Car Seat Mega Thread! Please post all your car seat questions here!

janus83 · 06-08-2016 09:16AM

jlm29 wrote: »

The axis fix isn't actually erf. I can't remember the weight limit, but it's not 18kg. I think til age 2 is as much as you can expect to get out of it.
I don't know anything about the joie spin. I've a feeling the graco might not rear face for that long either, but I stand to be corrected on that.

Check if your car seats are sloped too- sometimes the isofix seats don't suit cars with sloped seats, because the head flops a bit too much.
The other thing to bear in mind is your child's height/ weight- if you've a long or heavy baby, a seat with a 25kg limit might be better from a longevity point of view!
I'd imagine the swivel would be handy, but everyone does say that it's far easier to get baby into a rear facing seat because the door isn't in the way.

Good point on the weight piece, I must bear that in mind when choosing considering his current weight. Also I'll be looking at my car for sloping seats too, never thought of that. Thanks

janus83 · 07-08-2016 09:30PM

jlm29 wrote: »

The axis fix isn't actually erf. I can't remember the weight limit, but it's not 18kg. I think til age 2 is as much as you can expect to get out of it.
I don't know anything about the joie spin. I've a feeling the graco might not rear face for that long either, but I stand to be corrected on that.

Check if your car seats are sloped too- sometimes the isofix seats don't suit cars with sloped seats, because the head flops a bit too much.
The other thing to bear in mind is your child's height/ weight- if you've a long or heavy baby, a seat with a 25kg limit might be better from a longevity point of view!
I'd imagine the swivel would be handy, but everyone does say that it's far easier to get baby into a rear facing seat because the door isn't in the way.

thanks for pointing out taht axissfix isn't ERF, I'd thought it was as some shops have it in the ERF section of website and Mothercare in Newbridge ysterday told me it is, though I can see from the specs that it isn't. Annoying to get misleading "expert" advice! Though they did a great job of talking me through it. Any opinions on Joie Spin 360 ?

jlm29 · 08-08-2016 10:43AM

janus83 wrote: »

thanks for pointing out taht axissfix isn't ERF, I'd thought it was as some shops have it in the ERF section of website and Mothercare in Newbridge ysterday told me it is, though I can see from the specs that it isn't. Annoying to get misleading "expert" advice! Though they did a great job of talking me through it. Any opinions on Joie Spin 360 ?

I know- I was considering the axisfix too- the websites are very misleading! I don't know anyone with the spin 360, it's so new that there's probably not many around at all!

Millem · 08-08-2016 03:03PM

What about the britax dualfix?

Weyhey · 24-08-2016 03:48PM

Anyone tried out the Kiddy Guardianfix pro2 isofix seat lately? Just wondering what you think of it? I believe because of the impact shield it is supposed to be as safe as rear facing seat and I believe Kiddy say they actually outperform ERF seats in independent testing. It is also one of the only few seats approved for use in an aircraft (but it is 1 cm wider than Ryanair armrests).

I have the Britax Two way elite for my oldest but I don’t really like it so I am reluctant to get a second one for my 18 month old. I find the TWE moves very easy and because of the short sides she doesn’t sleep well in it. Also because of the tether straps it makes it difficult for family and childminder to use.

I would love to know how big the Kiddy seat is compared to the TWE as I have a small car. I don’t know where stock it so haven’t seen the seat in person.

Was also reading good and bad things about the concord reversio plus. One big plus being that it is isofix ERF.

jlm29 · 24-08-2016 03:52PM

Weyhey wrote: »

Anyone tried out the Kiddy Guardianfix pro2 isofix seat lately? Just wondering what you think of it? I believe because of the impact shield it is supposed to be as safe as rear facing seat and I believe Kiddy say they actually outperform ERF seats in independent testing. It is also one of the only few seats approved for use in an aircraft (but it is 1 cm wider than Ryanair armrests).

I have the Britax Two way elite for my oldest but I don’t really like it so I am reluctant to get a second one for my 18 month old. I find the TWE moves very easy and because of the short sides she doesn’t sleep well in it. Also because of the tether straps it makes it difficult for family and childminder to use.

I would love to know how big the Kiddy seat is compared to the TWE as I have a small car. I don’t know where stock it so haven’t seen the seat in person.

Was also reading good and bad things about the concord reversio plus. One big plus being that it is isofix ERF.

If your baby is tall, the concord probably isn't a great option! That's my only input on those two seats!

Millem · 24-08-2016 05:25PM

Weyhey wrote: »

Anyone tried out the Kiddy Guardianfix pro2 isofix seat lately? Just wondering what you think of it? I believe because of the impact shield it is supposed to be as safe as rear facing seat and I believe Kiddy say they actually outperform ERF seats in independent testing. It is also one of the only few seats approved for use in an aircraft (but it is 1 cm wider than Ryanair armrests).

I have the Britax Two way elite for my oldest but I don t really like it so I am reluctant to get a second one for my 18 month old. I find the TWE moves very easy and because of the short sides she doesn t sleep well in it. Also because of the tether straps it makes it difficult for family and childminder to use.

I would love to know how big the Kiddy seat is compared to the TWE as I have a small car. I don t know where stock it so haven t seen the seat in person.

Was also reading good and bad things about the concord reversio plus. One big plus being that it is isofix ERF.

I still haven't bought another seat yet. I like you don't want to get another TWE as it has to lean up against seat and in a vw golf sv the passenger seat needs to go right back and twe needs to be really really really reclined to meet the seat.

I have flown with ryanair and just check in my twe or max fix on the plane.

If your child is heavy for their age I wouldn't get a kiddy as the shield is taken away at 18kg. The twe is harnessed up to 25kg.

I have watched loads of crash test videos on car seats (not kiddy) and in an erf car seat the child's neck barely moves whereas FF their neck goes forward.

I am going to look at the concord one myself as higher weight limit but as JLM said it really only goes to 104cm which is average 4 year old. Euro babies have it! I need one for my OH/MIL and tbh neither can get their heads around tether straps. OH much prefers isofix.

Just to add there is very little movement on my twe when installed. There is much more movement on my isofix erf seat

jlm29 · 24-08-2016 05:51PM

Millem wrote: »

I still haven't bought another seat yet. I like you don't want to get another TWE as it has to lean up against seat and in a vw golf sv the passenger seat needs to go right back and twe needs to be really really really reclined to meet the seat.

I have flown with ryanair and just check in my twe or max fix on the plane.

If your child is heavy for their age I wouldn't get a kiddy as the shield is taken away at 18kg. The twe is harnessed up to 25kg.

I have watched loads of crash test videos on car seats (not kiddy) and in an erf car seat the child's neck barely moves whereas FF their neck goes forward.

I am going to look at the concord one myself as higher weight limit but as JLM said it really only goes to 104cm which is average 4 year old. Euro babies have it! I need one for my OH/MIL and tbh neither can get their heads around tether straps. OH much prefers isofix.

Just to add there is very little movement on my twe when installed. There is much more movement on my isofix erf seat

Bella baby has it on their website too- might be in their shops if that's any handier!

Moonbeam · 26-08-2016 01:51AM

Weyhey wrote: »

Anyone tried out the Kiddy Guardianfix pro2 isofix seat lately? Just wondering what you think of it? I believe because of the impact shield it is supposed to be as safe as rear facing seat and I believe Kiddy say they actually outperform ERF seats in independent testing. It is also one of the only few seats approved for use in an aircraft (but it is 1 cm wider than Ryanair armrests).

I have the Britax Two way elite for my oldest but I don’t really like it so I am reluctant to get a second one for my 18 month old. I find the TWE moves very easy and because of the short sides she doesn’t sleep well in it. Also because of the tether straps it makes it difficult for family and childminder to use.

I would love to know how big the Kiddy seat is compared to the TWE as I have a small car. I don’t know where stock it so haven’t seen the seat in person.

Was also reading good and bad things about the concord reversio plus. One big plus being that it is isofix ERF.

I have 2 Kiddy Guardian Fix Pros in my car ,My 5 year old and 2 year old have them .I only removed the bumper for the 5 year old a few months ago and baby loves her bumper .
They are quite small at the base but the upper sides are a bit bulky .

sparkthatbled · 06-09-2016 08:01PM

I'm starting to research group 1-3 seats but I feel like I'm in way over my head with all the available options and a lot of the brand names are unfamiliar. I managed to navigate the group 0 seats and got a good Chicco one.

So I'd appreciate advice on group 1-3 seats. What features should I be looking for? What should I avoid? How advantageous is an isofix seat? My boy is very long, so are there seats made for taller children or are they all standardized? Thanks in advance for any help.

Petal765 · 07-09-2016 10:39AM

sparkthatbled wrote: »

I'm starting to research group 1-3 seats but I feel like I'm in way over my head with all the available options and a lot of the brand names are unfamiliar. I managed to navigate the group 0 seats and got a good Chicco one.

So I'd appreciate advice on group 1-3 seats. What features should I be looking for? What should I avoid? How advantageous is an isofix seat? My boy is very long, so are there seats made for taller children or are they all standardized? Thanks in advance for any help.

I was just going to post the same question, have been looking at a few but have no idea where to start regarding extended rear facing or forward facing, any advice and recommendations would be greatly appreciated,

jlm29 · 07-09-2016 02:24PM

I suppose consider first if you want to rear face or forward face. Once I was made aware of how much safer rear facing is, I couldn't ignore the statistics (500% safer!!). Then think about your budget, and the height and weight of your child. Also consider if you want to use isofix or belt installation (there's no difference safety wise with one over the other, so long as the belted seat is installed correctly. The problem is that they often aren't, and isofix is a bit more fool proof, which may be useful if you need to move the seat around!
Some seats are suitable to rear face with a 5 price harness until your child is 25kg, which I think is the average 5-6yr old. The majority of erf seats will rear face until 18kg, and can then be turned. If your child is at the higher end of the growth charts, they could well be 18kg long before they hit 4yo!
The last thing you need to consider is your car! Some cars have quite sloped seats (mine does, it's a Ford Focus), and some isofix seats might not suit them too well, because you can't alter the slope of the seat, and the baby's head might fall forward when sleeping- not a major problem, but it looks uncomfortable!
Erf seats also tend to take up a bit more space than forward facing, which can compromise front leg room!

I have an Axkid minikid for my baby. Its a 25kg seat, with one of the tallest seat shells. It's also one of the more compact erf seats, apparently! There's very poor leg room in the focus though! It's a disaster!

Petal765 · 07-09-2016 02:52PM

jlm29 wrote: »

I suppose consider first if you want to rear face or forward face. Once I was made aware of how much safer rear facing is, I couldn't ignore the statistics (500% safer!!). Then think about your budget, and the height and weight of your child. Also consider if you want to use isofix or belt installation (there's no difference safety wise with one over the other, so long as the belted seat is installed correctly. The problem is that they often aren't, and isofix is a bit more fool proof, which may be useful if you need to move the seat around!
Some seats are suitable to rear face with a 5 price harness until your child is 25kg, which I think is the average 5-6yr old. The majority of erf seats will rear face until 18kg, and can then be turned. If your child is at the higher end of the growth charts, they could well be 18kg long before they hit 4yo!
The last thing you need to consider is your car! Some cars have quite sloped seats (mine does, it's a Ford Focus), and some isofix seats might not suit them too well, because you can't alter the slope of the seat, and the baby's head might fall forward when sleeping- not a major problem, but it looks uncomfortable!
Erf seats also tend to take up a bit more space than forward facing, which can compromise front leg room!

I have an Axkid minikid for my baby. Its a 25kg seat, with one of the tallest seat shells. It's also one of the more compact erf seats, apparently! There's very poor leg room in the focus though! It's a disaster!

After reading about erf being safer I would prefer to get one of those and an isofix also, the seats in the car aren't really sloped so that shouldn't be a problem, something I never thought about though! Was thinking maybe the Joie 360, britax dualfix or nuna rebl however they are all fairly expensive, don't know if I am better off getting a cheaper one? Too many choices tbh!

jlm29 · 07-09-2016 05:02PM

Petal765 wrote: »

After reading about erf being safer I would prefer to get one of those and an isofix also, the seats in the car aren't really sloped so that shouldn't be a problem, something I never thought about though! Was thinking maybe the Joie 360, britax dualfix or nuna rebl however they are all fairly expensive, don't know if I am better off getting a cheaper one? Too many choices tbh!

I've no experience of any of them, but bear in mind the swivel, although it might be a nice feature isn't totally necessary. Rf seats tend to be easier to get babies in and out of anyhow, and as they get older they'll climb themselves, so I wouldn't pay a lot extra just for a swivel seat!

rainbow kirby · 08-09-2016 08:56PM

Looking for tall but skinny kid car seat recommendations. My son is only 5 months but I'm already starting to plan his next one because with him being off the charts long (he's over the 99.6th percentile curve on the growth charts in his red book but holding 50th percentile for weight) he'll most likely outgrow his infant seat early.

jlm29 · 08-09-2016 09:39PM

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Looking for tall but skinny kid car seat recommendations. My son is only 5 months but I'm already starting to plan his next one because with him being off the charts long (he's over the 99.6th percentile curve on the growth charts in his red book but holding 50th percentile for weight) he'll most likely outgrow his infant seat early.

Axkid minikid and the britax two way elite have very long seat shells!

rainbow kirby · 26-09-2016 08:26AM

...and on the subject of outgrowing his infant seat early, it's getting very difficult to get his shoulders in and out and he's screaming on any journey longer than 30 minutes. 6 months on Wednesday. I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on a group 0+/1 ERF seat in the next few weeks because we have to drive 6 hours to Holyhead when we're coming home for Christmas and it's absolutely impossible the way things are now.

Anne_cordelia · 26-09-2016 08:41AM

rainbow kirby wrote: »

...and on the subject of outgrowing his infant seat early, it's getting very difficult to get his shoulders in and out and he's screaming on any journey longer than 30 minutes. 6 months on Wednesday. I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on a group 0+/1 ERF seat in the next few weeks because we have to drive 6 hours to Holyhead when we're coming home for Christmas and it's absolutely impossible the way things are now.

While they are safest in the baby seat for as long as possible, if he's that uncomfortable it's not feasible so I would change too. Most of the next stage ERF are fine from 6 months. Certain ones are sold as suitable from newborn but I know Tony Kealys will only sell from 6 months. I highly recommend contacting either In Car Safety or carseat.se with details about your car and baby and they can recommend a seat for your circumstances.

jlm29 · 26-09-2016 01:54PM

Anne_cordelia wrote: »

While they are safest in the baby seat for as long as possible, if he's that uncomfortable it's not feasible so I would change too. Most of the next stage ERF are fine from 6 months. Certain ones are sold as suitable from newborn but I know Tony Kealys will only sell from 6 months. I highly recommend contacting either In Car Safety or carseat.se with details about your car and baby and they can recommend a seat for your circumstances.

If he's that upset, it would probably be happier for everyone if he was in something else! My lb way prefers his erf seat to his infant carrier. I only put it in when he was 9mo to check how much space it would take up, but he was so much happier looking I left it there. Try to get an erf with a good long seat shell though, to avoid having to buy another too soon!

Millem · 26-09-2016 06:21PM

rainbow kirby wrote: »

...and on the subject of outgrowing his infant seat early, it's getting very difficult to get his shoulders in and out and he's screaming on any journey longer than 30 minutes. 6 months on Wednesday. I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on a group 0+/1 ERF seat in the next few weeks because we have to drive 6 hours to Holyhead when we're coming home for Christmas and it's absolutely impossible the way things are now.

Rainbow My guy outgrew his infant seat at around that time. I bought a max fix2 and a twe. The max fix2 is better for that age as more enclosed and smaller shell. It is still a big enough shell but noT as long as twe or minikid. It only goes up to 18kg because of isofix but the max way is the same seat but with seatbelt and goes up to 25kg. I love the max way fab seat. I would say my tall boy would get to a good 4 in maxfix2 if he was a normal weight! I had to buy a twe because of underfloor storage

otherwise I would if bought a max way for minikid probably a maxway as it takes up less space

obi604 · 26-09-2016 09:25PM

Hi,

My son will soon be 3 and is tall for his age. The car seat he is in now is a group 1.

http://www.britaxemea.com/car-seats/duo-plus/

He is about 16.4 kg now and his eyes are above top level of car seat. So he needs to go in to next size car seat.

Thing is, even though he does qualify for a seat belt only seat, I feel he is nearly too young for this. I'd prefer him in a harness type for a bit longer.

Can anyone recommend a car seat that would suit won't break the bank and that is safe and will last a while. (I'm not asking for much am I !! ; ))

Kind of a tricky one as he is too big for group 1 and too immature for Group 2.

sillysocks · 26-09-2016 09:47PM

obi604 wrote: »

Hi,

My son will soon be 3 and is tall for his age. The car seat he is in now is a group 1.

http://www.britaxemea.com/car-seats/duo-plus/

He is about 16.4 kg now and his eyes are above top level of car seat. So he needs to go in to next size car seat.

Thing is, even though he does qualify for a seat belt only seat, I feel he is nearly too young for this. I'd prefer him in a harness type for a bit longer.

Can anyone recommend a car seat that would suit won't break the bank and that is safe and will last a while. (I'm not asking for much am I !! ; ))

Kind of a tricky one as he is too big for group 1 and too immature for Group 2.

I've been looking for a seat for my three year old lately and discovered there are some seats that have a harness which is ok up to 25kg. The one I was looking at was Britax Advansfix. It is expensive though but there are definitely other ones out there too (I'm also looking for it to be narrow to fit beside two other seats so a bit more restricted). Before now I didn't realize there were extended harness seats so maybe that helps!

Millem · 26-09-2016 09:51PM

obi604 wrote: »

Hi,

My son will soon be 3 and is tall for his age. The car seat he is in now is a group 1.

http://www.britaxemea.com/car-seats/duo-plus/

He is about 16.4 kg now and his eyes are above top level of car seat. So he needs to go in to next size car seat.

Thing is, even though he does qualify for a seat belt only seat, I feel he is nearly too young for this. I'd prefer him in a harness type for a bit longer.

Can anyone recommend a car seat that would suit won't break the bank and that is safe and will last a while. (I'm not asking for much am I !! ; ))

Kind of a tricky one as he is too big for group 1 and too immature for Group 2.

The only seats I have come across that have a 5 point harness FF up to 25kg are Two way elite, advansafix, casual play kangur, casual play beat fix (isofix), casual play beat s, dino radian5.

There are a good few erf ones if you want to keep him rearward. If any of the above are too expensive you could try amazon.es you can get one for around "autokit 99-BD001" 90euros.

obi604 · 26-09-2016 09:59PM

Millem wrote: »

The only seats I have come across that have a 5 point harness FF up to 25kg are Two way elite, advansafix, casual play kangur, casual play beat fix (isofix), casual play beat s, dino radian5.

There are a good few erf ones if you want to keep him rearward. If any of the above are too expensive you could try amazon.es you can get one for around "autokit 99-BD001" 90euros.

Thank you. Oh yeah, sorry, meant to say I would like an isofix one if possible.

Millem · 26-09-2016 10:05PM

obi604 wrote: »

Thank you. Oh yeah, sorry, meant to say I would like an isofix one if possible.

Ok. Now the only isofix one I have seen in the flesh are the advansafix (it uses seatbelt, isofix and top tether all together). It is good value as goes into a HBB afterwards. I have been told though that a child will not last 25kg in harness as they will outgrow it in height first. It is a lovely seat.

They used to sell casual play kangur in mothercare and smyths. They have it on amazon for 112euro if you sign up for free trial of amazon prime and put in promo code "BABYGC16". There may be someone on here that has this seat?

The beat fix is new version of this seat. It uses top tether and isofix. Casual play is apparently made by silvercross and very popular in Europe. I saw casual play everywhere in Spain!

obi604 · 26-09-2016 10:07PM

Millem wrote: »

Ok. Now the only isofix one I have seen in the flesh are the advansafix (it uses seatbelt, isofix and top tether all together). It is good value as goes into a HBB afterwards. I have been told though that a child will not last 25kg in harness as they will outgrow it in height first. It is a lovely seat.

They used to sell casual play kangur in mothercare and smyths. They have it on amazon for 112euro if you sign up for free trial of amazon prime and put in promo code "BABYGC16". There may be someone on here that has this seat?

The beat fix is new version of this seat. It uses top tether and isofix. Casual play is apparently made by silvercross and very popular in Europe. I saw casual play everywhere in Spain!

Thank you. The names you are supplying - are they the model or the brand name or both. A quick search in Amazon isn't really retiring much results for the things you suggested.

Millem · 26-09-2016 10:10PM

obi604 wrote: »

Thank you. The names you are supplying - are they the model or the brand name or both. A quick search in Amazon isn't really retiring much results for the things you suggested.

Britax advansafix

Casualplay kangur
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008OQTVTS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Casualplay Beatfix or it could be "beat fix"
https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B008FX8KZG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅZÕÑ&qid=1474924430&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=beat+fix+casualplay&dpPl=1&dpID=41H0Kc5mb+L&ref=plSrch

Price toysrus for advansafix and look for promocode. The seat is around 250sterling. Sometimes they have 20% off codes.

obi604 · 26-09-2016 10:14PM

Millem wrote: »

Britax advansafix

Casualplay kangur
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008OQTVTS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Casualplay Beatfix or it could be "beat fix"

Price toysrus for advansafix and look for promocode. The seat is around 250sterling. Sometimes they have 20% off codes.

Thx.

In regard to advancafix, seems it uses isofix, seat belt AND tether point when child is in the harness (up to 25kg). They then move to seat belt to secure the child. Is the tether needed when child is using seat belt only ?

Austin1 · 26-09-2016 10:16PM

Have had a Casual Play rear facing seat for my little fella for the past 2 years and I would not buy them again. Straps are very fiddly and difficult to tighten in comparison with my partners Joie which seems much easier to use.

Millem · 26-09-2016 10:19PM

obi604 wrote: »

Thx.

In regard to advancafix, seems it uses isofix, seat belt AND tether point when child is in the harness (up to 25kg). They then move to seat belt to secure the child. Is the tether needed when child is using seat belt ?

http://www.toysrus.co.uk/mobile/babiesrus/britax-advansafix-ii-car-seat-in-cosmos-black/TRUP2308150001

Yes you need to use all 3 for advansafix when in a harness. Then it uses isofix and top tether when turned into HBB and seat belt goes across the child.

Look in your boot for tether hooks. Mine are behind passenger seat but my car is a 152 my OH car have them directly across from seats low down. They have a little symbol beside them. Don't confuse them with "luggage hooks" they look similar but don't have tether symbol and would snap in event of cash as can only hold small weight.

Top tether reduces how much a child would go forward in a crash. Apparently by 6inches. Advansafix is good value considering it turns into a HBB. It also looks like it has good side impact protection. I would buy this seat myself if my son was FF.

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