Car Seat Minefield! Can anyone explain i-Size?

[Ritchie30]

Having a look at car seats online and coming across various different terms that I can’t get my head around!
Our car has isofix points. Am I right in saying that any isofix base and seat will fit?
Then for i-Size (which I believe to be newer?) it’s a different thing and your car has to be specifically i-size compatible for the i-size base and seats to fit?

Not all Isofix bases fit all cars so you need to check the specification of the car seat to ensure it will go with your car

Also I size is very new and so isn't compatible with most older cars and you'll still need to check that it works with your particular car

Whilst isofix is universal, most carseats have a 'fit list' which says whether they are compatible (safe). Some seats don't work in some cars for reasons unrelated to isofix.

I size is just the name given to seats which comply with current legislation. The current legislation and the previous R44 regulations are running concurrently and therefore both are legal (and safe).

Almost all infant seats (0+ ) are very safe but I'd recommend going with a brand known to test above the legal minimum such as Joie (the igemm is a particularly good seat) or a besafe one. If cost is an issue, the Joie juva is excellent for it price (about £40) but won't fit on your travel system if you have one.

I'd also recommend going for a designated infant stage 0 seat rather than a stage 0/1/2 seat. The reason for this being that if you child ends up being on the high centiles for height or weight, you'll need to consider the next stage seat very carefully- most are outgrown at 18kg (4 years for a child on 50th centile, but much younger for a child on the high centiles) and would be best looking at a seat which harnesses to 25kgs, such as the axkid minikid or the britax max way.

Finally, if I haven't mashed your head totally. Please, please look into the benefit of extended rear facing, e.g. keeping your child rear facing until at least 4 years old.

@Fandanglethat Thank you so much for that info, that’s really helpful. You certainly have more car seat knowledge than me 😂🙈 I’ll definitely do some more research into individual brands. Cost isn’t too much of an issue - I’d rather save money on other things if necessary and spend money on safety 😊 And I’m definitely all for the rear facing option for as long as possible as I know that’s said to be safer! 😊

We have been looking at the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Pro i-size car seat which is a 0+ carrier and the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix3 base unit. I believe this base unit is then also compatible with the Pearl Pro 2 i-size seat which can be used rearwards up to 4 years (or around 105cm tall). I’ll obviously do some proper research into Maxi-Cosi and safety but do you have any idea if that actual set up sound reasonable? The car seat is the one purchase that has me worried as there’s SO many options 🙈

IIRC I-size is the newer specification and based on height rather than weight. Which would have been better for my DS who were both gigantic babies. My eldest is 7 and only a foot smaller than me now 🙈.

Ideally, you need to do your research on which car seat fits in which car and then test it probably in person. We didn't use a base or isofix because our car at the time didn't have it.

[quote Ritchie30]@Fandanglethat Thank you so much for that info, that’s really helpful. You certainly have more car seat knowledge than me 😂🙈 I’ll definitely do some more research into individual brands. Cost isn’t too much of an issue - I’d rather save money on other things if necessary and spend money on safety 😊 And I’m definitely all for the rear facing option for as long as possible as I know that’s said to be safer! 😊

We have been looking at the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Pro i-size car seat which is a 0+ carrier and the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix3 base unit. I believe this base unit is then also compatible with the Pearl Pro 2 i-size seat which can be used rearwards up to 4 years (or around 105cm tall). I’ll obviously do some proper research into Maxi-Cosi and safety but do you have any idea if that actual set up sound reasonable? The car seat is the one purchase that has me worried as there’s SO many options 🙈[/quote]
That sounds reasonable to me however it all depends on the centile your child is on. We bought the 2way fix isofix base for our daughter and had Maxi cosi cabriofix initially before moving her into the 2way pearl. We’re now going to have to buy an extended rear facing seat that goes up to 25kg because she’s just about to turn 3 and weighs 16.5kg and the pearl’s limit is 18.5kg. I wish we’d just bought an infant carrier and used the seatbelt with it rather than forking out £200 for an isofix bade and then bought the up to 25kg seat straight after the infant carrier. However that’s the benefit of hindsight!

You don’t need an isofix base, they’re no safer than seatbelting the car seat into the car however they’re arguably a bit easier. However if you’re petite or not got much upper body strength you might struggle to release the isofix catch for the infant seat while lifting the infant seat out of the base - I really struggled with my daughter so used to leave the seat in the car and just carry her out.

Maxi Cosi, Joie and I think Britax are all manufacturers who do additional testing over and above the legal minimum so I would always recommend them.

Check out “car seat advice UK” on Facebook - they really know their stuff.

@ClaraLane Thank you! That’s really helpful 😊 I can’t find any details of an upper weight limit on the Pearl Pro 2 i-size 🤔 maybe as it’s i-size and this is now based on height rather than weight 🤔 the guidelines on Maxi-Cosi website just seem to state that it can be used rearward facing up to approximately 4 years or from 67-105cm. I’ll definitely go to a good stockist and check out compatibility and weight restrictions though 😊

I had heard good things on those brands too so decided to start there 👍🏻 I was also advised to avoid Cybex 🤷🏻‍♀️

Maxi Cosi seats are absolutely fine (I had one) but don't buy a base because you want to use the pearl next. The pearl is an ok seat, but it's not great, particularly not for high centile children. The limits on it - 18.5kg or 105cm is which ever comes first, it's no difference to the old regs really.

Buy your infant seat, with a base if that's your preference (there's nothing wrong with having a base, they aren't unsafe OR safer) and then look at the next stage seat when baby is about 8-12 months ready for when they outgrow the infant seat at around 15months.

It is a bit confusing :)

isofix is a fitting method as opposed to seatbelt fit. Not all isofix car seats fit all cars with isofix, but you can't use an isofix seat in a non-isofix car. You should either go somewhere that the different seats can be tried in your car by a trained fitter, or refer to fitting lists (all the big manufacturers have these on their websites). The fitting list is a guide rather than an absolute yes/no, so it's still a good idea to try your chosen seat/s in your car/s.

i-size is a new initiative which is supposed to make fitting less confusing. All i-size seats are isofix. If your car has i-size approved isofix points, and the car seat is i-size, it will definitely fit. Whether it's a good fit is another question so it's still recommended to get a fitting in person if at all possible.

You can use an i-size seat in a standard isofix position (not i-size) usually. But it's not guaranteed that it will fit. Check the fit list and/or have a fitting in person.

i-size is only part of the new R129 regulation. All i-size seats will conform to R129 but not all R129 seats are i-size, not now it's been completely rolled out. But I believe all of the infant and toddler up to 105cm ones are i-size.

The other fitting thing to check is whether you have storage boxes under the foot space in your back seats. If so, you'll run into problems with any isofix seat with a support leg, which is most of them.

The Maxi Cosi seats are very nice and the Pebble Pro is a lovely seat for newborn, but I'd recommend to think a bit ahead with the multi-stage bases (aka "modular"). If you have a second child, would you not want to reuse the base for the new baby? You can't do that if it's housing the toddler seat for your older one. My experience is retailers will claim that this saves you loads of money when in reality you don't even need a base for most toddler seats, they are standalone, especially for the extra you pay for an infant seat base which takes a toddler seat too. Also, it's hard enough to choose a newborn seat without an actual baby to try out in them - it's a good idea when you're looking to upgrade to be able to try your baby/toddler in the seat to see how it fits them. Impossible to make that judgement before they are even born.

If you do decide to go for a modular system, it's a very good idea to check the toddler seat in your car as well, the recline and the front seat space (and potentially compare to a couple of standalone ones) now, rather than getting 18 months down the line and suddenly finding that your familyfix base was a waste of money because the Pearl won't even fit in your car.

Cybex are a good/trustworthy brand - if someone has told you to avoid their seats it will be personal preference/bad experience. I know their infant seats have a really odd shaped head support which I didn't like (we had one) and I found the Aton/Aton 5 outgrown disappointingly early, but their other models the headrest goes up further. There have been issues with the recline failing in some of their seats but this doesn't affect all seats, just a small number. Most people have a good experience with them.

R44 seats can be only seat belt fitted, only isofix fitted or both. I-size seats must have have the ability to fit with isofix points but some seats may also be fitted by a seat belt.
Fitted correctly seat belt fitted seats are as safe as isofix but there is more room for error when fitted using a seat belt. So if you are going down the seat belt fitted route ensure everyone fitting it knows how to fit properly.
The other difference is that the I-size seats are assessed for side impact protection as well as front and rear.
Currently both regulations apply and both types of seats can be bought. This is only during a transition period, I can't remember exactly how long it will last but sometime over the next couple of years the R44 seats will be withdrawn from market which might be something to consider if you are planning on using the same base for a second seat. There is no guarantee the second seat will be available when you want it.

There are hardly any modular systems on the market which conform to R44 any more, but that is definitely an issue with some of the Maxi Cosi ones as they change their range all the time! The familyfix3 series though is their newest so should be out for a while, I think.

Also, it will take a long time for R44 to become completely phased out - it's still currently possible to get new seat designs approved under R44. Soon that will be stopped, but companies will be allowed to continue manufacturing their seat lines which are already approved. It will take quite a while before all of those seats are phased out of each manufacturer's range. Then shops will be allowed to sell them as long as they have stock. So I think it will be 10 years or more before we see R44 seats completely disappear from sale. And it will take even longer before they are illegal to use - you can still legally use an R44/03 seat, even though R44/04 is over 12 years old now.

OP if you haven't already bought your car seat, I'd highly definitely recommend getting the seat and base tested in your car first. Don't just go off the research.

We're looking at getting the Maxi Cosi Pebble Pro and Family Fix 2 base and my research indicated that they'd fit both mine and my partner's cars. Had them tested today in the cars before we commit to buying and the lady in the shop wasn't happy with the movement in my partner's car when the car seat is belted in (something to do with the angle of his seats) - so he'll HAVE to use the base whereas I can either use the base or the seatbelt.

I agree with @MoreGinPlease2020

We planned to buy the Recaro Zero 1, which was great on paper. But our back seats sloped too much, making it too upright. It would have been ok for an older kid but wasn’t a good fit for a newborn. We wouldn’t have know this is we didn’t try it out before purchasing.

@MoreGinPlease2020 / @fizzingwhizzbee123 can i ask where you were able to get them tested in your car at the moment please?

@WaveStreet I'm in Gloucestershire and there's an independent shop near us that's doing fittings if you book an appointment. The shop isn't open except by appointment so I guess that's why they're happy to do them.

@MoreGinPlease2020 that sounds like our local pram shop, i assumed they wouldn't be offering car seat fitting still but it's worth a look, thank you!

On a related note, if the car says it has I size car points, does this mean it will fit a car seat which currently goes in a car that states it has isofix points. Are they in essence the same thing?