Car Seats

[Vap0]

Hi

Does anyone have any recommendations on car seats? We inherited (from family, no accidents) a 1 year old maxi cosi caribo car seat but find it has the head rest, back support and sun shade missing. Buying these items will cost about £50-£60 plus shipping. I'm now thinking I can buy a new one for £99 so why not buy the whole thing new? Then I started looking at other car seats available thinking, well why not choose our own and realised there is so much choice ranging from seats which only last a year to ones that last up to 12 years.

So, please let me know if you have any good or bad experiences with any particular car seats and roughly the price they are.

We have a belted base with a leg that touches the floor of the car with this car seat which I hear is an absolute must, but a lot of the seats I'm seeing don't offer a base structure so wonder if it's really necessary? It's great that this seat has this base unit always in place but I'm not fussed about keeping it if we can find a suitable seat which doesn't require one.

Any advice is appreciated.

P.S. We have 9 days before baby arrives so need to get it sorted ASAP.

Nearly bought one of the ones that stays in the car and lasts for more years, until a friend said "so what are you going to do when you (eg) go to buy petrol, lift out a sleeping baby and wake them up?" Fair point.

6 weeks in and very glad that I bought one that I can lift in and out of car with baby in it.

Not sure about belted bases, but the isofix base does first size and next size up seat, so worth checking.

Good luck!

Thanks Ruby
The belted base is very similar to isofix base just a slightly different system.
Reference lifting them out of the car, that's a good point and I didn't realise the ones that last for many years you couldn't lift out easily although it makes sense that it will weigh a lot more than the baby seat only ones. This also begs the question whether having the base is necessary and just buy a seat that you secure into the car using a seat belt alone, I know it's more of a faff to belt back in especially when it's raining etc but the prices on some of them are incredibly cheap like the mothercare ziba which sells for £35 and has fantastic reviews

http://www.mothercare.com/baby-car-seats-group-0/mothercare-ziba-baby-car-seat---black/609585.html

I suppose having one that fits onto the travel system would make sense too, although I keep hearing you shouldn't leave a baby in a car seat for very long as it's bad for their back (or something along those lines) so perhaps that wouldn't necessarily matter.

I had the maxicosi cabriofix, really liked it as it clipped onto my buggy base with the use of adaptors, and I used to just belt it in the car, I am still using it now as a spare. My DD is 15 months and still fits in it, probably have another month left in it. It was handy if she fell asleep, and I could just Clip it to the buggy. Otherwise I have the nuna rebl, which is suitable from birth, but as your friend said, fully fixed in seats are a pain if you don't want to disturb them.

I had a gracco travel system with a belted base. For the first few months I didn't use the base (baby was perm and didn't have time/energy to install) and lifted him in and out of the car in the seat and clicked him into the pram, which was very convenient.
When he started getting too heavy to lift in the seat I fitted the base and kept the seat in the car, so it was less faff with the seatbelt... This was at about 3 months so we only really used the seat as a carrier for 2 months (maybe I'm weak but I found it awkward to carry).

I've since bought a fitted seat that goes up to 12 years old or something crazy and I'm going to get a second one for my second baby due soon.

We had a cabriofix on a 2wayfix base.

Personally, I wish we'd got a cheaper base as I'm not sold on the 'next stage' of the maxi cosI extended rear facing family.

If you've already got a maxi cost base then I'd just get a new cabriofix. Have you checked to see if you can get the 'wedge' for your one online? You can make a head support using a rolled up muslin if you need to and are you sure the sunshade isn't in yours? I hadn't realised the sunshade could be removed - DH was convinced ours was sold without one nail he found where it was hidden in the frame.

Being able to click the seat onto the base is so convenient, especially if you're taking them in and out of the car when nipping to the shops etc.

Then you can look at next stage seats in a year or so when you have a better feel.for what you need.

Sorry, should clarify that we got the 2wayfix base as it can be used with the 2wayfix pearl which is the next seat up. If I was doing it again I'd still get the cabriofix but get the more basic isofix base as I think the seats with integral bases are better for next stage.

It might just be the newborn insert that is missing on your cabriofix. We have just bought two new but on ours the sunshade is a bit tricky to find took us ages - there is a small button on the back of the seat at the top and the edge pulls out and the sunshade is slotted down in there.
Sorry doesn't help with padded insert though, might be able to get one online

The base you have will only work with the maxi cosi car seat you have so its probably best to replace that HOWEVER, as a pp has said I don't think the sunshade is missing, it gets tucked away in the rubber trimming around the seat so please have a look. Rather than getting a new one why not look on gumtree or Ebay in your area, someone might be selling the whole seat for very little and you can just use the parts you need (also take the whole cover off as a spare) and dump the actual seat as you can't be sure about its history iyswim? I agree with your friend who mentioned about being able to clip the seat in and out as the baby sleeps a lot in he car in the beginning and it's just more simple not to wake them . Then save your money to get a really good car seat for the next stage as it will last them a whole lot longer.

Without wanting to sound like a knob, please spend as much as you can afford on a car seat. Your baby is your most precious cargo.

Get a new cabriofix if you find a decent deal, or as pp have said look on eBay or Facebook selling sites for the parts you need. Definitely use the base, it's less prone to user error (ie. Trying to belt up a seat with a screaming baby to get home quickly is much more likely to be done incorrectly than a base installed at leisure)

I have a Nuna Rebl as my toddker's seat. It is amazing and I would recommend that you opt for a swivel seat for your next one 'up' (so you don't need the more expensive 2 way base)