Rear facing car seat for toddler

[ClimbAHill]

What rear facing car seat do you recommend for a toddler? We’re replacing our current seat for various reasons and struggling to find one that’s isofix compatible but doesn’t recline quite a lot when rear facing. My lo is 2.5 and wants to be able to see out (and we want her to stay awake!). Ideally looking for something under £250.

Do you want to rear face until 18kg or 25kg? My 2 grew out of an 18kg seat because of the height of harness by 3 and 3.5. We had a axkid minikid (25kg) so they could rear face until I was happy with them in a booster seat with the normal car belt, which I wasn't at 3.5

We have an axkid minikid 2 and axkid move, would highly recommend them both. Do you want extended rear facing seats? (I.e. to rearface up to approximately age 5). I don't think you get these seats with isofix, they're belted in and use tethers.

Is there a particular reason you’re looking for an isofix seat? This will really limit your choices and also they have low weight limits. A belted rear facing seat will give you a greater height and weight limit, and so be longer lasting. They’re also lighter and easier to swap between vehicles, especially if you purchase extra lower tethers and keep them in the car.
If you can stretch you budget slightly to £279, the Axkid Move (25kg) and Britax Safeway M (36kg) are both good Swedish Plus Tested options.

From memory there's only one extended RF seat that's isofix (Axkid One 2 I think) and that's pricey.

As PO said belted is just as good and you have more options.

If speed of moving between two cars is a concern, then with something like the Axkid Minikid you could put a set of tethers in each car and then it genuinely only takes five minutes to move between them.

How does the belt sit in the belted options? The reason I was looking at isofix is because we currently have a belted rear facing and I’m struggling to get her in and out because of pregnancy related back issues (she needs to be lifted over the belt). I also find that the position of the belt means it so
etimes comes loose from the back of the car seat, it just kind of slots into a groove.

The set up for it is much better for forward facing so we’ll use it when she’s bigger - the harness straps also don’t suit her size well at the moment. My lo is small so I think 18kg will get us well beyond 4.

We have two Minikids, and they really are quick to swap between cars if you've got the tethers already set up. https://incarsafetycentre.co.uk/minikid?attribute_pa_colour=shellfish&gad_source=1 has the Minikid on sale for £265, if you don't mind red, plus I think a discount if you sign up for their mailing list. Or Kiddies' Kingdom have a discount code for the Move that would get it down pretty close to £250.

Another recommendation for Axkid minikid. The aides are quite low so toddlers can scramble up themselves (though watch for muddy shoes) or clamber over the back seat from the boot if you struggle to lift.

Cross-posted with you. The belt threads through the seat cover on the MiniKid (and I think also the Move), there's nothing sticking up higher than the seat itself. I find the sides are pretty well designed for lifting the child in and out. However, my youngest is not yet two, and she can almost climb into her MiniKid herself (needs a little boost, but certainly not a full lift), so that might also work for your daughter.

In the axkid the belt goes under the seat cover so is not in the way at all. It’s actually very easy for a toddler to climb in and out themselves as the sides are low.

An ERF seat such as Axkid, BeSafe and Britax have low belt paths so it doesn’t get in the way. They also have really low sides so it’s super easy for them to climb in and out themselves.
It sounds like you have a Joie Stages or Steadi, which have annoyingly high belt paths at the side.

Yes it’s a Joie stages. I really liked the joie baby seat we had but I hate everything about this one! The axkid move looks good, much better set up.

I wouldn't use the Joie Stages for forward facing TBH. Keep it as a spare for travel/grandparents/etc.

The problem you're having is that the belt fitted options without support leg rely on a recline in the seat for the anti-rebound protection. It might also be that you have quite flat seats in the back of your car?

Agree that Axkid Move is a good option and seatbelt isn't in the way :) Other options of this type are Axkid Minikid 2 or 4, Britax Max Safe or Safe Way, Besafe Stretch. Some of these more pricey than others. (Move is the cheapest).

You will also get a more upright angle in isofix seats like Britax Dualfix, Cybex Sirona G etc, compared to the Stages. However, these don't go as upright as the Move and they also don't last as long. But if she is small for her age, then she'll be fine in the isofix seats.

Picture showing how the belt path goes in the Axkid Move (etc). The Stages is in the background of the picture.

We have an axkid move, they usually have a sale on this time of year

Thanks everyone. We’re going to go for an axkid minikid, found one for the same price as the move. Looks like a much better solution than what we’ve got.

Out of interest @BertieBotts why wouldn’t you use the joie stages for forward facing?

I have a joie stages and we use it forward facing as a booster with the car seat belt in our other car occasionally, just because we already have it. Its a bulky seat and takes up a lot of room .
It didn't score to well on the ratings thing apparently. There are better dedicated booster seats that are rather inexpensive.

In terms of using it harnessed, the safety benefits come from travelling in a rearward position, rather than the seat itself.

Because it's a basic seat and doesn't have much in the way of safety features. For rear facing, that doesn't matter because rear facing is very safe in itself. The most basic rear facing seat is still safer than the best forward facing one with all the features. But for forward facing it doesn't have any "third anchor" (support leg, top tether etc) to prevent the seat tipping forward. The harness is basic with no tightness indicator or energy absorption. The seat belt fitting has no tensioner which means a lot of people fit it too loose. It's quite a roomy seat, awkward to get a good fit on both the harness and headrest.

The Joie every stage which is very similar in harnessed mode got a bad crash test result in that mode forward facing. That doesn't mean the stages definitely would, but it's not a good sign.

In booster mode it's ok but I don't think it gives as good a belt fit as a lot of other boosters and it will also only last until 125cm ish (7ish) and then you need to buy another booster.

Any seat used properly is better than nothing of course, but if your child is in the forward facing weight range it can be used rear facing, if they're in the booster stage, you'll need to get one at some point anyway so why not sooner rather than later.

Beware of scam sites if you are using price comparison websites. You might want to double check the trustworthiness of the site you're ordering from.