Car seat advice

[amyyy333]

Hi everyone,
I was just wondering if anyone could give me any recommendations towards a car seat. I would preferably like one from birth to 4 years That isnt too expensive and my mum has offered to pay. Is anyone impressed with the car seat they have.
Thanks in advance

I would highly recommend this facebook group for advice and recommendations. I wouldn't skimp too much on price, you get much better quality, comfort and safety if you can avoid the cheapest models. Your options will depend on whether your car has isofix, and also how long you want your child to stay rear-facing (it is far far safer). We have a joie every stage which we like. www.facebook.com/groups/AZrearfacing/

We have a gb vaya, been using it since June and really like it! It's suitable from birth although we didn't buy it until DS was nearly one and the infant carrier car seat became too difficult to use. I'm not sure if there's a minimum height or weight - with checking if you're planning to use it for a newborn.

I initially liked the Cybex Sirona, which is essentially the same product as Cybex and gb are sister companies. The gb vaya was about £30 more and all you get really is nicer fabric and magnets rather than little slots for keeping the buckle out of the way. However, I decided I'd rather spend £30 more than curse myself for 3 years for not buying the easier option!

I am pregnant now with baby number 2 so really appreciate not having to bend and stretch too much to get DS in and out of the car, as the seat swivels. For me though, it was worth having the infant carrier seat from birth as I used it with the travel system to go in and out of groups and classes

Suggest you go to John Lewis and see these. Initially I wanted a 0-4 car seat too, but the problem with them is many aren’t as safe for 0-6 months as the ones specifically designed for babies due to the padding not being as secure. We decided to get a 0+ seat (up to 13 kg) and then will get the RF seat up to a higher weight limit after that.

Join the Facebook group Car Seat Advice UK. There is loads of information on there about the pros and cons of various car seat options, with an emphasis on the safety aspects.

The trouble with the 0-4 years car seats is that they don't put the newborn in the safest carrying position, even with the newborn insert.

Newborns are vulnerable to their chin flopping/being pushed onto their chests and, generally, the 0-4 seats are worse for this than the infant carriers.

DD couldn't use her GB Vaya comfortably and safely until she was around 15 months and there's no way I would have been happy with her in it as a newborn as it just doesn't recline enough, despite having one of the best reclines of this type of seat.

I would suggest that you yourself buy one of the more basic (but from a trusted brand) infant carriers to start with (the belted ones really don't cost a lot) and then when baby is outgrowing that (at nearly 1) then an extended rearfacing seat up to age 4 (or, even better, 6) would be a wonderful gift for your mum to buy.

We had a Cossato one that came with our travel system which was fab as we could lift it in and out and when baby was a newborn it was a lifesaver. However since he was 5months we bought a cybex I size spinning one which is fantastic. It is a birth to 4 one and spins so it’s easier to put baby in. If I was you I would definitely get one that fits into the travel system, however I think most of these only go up to about 1year.

I have a Joie 360 which I really like. I’ve not put a child younger than 1 in it though.

I would suggest you go to an independent store rather than a department. I found they stocked a mouth wider variety of brands and because the people working in the store had been themselves to the trade shows they knew a lot more about the products than the department store "in store training"

We went for the Cybex iCloud. The Isofix base can remain the same for the next size up seat so we will only have to purchase that. It also did v well in safety and consumer ratings and has the bonus of laying flat when outside the car

Get an infant seat first - something like the joie juva, which is a really good safe seat, is only £40. Then you have time to figure out what centile your child is following. If over the 50th centile a ‘0 to 4’ seat would be a waste of money as your child would outgrow it before they are old enough for a high backed booster - for higher centile children a 25kg seat is needed.

Buying a 0-4 seat now is unlikely to save you money or be the safest thing for your child.

We have a Kiddy Evoluna and it's fantastic. It's birth to 15 months but it lies flat which was a big positive when we were looking