Do I need a car seat that can be removed from the car?

[Bojangles33]

Or can I get a 360 spin seat from birth?

I don't know if there is any point in buying the car seat (and isofix base) that goes with the travel system I am looking at when you aren't supposed to leave the baby in the car seat longer than about 30 minutes anyway and most people I know say that it becomes way too heavy to lift car seat and baby out together after a few weeks anyway. I know I will want to upgrade to the spin seat and as far as I'm aware they're suitable from birth, so should I just go straight for this? I know I may not want to lift a new baby out and wake them but if they can't be left in the car seat for long anyway surely I will just have to lift them out once they're in the house anyway?!

We got a GB Vaya (360 spin, 0-4 years) from birth. Everyone said I'd regret it but I haven't. I didn't want my baby spending prolonged periods in the car seat and it's too tempting when you can stick it on wheels or carry into the house. The 360 spin has been brilliant. And I don't have to buy a second car seat in a year's time.

I'd suggest looking into the Snugglebundl lifting blanket. It's car seat tested and we've had great success at transferring DS from his car seat to the pram or house without waking him. Also very handy at home, cuddle to sleep in the blanket then much easier to put him down!

The only down side was that it didn't fit him brilliantly as a newborn, but by 10 weeks, he looked much better in it.

I would just get the spin seat you like from birth. You don't need one that lifts out, I guess they are easier for some depending on what they are doing. We don't have one that lifts out of the car, and just had put second child. I managed fine without one as preferred to lift baby out of seat and put her in the pram with carrycot. Only slight problem with that is it is quite big to put in the car but I managed with my first fine.
Also a small baby won't really wake much when you take them out or will go back to sleep easily. Then as you say after a couple of months they are getting heavy.

Just check the safety on the 360° 0-4 years ones. If an infant seat offers better side protection and is an overall better fit for a newborn then maybe just get a basic on (50quid or so) to see the little one through the first 6m or so.

Or if you have the money don’t compromise and get both.....

en.recaro-cs.com/child-seat/recaro-zero1-elite

Personally I thought the lift our car seat was a god send when I had my DD.

The only problem is the recline in a 0-4 year seat. To be honest I’d want a infant seat for the first few months.

Plus I’d look at the relality of the 0-4 year seat actually lasting until 4 years most are up to 18kg which my ds is predicted to reach at 3.5. I’d personally wouldn’t want to put my son in a booster seat at 3.5, therefore I chose to have an infant seat, then a seat that he could start using at about 9 months until 25kg, then I’ll get a high back booster at 5/6 years old.

I didn't have any problem with the recline with a newborn in the GB Vaya, no head slump issues at all. I just thought the straps could have sat a little bit better for a few weeks (but not to the extent I was worried about safety).

However the Recaro Zero 1 Elite would have caused head slump issues in our car. We were going to get that one, but it's a very upright seat. When we fitted it in our car (which has sloping back seats), it was way too upright for a newborn, even with the extra removable newborn seat. The Vaya has a better recline.

The above suggestion is quite good. Joie is a well known brand and do an infant carrier in Argos for about £40. My newborn might have been better in that for the first 8-10 weeks, but after that I was more than happy with the way he fitted in the seat and the protection offered.

I would get one you can lift in and out. My friend didn’t and regrets it. If baby is asleep in it it is very very handy to be able to put it on wheels or bring into the house for a short period. Gives you a lot more flexibility, also for places without room for peaks but enough space for a car seat. The kiddie evo seat goes flat so baby can stay in it safely for longer.

*prams not peaks

I'd highly recommend the GB Vaya... it is fantastic!!!

I hadn't thought about the recline issue so that's a good point. May just look at a cheaper infant seat then rather than the one that goes with our travel system, I think I would prefer to lift out into the pram anyway and would only be taking the car seat out if going into the house or somewhere too small for the pram so that might be a good compromise!

I haven't got one, we're reusing the Britax Dualfix we had for previous kids - although this is the first time we'll use it from newborn.

I have a real thing about seeing babies being transported everywhere in their car seat, for hours on end - and from experience, once you transfer from car seat to pram/pushchair and push for a couple of minutes, they're asleep again. Granted, it's different when you get home, but it's still not enough of an attraction for me to fork out for the additional seat!

Personal preference really isn't it?

My dad HATED the maxi cosi we had at first, she would go purple with screaming . She was so much happier when we bought the Joie Steadi at 12 weeks. I wish we'd just bought one from birth and saved ourselves the trauma! Her positioning seemed to be so much better in the Joie. We never took the maxi cosi out the car, as like you I didnt want my dd spending prolonged periods in it (not that she let us anyway!).

We had the Cybex Sirona spin from birth and the head slump was awful!! (Really bad, actually cut his face) changed for a maxi cosi which was much better and could be carried out but we hardly ever do (only when the weather is awful to keep him dry and warm)

Yeah you can, I didn't have one which went on my buggy and I didn't miss it.

Good point about the recline though.

If you are looking for a cheap baby seat the Joie Gemm is great.

I had one that went on the pram but we never really took it out of the car, the only exception was when I travelled abroad with them as infants as it was easier to pass them to security etc in a seat. I found it weird watching parents at groups with a small baby in a seat and then a holdall of baby stuff meaning one parent couldn't get baby and stuff around on their own. It all just seemed so heavy and over complicated.

I loved my lift out car seat - clicking it on the pram was awesome as was taking the monkey into restaurants etc and having somewhere safe to pop him for a bit... the isofix base was essential. But I love his 360deg car set (britax Romer dualfix) makes getting him in and out so easy (switched when he out grew his infant seat and switched from the big pram to a buggy at the same time).

As we have to park on a narrow street, I find it really useful to put DD in the car seat before we leave the house, make sure she is secure and well wrapped up with blankets, rather than doing this out on the road. Sometimes it’s impossible to park with the car seat kerbside and I wouldn’t want to compromise safety or comfort by rushing it (no vehicle could pass while I had the car door wide open).

Just be aware that birth to 4 years seats are actually to 18kg so if you have a child that is bigger than average, you will need to buy a bigger seat before they can go into a high back booster at age 4. I know that seems a long way off but the Joie spin plus a 25kg seat plus a high back booster is more expensive than an infant carrier, 25kg seat at 12mo and and a high back booster.

The Joie gemm is a good, cheap infant carrier and fits on maxi Cosi adapters for the pram.

Infant carriers are the safest kind of car seat, as well as the recline being much better so I would get that and see what kind of seat you need for 1yr+.

I bought a seat with a handle so I can put DC in it in the house with blankets etc and carry it to the car, and vice versa. No intention of clipping it to the pushchair because as you say, you can't leave the baby in it for a long time anyway. But I did think it would be handy to be able to carry the seat on quick visits to the shop, post office, chemist, etc, and not have to fiddle around in the back of the car getting him into a seat.

My ideal thread as I have just been researching this! I have decided that I don’t need a carry car seat, and have ordered a Cozy n Safe Merlin seat as a swivel seat from birth instead of having a carry seat.

I just don’t think I’d use it, SIL didn’t use hers much, I met my friend for lunch yesterday & her 6 week old was in his carry seat for 3.5 hours (with a little time out for a stretch & feed) & I thought where would my baby be now? ...in a pram as we were on a coffee shop, there was room. The only time I think it might be useful is for clipping onto a supermarket trolley for a small shop but I think a sling might be able to be used.

I just think they are too heavy to lift, too cumbersome with a changing bag I’d rather use a pram or a sling & have an easy to use car seat! But that seat is a British made one and all the reviews (including ones on Tesco from a recent baby event it seems) are really good including the recline and until the end of the day at Halfords it’s on offer for £180 so I thought if we don’t like it then it can be used for DGP car where they def won’t want to carry a cumbersome heavy thing & we can get a cheap carry 1 if we decide we need 1.