Car seat for visiting UK

[MangosteenSoda]

I'm looking to buy a second stage car seat for when I visit family in the UK. I'll be there for about 6 weeks this summer and hopefully the same for the next few summers. Maybe some Christmases too, so I think it's worth buying a car seat to leave at my parents' house.

I'm looking for rear facing. We are about to move from Pebble to 2 way Pearl here because I already have the base. In the UK I'd rather save money by getting one with an attached base. I'll be looking online at the specs, but would love to hear some feedback about ease of use and comfort /size.

So...

Any suggestions on which seats are easy to switch between cars? I expect to switch it between my parents' car and in laws' car two or three times a week so it needs to be simple to do and easy to fit safely.

DS will be 16 months this trip and most rear facing seats are good until about 4, but some look roomier than others. It would be great to eek 4 summers out of the seat if doable. Anyone's 4 and a bit y/o still in their second seat? If so, are they quite petite or pretty average?

My parents have a Fiesta, so a pretty small car.

Pricewise I'm happy to pay more for a seat that will last longer, so the roomier the better. Or one that can be turned around and used for longer when the child gets bigger. Otherwise, the best value rear facer I can find which is easily transferable. I'll check out Amazon for deals once I've decided on a couple of front runners.

It's quite an outlay for something that won't get used that much so I'm keen to make a good decision - thanks for any recommendations!

*eke, but when I think of the cost I am really going eeeek!!

First recommendation is to not buy second hand. Other than that I can't recommend anything because DD is nearly 16, but others will be along to advise.

Sorry, no advice, but we are looking at getting high backed boosters for exactly the same reason!! We have travel boosters to cover immediate needs, and will bring on the but would like something more substantial for motorway (we used travel boosters at christmas but only did airport to parents, then 2-5 mile trips). I'm thinking of seeing what is on offer when we get home.

Will an ERF seat fit in a Fiesta (allowing someone to sit in the front, of course).

No idea where your parents are, but I'd recommend contacting a car seat specialist shop for advice, including whether it would fit in a Fiesta, and your parents can pick it up before you get there.

Once I've decided on a seat, I'll either order it online or my parents will buy it from a shop before I arrive.

Anyone have a rear facer to recommend for a small car? We are short arses so don't need loads of legroom.

Particularly interested in hearing about seats which work well with children at the older end of the range.

SandPit It's a big expense on top of the costs of a long trip home isn't it? Don't think I can go for a high backed booster with a 16m/o which is why I'm really keen on a stage 2 that will last for as long as possible.

No, don't do a hbb yet. Unless she's grown really fast, she won't be heavy enough anyway (15kg min).
My 5 (just) year old would still technically be OK in a 5 point harness. He would be rather squashed tho. We moved him at 4.5 into a hbb, and shipped 2 hbb's out here.

I would recommend the Britax TWO way elite. It fits in pretty much any car. We had it rear facing in an old style Micra. The seat needs to brace against the front seat so that goes as far back as it can fit.

The seat tethers to the bar under the seat in front, and the only fiddly part is fitting the tethers. These can be bought separately for £20, but you get a set with the seat.

The seat is £220. We have two - one for DS (18mo), and one for dd. She is 4 and a half and still in it fine. She has incredibly long legs - she folds them or hangs them over the side.

The seat is not isofix. It is incredibly light. I can carry both of mine, one over each shoulder, and they do not feel heavy. You could take it back with you afterwards.

Which seat lasted until 4.5? I'd be very happy for a seat to get him to that age as it would give us 4 summers of use and any other trips inbetween which is about the best I can hope for.

One of the britax ones.
Don't know which, but not rear facing, and available 5 yrs ago (was DS1s)
DS2 has pretty much followed the 50th centiles, but when I was at school last week, there was a chart of their weights - only one child in the class was lighter than him.

Thanks NapQueen and SandPit great info.

The Britain Two way elite goes up to 25kg which can be around 6yrs! It can be both rear and forward facing. It is only available from the In Car Safety Centre in the uk.
Another seat to consider is the Axkid mini kid as that is a 25kg seat too. Neither of these require a base as they are belt fit only due to having a higher weight limit on them. They are easy to fit once you know how, and it's even quicker if you buy a set of tethers for each vehicle it will be used in as they can stay in place so you don't have to thread them every time you need to change seat (that's the bit that takes up the time).

Joie do a seat that rear faces and then converts to a high back booster, so might be worth a look as will last a long time.

There is a good selection of rf seats on the In Car Safety Centres website. I have 3 rf seats that we purchased from them and they were really knowledgeable and helpful over the phone when we rang for advice and we're able to tell us what seats they had fitted in our make and model of vehicle.

It's the Joie every stage I was thinking of. It can rf to 18kg then can ff as a booster seat until 36kg. So this seat could last until your ds no longer needs a seat.

Thanks all. I will be checking those seats out.