Budget car seat?

[Jellylegss]

This is probably going to be a totally unnecessary purchase but we have a joie every stage as the “main seat” but we’ve been thinking about getting a second cheaper seat to use in the likes of mil’s car (no isofix so takes ages to unload n fit to use it for 30minutes once a week)
I’d seen Nania and Kikka boo seats around the £30 mark.. the nania ones don’t look as nice, but they have more reviews. Has anyone used either of those brands/cheaper seats? Or do we just need to learn to fit the big seat quicker with smalls in the sling.

Please don't buy one of the really cheap seats. I know the Nania ones performed very poorly in tests.

I've bought a Joie Stages to use as a second seat when DD travels in other people's cars. It takes me less than 2 minutes to fit it. You can get them for £99 if you shop around.

I know that's 3 times the price of the budget seats but car seats are one thing where it's just not worth risking a bad product.

Ah I thought they all had to meet a standard so it was more of a branding thing/more features.
It’s hopefully just a group 0+ we’ll need for our spare, I doubt I’d persuade him into another £100 for the sake of driving round the town, especially since the car seat fight should get easier with practice lol

We have just bought a Joie tilt as a spare seat. It's extended rear facing and is 0+/1 so should last up to age 4. Only £65 from Smyths toys online. Would this be an option for now?

I agree with PP please do not buy one of those seats

Why are the cheaper seats so bad? I always thought like the op that they have to adhere to pretty high British safety standards?

The joie juva is £40 and scores highly on safety tests. It’s only group 0+ though. For group 1 the cheapest safe seat is the joie tilt.

I have a Mothercare Madrid that cost £50 and they’re often on offer. It’s easy to install and sturdy and has all the relevant checks.

EU safety standards are notoriously low. You might as well strap your kid to the roof of the car and hope for the best as buy one of those Nania seats. crash test video should put you off them for life. They're shocking.

I've got the group 1/2/3 Halford Essentials car seat for £35. It was £50 but they've got an offer on! It's not isofix either, all seat-belted. Very nice and comfortable! My DS loves it.

@Jellylegss what's the age, height and weight of your child? All these factors should influence what seat you get as much as your budget

Also just read your post properly and it’s the every stage you’ve got. Honestly, with a bit of practice you can move it between cars in about 30 seconds. We have one as our travel seat and I’ve fit it in various taxis, hire cars etc with no issues. It’s really easy once you’ve practiced a few times. Having an infant seat like the juva may well come in handy though as easier to transport/take on holiday/use in taxis for the first 15 months or so.

@Shmithecat definitely, It’s just for the newborn stage bucket seat type.. the realisation that a fiat 500 isn’t a family car hit hard once the snow started.

I’d looked at the Juvia and seen the Graco snug rides too, both on offer on Emma’s diary, the graco comes with a base too, originally £180.. going on a hunt for the crash tests now.
The real solution would be a 5 door car not parked on a big icy hill with a 9lb baby in tow.

The Joie Juva is a good seat, but obviously won't last forever. I agree, Joie Tilt is another option too if you want the seat to last a bit longer.

We got the Joie steadi as a seat for my parents car, safety tests at the time were good. I generally use which to view safety ratings on the seats, they go by the Swedish safety tests which are far more in depth than the others safety tests. I just join for a trial month, get the info I need and then cancel.

Joie do great seats for good prices. The gemm is also good.

Just in case, I know if someone who had a nania car seat (think it was branded as a Mothercare own, but all the ones with that type of strap adjustment are nania) and they had an accident at less than 20mph, and the straps ripped out of the seat. Luckily, their dc is ok, but it could well have been horrendous.

I can fit the every stages in about 30 seconds - I did it this morning, so, with practise, it'll get much easier.

There is a great Facebook page (a group). Car seat advice UK. The advice is excellent.

Please don’t scrimp on car safely.

My FIL bought a £60 one from Halfords to use for my infant aged 17 months and I refuse to let him use it.

The safety standards in this country are horrific and most generic seats are only tested to make sure they meet this requirement.

Current standards only measure a car seats safety at an impact crash of being hit from the front at 30mph (as in each car going 15mph) and being hit from behind by a car going 18mph.

My FIL also bought a generic high back booster seat for my 5 year old and I didn’t let my son go in that either.

Me and DH went out and bought two new car seats for our FILS car that fit the standards that me and DH require for car safety.

It had always baffled me that people will pay hundreds of pounds for a fancy pram or travel system but resent paying out for a car seat which will potentially save their child’s life.

(I don’t mean you specifically OP, just people in general).