Car Seat advice needed please

[LittleB]

I need to buy a new car seat for dd, her old one is coming apart. She's 2.6 and quite big at 17.7kg. I've been looking at car seats and stage 1 says up to 18kg/age 4, so stage 2 is from age 4 and 18kg. Obviously she's going to be 18kgs pretty soon, but not 4, so is she ok for one of these seats? They all use adult belts too, which I think would be ok, except that she does fall asleep and flop forward, would they hold her enough or do I need to buy one that does stage 1&2? Can anyone recommend one that does this (not Britax - as thats what I've got thats falling apart) or a good secure stage 2 seat?
Thanks

We went to Halfords..they were brilliant, they advised which car seat is correct and we have bought all our cae seats from them. I think the weight is much more important than the age as kids differ greatly. We were once unsure wether to go into the next car seat becasue my dd feet were sticking out and he said it is better to have broken legs than neck.

Of course youdont actually havre to buy it there but they bring them all out and try them in your car to make sure they fit which is great..HTH

what is the name of the one that is falling apart?

We have a hi-liner (britax) that is from 15kg

Our Maxi cosi Rodi XP is OK from 15kg I think. She should be fine in that. My dd wasn't 15kg until she was 3.5 but I remember going to the nursery and all the children were in seats using the proper seat belts.
The Rodi XP is supposed to recline but we have never used it like that. DD has slept in it and just flopped to the side. The side cushions are big.

I think somewhere tucked away there are height recommendations on the Stage 2 car seats, too. DS is 2.10 and We were wondering about a Stage 2 but ISTR that on looking into it many/most of them wanted him to be taller than he is. But now I have no idea where I found that information.

The concorde Lift Evo PT did well in the Which tests I think and is very well padded. My friend has that one and recommend highly, esp for little ones. The weight is the important factor not the age. (Though slightly different for rear facing I think).

I'll try Halfords then, thats where we got our last one from (we tried them in store and then ordered on line as it was cheaper). I can't remeber what make it is, its got a 5 point harness, I don't think they make them anymore. I've washed the cover on a cool wash a handful of times and it no longer fits properly, and the polystyrene back is starting to come apart. It was supposed to be a reasonable one rrp £100 but bought for £50 online as it was a clearance on that pattern - its got tigers on it!She's had it for less than 2 years, so I'm not going for Britax again!
I can't see any height recommendations on any of the sites I've seen lemonaid, but will ask in Halfords.
The Rodi sounds good though VanillaP.
Anyone else got recommendations too?

I've been studying the Which guide over the last few days to get a stage 2/3 seat myself, would you like a summary?

Thats useful to know loopymumsy, I thought she would probably be big enough, I just wasn't sure if you shoud go by weight over age.
It'd be brilliant to have a Which summary thanks pillock, what ones are you thinking of going for?

brief summary of Which Summary here

thread hijack..Hello littleb (shhhh, waves frantically) .

My fellow "due in may 05'er" .
Hows your dd doing...???? How are you..?

THanks for the link Pillock, thats really useful.
Hi Shhhh how are you and your little ones? dd is great fun, going to playschool which she loves, talking non-stop from when she wakes until bed time! Loves dancing, singing, swimming, playing outdoors and crafty stuff. She's a tall girl now, takes after her dad! Good to know there are some of the oldies lurking, been on mumsnet over three years now!

Glad your dd is doing well littleb. DD is the same as yours..100 mph from when she wakes till when she sleeps.. Shes loves her baby brother and its such a joy to watch them both. He thinks she is magic and so funny.!

Now ds is on the right side of his illness he is going from strength to strength and is amazing . He's adorable although I think I understand what people say about boys.. 150% attention needed 24/7 He's worth it though!!!

So you are thinking of goingt to halfords..... IMO they are very poor. Just ordered ds a car seat from 9 months and went for the maxi cosi isofix one costing £199.99 although £240 elsewhere..managed discount of £25 BUT 2 weeks on and still no seat...major issues and after speaking to yet another manager today seems that the seat still hasn't been ordered ..........So they assure me it will be here in a few days time...........Cost of the car seat now (following a complaint)........£99.99 . Will see if I do actually get it first though....

Good luck..!!!

btw littleb,dd has the britax isofix due and its been brill and still is. Maybe its just the one you have..? . That said, I have never taken the cover off etc....

Hi Shhh, I forgot that your ds had been ill, I'm so glad he's doing well now, it sounds like your dcs have alot of fun together!
I haven't got isofix, my car is too old. I did go into Halfods and wasn't impressed with the range in our local one, so we went to an independant shop where they were really helpful and reasonably priced and we're going for the concord evo lift pt, which does really well in the safety tests, has just got Mother & Baby gold award, and dd thinks its really comfy. I thought it was great that they let her try it too! we're just waiting for them to get a pink one for us!

pink..! Bet your dd will be well impressed with it..! atm anything pink and disney princess suits dd. .!!