Need new car seat for 2.5yo

[tracyk]

ds is a little taller than average - but not heavy. Need a car seat that will recline - but can I get this kind that will also convert to a booster seat later.

Also when do they go in booster seats?

Nowadays the recommendations are to use "full" seats for all ages.

Sorry I can't help about a suitable car seat. I'm looking for one myself (for 1.5 and 7 year old), I thought I might find some info here.

Dd has a Britax Evolva 123, having outgrown her stage 2 seat at 2.7. It still has a 5 point harness and will convert into a booster seat/cushion in time. You can put it in a reclining position, but you have to do it before the child is strapped in, so it's not as handy as the stage 2 seat in that respect.

Hi, we have a Evolva 123 for ds2, who is 2.5 and a strapping lad! Is in recline position all the time, but it doesn't lie very far back. He looks really comfy in it though, very pleased with it. Got it off Kiddicare.co.uk for £90. I think they go into a backless booster at about 7, ideally.

Me again, we have the Which guide, recommends the Britax hiliner for 7 yr olds, hope this is helpful, we have Britax kid for our tall 6 yr old, is v good, also a bargain on kiddicare (I don't work for them, honest!)

Thank you for the recommendations. Is the Britax 123 quite high? My DD is rather small and I'd like her to be able to look out of the window.

Not as high as a stage 2 seat. The only reason we bought the Evolva was because dd is so huge she'd outgrown her stage 2 seat and I don't trust her in a stage 3 that uses the seatbelt. If your dd is small, or even average, then the higher stage 2 seats would be fine.

dd has the Evolva 123 Ultra. The actual seat is not much higher than a booster level as it rests directly against the car one so no real frame to raise it up like the Stage 1 ones tend to have. dd is older so don't use the recline but tbh I'd say if you are going to need it regularly you should either fit it using it or opt not to as to completely refit the seat (which you must do to adjust it)is not a task to take lightly. The seat is a tight fit when used with the harness and doesn't fit that many cars/models so do check before you buy.

btw I suspect a small 1 1/2 yr old would swim in an Evolva. You can adjust the width on the Ultra version but even so it is not that snug.

Our Evolva 123 doesn't change to a booster seat, it stays all intact (minus the 5 point harness) until 12 years. We've liked ours for our 2.5 yr old and are thinking of getting another one for when our little baby girl grows out of her infant carrier seat, about 9 months so we don't have to keep buying diff car seats.

Our DD is 2.5 yrs and is just under 26lbs. Very tall and slim. We got the Britax Evolva Ultra 123 as it was the only stage 123 car seat that would fit well in the middle rear of our Zafira.
She thinks its great and looks really comfy in it especially when she falls asleep as the "wings" stop her head from rolling around.

I've spent all evening on this and I think I've narrowed down my search to the following:

For the 1.5 year old: Britax Eclipse Si (checked with Britax website and would fit our car model)

For the 7 year old: Britax Hi-Liner or Maxi-Cosi Rodi (this one if I can convince DH as it's double the price)

Thanks for your help. The Bx Evolva 123 seems a bit big for her, the Eclipse is higher.

You can find Hiliners for £35 in Tesco Extra stores or £40 Argos and the Rodi £44.99 in Halfords (extra 10% this week I think)

i have a high liner for sale, never been in a crash, sold my car so is excess to requirments.

i also have a britax first class Si for sale, will that fit your car? it wont fit in our big car, so have the eclipse in there. its similar design but can be rear facing as well.