to be comfy and will be used for a long time there should be more options!

I'm in Hampshire. There's also a Baby centre place in Ringwood, but isn't open at weekends, and Bijou baby but it seems to have a very limited choice of HBB.

Have you looked online to see if you have any Britax retailers near you?

We went to an appointment only place just outside Exeter www.justanotherbaby.co.uk
We were able to check the shortlisted ones were in stock, the lady was very knowledgable and we were able to take our time to decide.
I appreciate that it’s a bit of a trek for you though

Just to add I liked the look of the britax but we ended up with the avionaut, it was much more comfortable according to DD. There’s also another popular one my friends have called the besafe that we tried but the avionaut goes taller

What is unsafe about the Halfords’s ones? We had them and they were fine. The absolutely crucial thing is they fit your car including any cushioning in the back seat design

I’m not in Hampshire so can’t comment, but I wouldn’t recommend John Lewis based on my baby appointment. They didn’t seem that knowledgeable when I asked questions and gave me some information I knew was wrong about some prams. Maybe I just had a bad person but I was really unimpressed.

We needed up going to an independent shop which let us try things out in the car, as well as play with them in the shop, which is pretty important for an HBB because the headrests can interfere with fit. I’m sure I’ve heard a tip to look up Axkid stockists, because a shop which sells Axkid will also very likely sell Britax, Avionaut, BeSafe etc and will have specialised fitting advice.

The independents tend to be the best in terms of advice and having the higher-end models like the Avionaut or Besafe.

Britax Kidfix should be widely available - you're right Halfords don't have it, but I would expect to find it in John Lewis and possibly larger Boots. Argos also sell it and I think sometimes they are stocked in supermarkets. Of course with Argos/supermarkets, you won't get any advice, and you'll need to ask whether you can try the seat in your car before buying. I've found before in those kinds of places they say no, and also won't accept returns on car seats.

Halfords and Mamas and Papas sell Cybex, Maxi Cosi and Joie all of which are well-rated. Halfords advice tends to be terrible but you might be able to look at some models.

IME with high back boosters the most important thing is how it fits with the headrests in your car, and whether you can do up the seatbelt comfortably with the isofix attached. The brand and testing etc is less important than it is for other stages of seat. The main safety you're having at this point is the seatbelt. So the most important thing a HBB has to do is let the belt run smoothly without pinching or trapping anywhere, and the other part of course is comfort. There are small differences in things like the side impact protection but TBH with the newer regulation you don't have the incredibly shallow/nonexistant head supports any more, so even a cheap/generic HBB can genuinely be just as good if it fits well in your car and DC find it comfy. But as you have twins so won't be handing the seats down and presumably if you have used ERF seats to the max, you'll want to use the HBB seats to the max too, the higher end ones do tend to be built a bit better in terms of quality and comfort for the long term.

Joie as in many other categories is good for nice well-chosen features without such a premium price, but definitely check fit - we have a Joie one and now we car share I regret it because it's so wide and overlaps the buckle in a lot of cars, so I can't always use the isofix. But the adjustable leg rest in the i-Traver particularly is a great feature esp for hoping to use the same seat all the way through.

Bijou Baby is worth a try. The owner is fairly active online and always seems nice.

Thanks, all. I looked up Britax stockists and it seems Bijou is the only place to try it, which is a bit annoying as it's quite far and only stocks that one, and Axkid and Avionaut, and the other two are above budget. Ideally I would like a place where I could try a range but that doesn't seem possible! I'd be happy with Cybex, Joie, Maxi cosi etc. Halfords only seem to stock boosters with no back, or totally unknown brands which I'm not comfortable with although it sounds like they might be fine.

My John Lewis definitely don't have the britax in stock unfortunately. It does seem that Mamas and Papas have some (again, not much choice, as only about 5 options online so will check what they actually have in store) but the one near me is in a shopping centre so not sure how that would work for trying things out in the car.

It just seems it should be easier to find somewhere with a decent choice to try out in the car before buying!

Ah, it seems like Mamas and Papas is not in the shopping centre, but just outside, so might be a good option.

Also, I should mention that the width is fairly important as we also have a younger DC who will be moving into an Axkid move so need to fit 3 across the back seat, so basically need something narrower or the same as the axkid move. Some of the HBB seem surprisingly wide.

We had some top recommended by Which? It is years since my kids were in booster seats but look on there even if you have to pay for a subscription you can always cancel it later.

The reason I say this is we were in a serious car crash and rolled twice, the emergency services said it was excellent we had such good car seats and the kids were wearing then properly as it literally saved their lives, we were also in a Volvo which has a hood record for safety.

So we managed to try out some Cybex and Joie ones. They were both a lot wider than the Britax (going by specs as couldn't find anywhere to try britax) and made doing up the seat belt very tricky.

So I think we might just have to go for the Britax unless I can find another narrow one.

We've been told that you can't have two HBBs next to each other, because of the side protection, so will need to have the Axkid move rear facing one in the middle, which is a bit of a pain for several reasons. Does anyone know if that's true?

Oh, and also that means that we'll never be able to have the HBBs in a row. When youngest is moving into a HBB at about 7, twins will be 10. They've never been tall for their age, but presumably will just have to have a booster without the back bit if we can't do 3 in a row?

I'm not sure what you/the advisor in the shop mean about not being able to have two beside each other because of the side protection - do you think they meant that they often don't fit like that? It's certainly allowed to have two side by side, as long as they fit safely, which means not pushing on each other and where you can reach the buckle for both boosters.

One thing which is tricky and sorry I know I'm saying more of the same but it's not necessarily about total width, it's about the shape of the seats next to the Move.

This is a good scenario where the FB groups can be helpful if you can get a sensible one, because the Axkid Move has been around for so long that there should be some opinions or older posts about which shape/brand HBBs tesselate nicely with it. I'll have a look through the ones I'm in and see if I can find anything helpful. The shape of the Kidfix did change in I think 2022.

Our Halfords stocks hbb and the normal brands. I had the graco (us brand as lived there) which could be harnessed or not and converted no back when old, tall and heavy enough. But they were wide, you couldn’t get a third one in, very few can so that will be what decides it for you

Thanks, that's really helpful. I will see if I can find a useful Facebook group - I have to say, I joined a couple years ago and found them quite intimidating!

He just said that there was no way you would ever get them to fit next to each other, as the side bit of one would mean the other wouldn't stand up straight so wouldn't be safe. So not sure if he meant just that they are too wide. But he did say you can never have a HBB next to another as all of them are too wide. I was surprised as we currently have 2x Axkid moves next to each other, and a Britax rear facing one as well so it's not the narrowest car (citroen c4 Picasso). But he was saying that the hbbs are wider than the erf seats.

That does make sense about the shape too, as i think the joie and cybex were very similar width but the cybex was less square shape so slightly easier to buckle.

OK then I think he is just perhaps not very experienced with fitting different combos. It can absolutely be done, see some pics here (unfortunately, not v helpful in terms of models, as this album is 10 years old now). Whether you can do it with those seats in that car, is a different question.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153076285@N05/albums/72157687963842866/with/35988199783

And one of Britax's own promo photos shows 3 across - scroll down on this page: https://8stars.com/gb/ostatni-fotelik-100-150cm/392-britax-roemer-kidfix-pro.html

Maxi Cosi as well tend to be good for 3 but can't find a promo pic. Besafe are easy to find because it was their big marketing feature - the side impact thing comes off to make it narrower (Joie too, though in reality the Joie seat doesn't fit v easily - only if you have 3x i-size positions, which most cars don't). I don't know which Kidfix you were looking at in terms of price, but the Besafe isn't a huge amount more than some of them and is a lovely seat: https://www.pramworld.co.uk/besafe-izi-flex-fix-2-i-size-fresh-black-cab/

Cybex are especially wide. They are tricky to fit 3 across. A friend of mine had 3 DC in a Citroen C4 Picasso (I think the Grande) and she did have 2x Cybex HBB and a Cybex Sirona in the middle, so it can be done, but probably depends on the shape of the seats.

Of course you're going to have varying results based on what size your middle seat is, and how sculpted the edge two seats are (because this tends to tip the booster in to the centre if not centred on that seat) and whether or not you want to use isofix on the outside edges. Isofix is not necessary for a high back booster but it can keep it more stable for the child to climb in, which saves a lot of bother.

One thing which does help with the Picasso if you have this feature is if you can move the seats back and forward, you can stagger them slightly which can really help with finding a perfect fit.

Thanks, that's brilliant, and very useful to know that Britax themselves suggest it!

I think it was just the basic kidfix, but would happy to pay a bit extra to have two that can go side by side (and where I can eventually fit 3 side by side) as it will make our lives a lot easier.

Does it make any difference to safety if you take the side impact things off the besafe, or are they just not needed in the middle seat anyway? That does sound like a good option.

We definitely can move the seats back and forward independently so that's another good suggestion as that hadn't occurred to me for some reason. Ours is the grande Picasso.

I would highly recommend the BeSafe Flex Fix 2 if you will need to get three HBB across at later date. The side impact just pops off to make it easy to get three across. No experience of this, but I regularly sit in the middle seat between two of them and it wouldn’t be possible if the sides didn’t remove.

We tried the BeSafe, the Avionaut Maxspace and the Kidfix and our at the time 7 year old found the BeSafe the most comfortable having moved from a ERF seat. He found the Kidfix the most uncomfortable and it did feel very hard and not cushioned at all.

We also bought the Kneeguards footrest which improved our son’s position and comfort.

Also, to add. The Facebook groups might be helpful in pointing towards any difficultly with the fit of the HBB you are looking at. Plus some of the retailers that run the groups offer discounts when you purchase more than one seat, which could a be a bonus too!

Any seat which has an extra bit that pops on and off the side is literally just a spacer, to reduce the distance between the side of the seat and the car door, which performs a function a bit like bracing in an aeroplane. It's not needed when it's directly next to another seat, when it's too far from the door for it to make a difference (e.g. on non door side, or in the middle) or when there isn't enough space between the child seat and the door to attach it - in some cars with 3x full size seats, the edge seats are closer to the doors.

One wildcard I've just thought of which might be worth trying out is the Britax Safefix. This is basically a version of their Advansafix/Evolvafix, which is a FF harness / booster combo seat, but just as a booster - no 5 point harness. It has the middle strap, like the Kidfix boosters.

We have the Advansafix, and it's been the one which always fits 3 across and has never been an issue for any model of car when car sharing, the seatbelt always reaches and it's always comfortable to sit next to, although I always sort of assumed it would probably be a bit meh as a booster seat, so I was surprised to see carseat se (carseatsweden) using it recently and praising the comfort and fitting of it. I queried the safety and they said it's fine although as it's heavy, best to use the isofix, although actually it's no heavier than a lot of HBB models. I think this was their post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaH930njjBX/?img_index=1

It is much heavier and bulkier feeling than the Joie booster that we have but I think it actually is narrower, and it always does seem to fit DC well - I have my very active, wriggly just turned 5yo in it, in booster mode. He can sit in a standard high back booster, and did on holiday, but he is all over the place leaning out, trying to tip the whole thing over etc. I only took him out of the harness on the Advansafix reluctantly because he got too tall. But in this one it seems much sturdier esp compared to the cheap booster we had abroad, and he sits properly and seems comfy. I hate carrying it out to cars because it's heavy and solid but once it's fitted, it's just a lovely seat. I keep forgetting it exists as just a booster. You can remove the lower strap if it bothers the children, it's only really needed if the belt doesn't sit properly without it. I think it helps DS3 feel a bit more penned in so will be keeping it for now.

Anyway that one seems to be on offer at Winstanley's as well (I promise I am not on commission sorry!!) https://www.pramworld.co.uk/britax-romer-safefix-high-back-booster-deep-black/

The only mark against this one is that it sits that much higher (which I find useful for accessing the seatbelt) that an older child probably wouldn't get as long use out of it, and Britax acknowledge this and say once the child is over 133cm, it will only fit in certain cars (but I should think you'll be OK in a Grand Picasso anyway). This is fine for us, because I don't have twins so there will always be a younger and older child, but might be a pain if you end up needing to replace x2, although there is also a study out of Sweden somewhere suggesting backless boosters are actually just as good particularly for older children (this is a can of worms for another day, I think). Maybe just check how tall it is fully extended if you can try it somewhere?

Thanks, this is really helpful, and useful to know that your DC didn't like the Britax! I'm tempted by foot rests too, as dangling legs look really uncomfortable.

Halfords is dreadful, the amount of terrible advice they give out has probably caused deaths.

Smyths has a really good reputation for selling car seats.

Re the Facebook groups, they're ok if you avoid Gabi, she's unhinged.

Thanks for explaining about the side impact things, I was hoping that was the case but it all feels quite confusing.

That's useful to have another option, too, although I think ideally I'd just like these ones to last until 150cm. I could be persuaded that the backless ones are just as safe, but I think the HBBS also have the advantage of demarcating each person's space more clearly, which I think is useful to reduce fighting! Not sure if they'll have matured out of bickering so much in a few years but we can cross that bridge when we need to.

Thank you so much for all the advice. I'm a bit tempted just to order the Besafe ones, and just return if they don't seem to work in the space or DT hate them, as it seems very difficult to try out many of these less popular ones.

Well if you're looking at specific seats and want to be sure about the side impact spacer, you can usually download manuals without actually buying the product. But in every seat I've come across which has a removable thing, it's removable specifically for that reason, to allow for more space on the non-door side, and doesn't compromise safety to remove it there.

The Safefix can be used up to 150cm if it fits in your car, though I don't think the headrest extends up quite as high as the Kidfix or Besafe Flex fix do - those are both very high extending HBBs.

It's just that basically there is an "invisible box" which denotes the max dimensions for seats within the i-size specification, and that "box" is used by both car manufacturers and car seat manufacturers. So if Citroen for example want to designate certain seating positions as "i-size compatible" then the interior space on that vehicle seat to accommodate a child seat must allow for the whole of this invisible box. And likewise, if a car seat is "i-size compatible" it (and dummy of relevant size) must fit within the invisible box.

When R129 first came out a lot of manufacturers/retailers emphasised the "i-size" part and so many people don't really know what i-size means, and TBH it's not really important to know, but it is a particular thing which is a subset of the newer (R129) regulation and a subset of all isofix seats, mainly to do with vehicle compatability, so the "box" is part of that. It's meant to do away with the need for fit lists.

Britax are saying that when a child is over approx 133cm, the seat/child will exceed the height of the box. And some cars, particularly smaller cars might have a roof which is basically touching the top of the "box", so you could struggle, if you had a smaller car, to fit a taller child in once they have exceeded this. But IIRC the Grand Picasso has a fairly high roof, doesn't it? So it seems to me that this is unlikely to be a problem for you.

I have just looked it up and the max height of a booster to fit into this "box" is 76cm, and both the Safefix and Kidfix extend up to 83cm total height. Besafe izi Flex Fix is up to 82cm total height. An older child will usually exceed the top of the booster by a few centimetres as well.

They actually all have a small print bit in the manual saying you might hit the ceiling in smaller cars with a child over ~135cm, so I don't think this is especially an issue, it was only to be aware that as the Safefix sits the child slightly higher internally, you might hit that point faster. But having looked again, I don't think there's that much in it. Sorry if I was making it sound alarming!

If you do order seats online, just check the returns policy. Under the distance selling act you do get up to 14 days to return anything sold online, but a lot of retailers are understandably not keen on accepting returns on car seats. The law is on your side but depending on the retailer you might have a fight about it.

Thanks for taking the time to explain all that, it's so much clearer now. I will do some measuring in the car as I think you're right and the ceiling is quite high, especially in the second row.

And will definitely check return policies.

DH thinks we should go and see the Britax at the weekend. I think the same place also do Axkid although they're a bit more than I want to spend. I'm still more inclined to just order the besafe as they seem to fit more of our requirements, and the place to see the britax is a bit of a mission!

It looks like you can return at Pramworld but you gave to pay a charge, which i guess is fair enough although a bit annoying.