prob been done to death but car seats please?

[TwasTheNightBeforeXmasOwl]

dd is nearly 11 months now and about 16lb. i want a nice comfy car seat that isnt too bulky, quick and easy to move from one car to another and easy to adjust straps. i dont want to pay too much for it either..dont want much do i? [grin} any recommendations?

Hi.
Britax customer services used to be able to recommend seats tha fit well in certain models of car. as they test them for compatability,
i think ensuring it fits safely must be the main priority ,
hope that helps.

Have to back up bensmum - fit is really important (think the length of the strap that your seatbelt buckles are attached to is usually what affects whether or not certain seats fit).

When we bought our second stage car seat there were in fact only 2 seats that properly fitted both our cars (having said that one was a 3 door car and we were told there were only a few seats that were able to be properly fitted from standing in front of the seat rather than at the side).

Think it's important that the seatbelt buckle end isn't being pulled too far onto the seat itself (because straps are too long) and that once it's fitted there is virtually no movement at all if you pull at the seat.

Both our seats are Britax and think they're really good but 1 certainly wouldn't fit your criteria (v. heavy and difficult to fit - it stays permanently in one of our cars, but lovely and comfy for dd - also was v. expensive). The other is easy to move around, but it's a stage 2-3 and does sit dd a bit low, so she couldn't see out of window for long time, and even now when she's 2.5 I can't see her in my mirror as she's too low down.

Britax's website has a thing where you can put in your car and they tell you which carseats would fit. Website is \link{www.britax.co.uk\here}

my dd is now 14mnths and we got the maxi cosi xp for her and I think its great. THey were about £100. I got mine from kiddicare as they sometimes have good deals on them. THe seat are lovely and comfortable compared to her 1st car seat(M&P one) and its not too bad to move around. It is quite heavy so you would not want to have to carry it with anything else but its easy to switch between cars. I have to admit after the last car seat it too a few times and studying the cd rom that cam e with it to make sure I was putting it in correctly but now I can do really fast. Just a matter of getting used to it. But I would definitely recommend it.

We have two. I love the Britax Husky, but it is too big for your criteria. Think about it later though if you want to get one that will be the last you'll ever need to buy.

One thing I would keep in mind is the buckle part. The smaller, cheaper seat that I got for our extra car has this strange buckle that overlaps before it snaps in. Hard to explain, but try it out in the store to make sure it is something quick and easy. You don't want to be fiddling with it when you have a wiggly toddler on your hands.

I've got a Britax First Class, bought from Mothercare for around £85 (on offer reduced from around £110). I drive a Ford Focus and find that the Britax fits very sturdily in my back seats. It doesn't move a muscle, even when 2y 3m DD is wriggling and stropping for Britain ! It's incredibly easy to fit and has 3 recline positions, which we still use now, and strap adjustments are easy as pie. The only real downside to it is that it has quite high sides so getting them in if your car has a low/normal roofline can be a bit awkward.

I fitted a friend's Maxi Cosi Priory XP into my car last week and found it much more fiddly to fit, and it didn't seem as secure and firm as DD's Britax. Although I have 2 other friends with the same seat who think it's fab. I've also read that the adjusting the straps in the Priory is a bit of a pain in the bum.

We have a Britax Isofix seat and it cost nearly 200 pounds. We are really happy with it though and as long as every car you move it to has ISOFIX fittings (should do if not more than about 5 yrs old but need to check each car) then it is incredibly easy to move.

It is meant to be the safest seat there is because it attatches to car frame itself. Its vitually impossible to fit wrong.

However, it is expensive no two ways about it.

Definitely a Maxi Cosi Priori XP. Not cheap but a fabulous seat: very comfy, easy to move from car to car and has side impact protection. We bought ours from Kiddicare. It's worth spending a little more IMO.

hi i have britax seat that is really easy to move about and can be refitted in about 40 secs....was from mothercarewand was 99 pound i have a renault scenic and dh has escort

Hi, I don't want to upset you lockets, but a well known childrens store fitted my 1st car seat and i found out later it wasn't suitable for my car, the store eventually changed the seat for me and admitted they were wrong , i also found the man in a well known car shop was willing to fit the same seat in my car, you do have to be so careful, don't just take a well known shops word for it, double check, our children are so precious and just getting a seat that fits properly could save their life.

thanks for the replies. reason i want it to be easily swapped from car to car is that i dont drive yet and i need it to fit in my mum's car, friend's car and taxis when i use them. (taxis here dont have car seats) i was looking in the region of £60 ish but willing to pay up to £100 if i have to (obviously i'd prefer not!) shes a tiny baby for her age and still in the travel system car seat at the moment but she looks so uncomfortable and hates it.

Twas the Night befroe Xma Oxl

Our dd was also a small baby and stayed in her Rockatot until around 16 months. She wasn't especially comfortable towarsd the end but she just didn't met the weight recommendation and we changed her, probably still a little on the borderline, because we had a long trip to do and she wouldn't have endured it if she hadn't been able to see out. You could buy a 2 way one (like the First Class) but they do cost more than your budget and are heftier, so for occasional use imho you would be better sticking out until she can go to the next stage (9kg +) anyway where you have more choice. In some European countries it is perfectly normal to face them backwards until much later.

Again - would back up what bensmum says, I have heard lots of accounts of well known shops not fitting car seats correctly, so would be careful. (At least if you check the Britax website you will know if a particular seat is suitable for your car and your mother's car - you won't know what car a taxi is, but certain designs fit nearly all cars, whereas others don't so best to choose one that fits lots of cars.) I wanted a Maxi Cosi Priori as they're so popular and was told that it actually doesn't fit properly in very many cars - certainly wasn't suitable for our 2 cars.

Don't be in a hurry to change unless you really have to, as they are actually much safer in a rear facing seat and in some countries they keep them rear facing until a much older age.

twas if you are thinking of a britax check out their website as it actually tells you what seats are suitable for what car...thats what i did before i went to buy it.