Budget friendly car seat

[Dipsydoodlenoodle]

Can anyone recommend a budget friendly car seat, DD is 1 and we could do with a second car seat for my patents car for when I'm at work. Obviously we don't want to compromise safety, but as it's only going to be used occasionally, budget friendly would be ideal.

Thank you.

We have this for our 19mo

www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/baby/car-seats-and-bases/baby-car-seats-and-bases/00-18kg-%7c-group-0-1/joie-tilt-pavement-group-0%2b-1-car-seat/p/209572

Joie tilt has a relatively short shell so potentially short lived. Could get the steadi (but that’s prone to the buckle crunch which would compromise safety) best bet is the joie stages (it’s bulky though) used only in RF mode, or cheaper still Graco enhance (it’s the same as joie stages but with cheaper fabrics hence cheaper price )

Joie worked well for us. But do also check if they do isofix as that works across most cars now

Rear facing is the key for safety on a budget. Joie/Graco have a few which rear face up to 18kg. The Graco Turn2Me is a great choice, popular with grandparents as it spins to the side. There are belt fitted options which are cheaper but to fit these rear facing, the seatbelt is in the way to get the child in/out. That's a compromise some are happy to make while others find it frustrating.

It's not worth spending extra to get one that includes booster mode (up to 7/12) - just get a separate booster later. Decent booster seats can be cheap.

If likely to switch to forward facing and need cheap then I would look at Joie Steadi 129 rather than the others, and Britax First Class Plus. These have more than basic fitting methods when FF. Or isofix is worth investing in.

Avoid generic (Halfords, Cuggl, Puggle) or character (Disney, superhero) seats as these tend to be flimsy with minimal safety and low rear facing limits.

We really liked the Joie swivel seats. You can sometimes find second hand ones that are as good as new on Facebook marketplace.

please don’t buy a second hand car seat unless you know the previous owner and would trust them with your child’s life.