Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Car seat recommendations?

9 replies

TakeABreakAt12 · 17/09/2019 12:06

DC is almost 2, but very tiny. Just about out of his newborn maxi cost! Can still very safely fit in there and his legs don't overhang at all really.

I'm getting a new car soon and that'll mean my own car so I need a car seat for him. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thank you so much Thanks

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
hormonesorDHbeingadick · 17/09/2019 12:13

Joie every stage.

BertieBotts · 17/09/2019 12:34

Oh bless him :) You've done well to get the mileage out of that - just watch his weight as the Maxi Cosi seats are outgrown at 13kg (most of them) or 12kg (Pebble plus) depending on which one you have.

Did you know it's much safer to keep them rear facing in the next stage of seat as well? Luckily there's lots of choice for rear facing Group 1 seats on the market nowadays and they don't cost a huge amount compared to a good forward facing seat either. Do you know which car you'll be getting - will it have isofix and/or top tether? Any storage compartments in the back footwell? Are you likely to be taking the car seat out and installing it in other cars at any point or just leaving it in yours? Three door or five door? Those things will all affect the decision you make. Best thing to do is to go to a retailer, ideally a specialist, second best a nursery store such as John Lewis or Mothercare, and try a few seats out in your car to see which fits the best. But these suggestions might be a useful starting point.

If you're on a tight budget I'd look at the Joie seats - Tilt, Steadi or Stages. (£70-120) Or if you are still on a budget but want something with a few more features (more recline/upright options, spinning for ease of getting in/out, option to be rear or forward facing, isofix fitting) you could look at the Joie 360 Spin. (~£200)

If you have a bit more money to spend and you like the idea of a rotating seat, you could go for the GB Vaya, Cybex Sirona S, Britax Dualfix or Nuna Rebl Plus. (£200-300)

The two highest rated seats for safety over the last few years in this category are the Britax Swingfix (which is essentially the Dualfix i-size in rear facing only mode) and the Nuna Norr. However if you really want to maximise safety, there is the possibility of continuing rear facing right up to 25kg (about 7 years) with a Swedish style seat which are available from specialist retailers. These give a bit more legroom plus will las longer than the Group 1 seats but price is comparable depending on model (£180-350ish)

If you'd prefer to look at something forward facing I would look at the Britax Advansafix or Triofix (£150-250). The Advansafix turns into a very good high backed booster so will last him until he doesn't need a car seat any more.

The only seats I'd specifically say to avoid are the kind with rucksack style tightening buckles on the straps. These are all made by a company called Team Tex, sold under various brand names with various covers (some novelty e.g. Disney/superheroes) but they all perform very poorly in crash testing above the legal minimum. Also a note about Cosatto at this stage - they do lovely fabrics but their seats perform poorly on crash tests as well. The infant seat is OK and so is the high backed booster, but the in between ones are not great.

TakeABreakAt12 · 17/09/2019 16:13

Oh bless him :) You've done well to get the mileage out of that - just watch his weight as the Maxi Cosi seats are outgrown at 13kg (most of them) or 12kg (Pebble plus) depending on which one you have

He's just under 11kg Grin

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

INeedNewShoes · 17/09/2019 16:20

I'd recommend an extended rear facing swivel seat. The swivel makes it a lot easier strapping the child into the seat, avoiding the need for you to twist your back.

Rear facing is shown to be safer in crash tests, so I've opted for a 'rear facing until 4' seat (although she is also small for her age so may well rear face until 5 years old in the seat)

We have the GB Vaya, but plenty of other brands available too.

If you're anywhere near the In Car Safety Centre shop (there's one in Milton Keynes) they're brilliant for recommending the right seats for your child, taking into account compatibility with your car.

hairyturkey · 17/09/2019 16:23

Joie stages. Absolutely excellent for the price.

sofiathe2nd · 17/09/2019 16:25

We have a axxkid minikid (rearfaces to 25kg, so will probably last my 25th centile daughter until she’s 8) and a besafe Izi modular which is outgrown at 18kg. Both fab seats... the axxkid is a little tricky to install but rock solid now it’s in

TakeABreakAt12 · 17/09/2019 16:41

If you're anywhere near the In Car Safety Centre shop (there's one in Milton Keynes) they're brilliant for recommending the right seats for your child, taking into account compatibility with your car.

I'm fairly local to MK!

The car I'm getting is a Vauxhall Crossland X (similar to their Mokka)

OP posts:
INeedNewShoes · 17/09/2019 16:50

In that case, definitely go to the In Car Safety Centre! The staff really know their stuff and they have a great range of seats to choose from.

It's best to book an appointment with them for fitting as they like to take their time helping customers which is great but can mean a bit of a wait if you don't have an appointment.

BertieBotts · 17/09/2019 17:20

Another vote for the in car safety Centre.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.