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

Lizardlegz wrote: »

Lol ah sure look I’ve always had the cabriofix and found them great! But I got a pebble this time around and it’s isize. I think the corals are around €220 in the sale. I just remember those awful days of popping into the school or shop for a quick pick up and having to drag the maxi cosi with me with baby... I just found them really heavy with baby in them. Just thought the coral looked really easy for this sort of thing!!

Gosh I think just lugging around a car seat is too much hassle from car to school? It would still be at least half a big bag of dog food in weight with baby in it?
We live beside our school so just walk as there is no point driving! Or do you mean sticking it onto buggy? We have to collect at the classroom....they come out one by one.
The classroom is a good bit in as well.

Lizardlegz wrote: »

I have to drive due to other pick ups aswell :-(. So I park in the Carpark. But thered be no point the hassle of bringing buggy And setting that up to put car seat on if you know what I mean? But then lugging the carseat in without buggy it’s soo heavy! Even bring the carseat into the shops etc carrying it by hand I always found my arms would be falling off!! Lol lol lol. I must check the weight of coral when it’s out of the shell.

Just checked: it’s 1.7kg when out of the shell.

Add 1.7kg plus baby!!! Still half a big bag of dog food!!! Do you just put car seat on the ground or do you hold the seat?

Lizardlegz wrote: »

I put it on the ground while I’m waiting but could be walking with it for a minutes. The coral is 2kg less than the cabriofix which is 3.6kg without baby so a good difference! The pebble I bought I think is 4kg. I will use a sling for pick ups after the first month or so....

Don’t underestimate lugging about 6+kg!
I wouldn’t be using any car seat tbh...too much hassle. But my son’s class is a good bit in and always like to be 5 mins early! In general I see babies screaming their heads off tbh waiting and mum/dad generally pushing them to settle them.

Will your OH be working from home?
Mine will so I will get him to watch baby while I nip out if needs be

Lizardlegz wrote: »

Lol I know sure this is my 4th baby and it’s the Bain of my life lugging them about in the carseat! I try to do it as little as possible. Nope himself has his own office so won’t be home to help.

Sure buy it if you think it makes your life easier.

Lizardlegz wrote: »

I’ve no idea... just wondering if anyone had any experience of them. I just find carrying car seats so heavy in general with baby in them... even just into the shop to get bread etc...

I never carry the car seat, you’re right, it’s too heavy! I find the sling a bit of a faff just for pick ups too! It’s a logistical nightmare once you have a baby while the others are in school.

Lizardlegz wrote: »

Absolutely! I don’t mind the sling when babies a bit older... it’s handier than setting the whole pram up. What do you do if you have go into the shop or somewhere and don’t want to leave baby in car? Do u just set the pram up?

I ended up buying a baby jogger city mini

Lizardlegz wrote: »

O yes I’ve the out and about which is similar...

Would you not just use that? Way handier imho presume it lies flat?
I just bought the footmuff and lay it flat

Lizardlegz wrote: »

Any thoughts on the Doona infant carseat? It can fix
Into an isofix and when you take it out can convert directly to a buggy with wheels. Looks quite heavy etc...
But you wouldn’t need to be carrying it as the wheels just pop out when you take it out of car. Around €500 for the seat and isofix which is very expensive but thinking how handy it would be for school pick ups etc! What do people think?

No experience of it. Do you take off wheels for the car? If not it could get your car dirty? My kids wreck my car anyway tbf!

I don’t know if I said this before but would you not just use your maxi cosi and get like a super light stroller like a babylo scat....you would have to put baby into it or what about the uppababy minu and you just attach your maxi cosi?

Lizardlegz wrote: »

Thanks ladies. I have bought a bugaboo fox for our main buggy so this would literally be for school pickups.
I have a lightweight stroller so will just prob end up using that with the adaptors. Ugh... it’s just all such a minefield. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another lockdown tho anyway at this stage so no pickups to be doing after all this worry! Lol

The covid numbers aren’t looking good!! Have you heard anything from the school re drop up and pick ups? My eldest has been at a lot of sports summer camps and most have been operating a drop and go system. You literally pull up but don’t get out of the car! A staff member takes them.

maisie_moo wrote: »

Just delving into the world of carseats. Excuse my ignorance on the topic.
I have heard of maxi cosi carseats...is this because they are the best/most popular/most compatible with various travel systems?
There seems to be loads of different ones.. Pebble, pebble plus, cabriofix etc. How does one pick? What's the difference between them all?

Thanks so much in advance for any help that is provided

I think the pebble Plus is isize, but the others aren’t. There’s probably more differences too tho. The cabriofix is the most popular I’d say. It has the biggest shell so will last the longest. I’d say it’s also the cheapest, but stand to be corrected on that. Most travel systems Will have adaptors for maxi Cosi too.
Some Maxi cosi bases will take an infant seat (Pebble I’d say) and then a next stage seat also, But most people I know have ended up having a second baby and needing to use the base again for that anyhow

fits wrote: »

My lads are coming up to the age of 4 now and still rear facing in a joie 360. They are 15 kg so well off the 18 kg limit for weight but I think they will reach the height limit sooner. What do you go into next after a seat like that?

One boy tries to take his arms out of the harness so I wouldn't be keen on moving to a seatbelt with him any time soon.

If you think you’d get the use, you could rear face them in 25 kg seats. I have a minikid, it’s a great seat. But I will say that my middle boy had to be turned around well before he hit the limit for it, because he was taking his hands out and half wriggling out of the harness So it was safer to turn him around and have him sit still. The britax two way elite is a more budget friendly rear facing seat. Both of those seats have long shells so would last a long time.
Alternatively, you can forward face them in a 25kg harnessed seat. Its ages since I looked into it, I can only remember the joie bold and the Diono radian 5 as ff 25kg seats. I’m sure there’s more though.

You could try the Britax TWE, it rear faces until 25kg. Lots of rear facing 25kg options. Try joining this group for advice on what seat would work with your car. They are a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/456353881062172

fits wrote: »

Not in our car behind drivers seat unfortunately.

It’s hard to find the right fit when the front seat passengers are tall! The only thing I would say is that now that your kids are older, it might be easier because they can be installed more upright.

fits wrote: »

Thanks, some ideas there.
We tried the minikid when we bought the Joie 360s, and it wouldnt fit behind drivers seat when my tall husband was driving. We have two Joie stages as well which the childminder used to use, so we could always transfer to those forward facing when they grow out of the 360s. I'll probably switch to forward facing on their fourth birthday.

The Joie 360s have been amazing though. Definitely recommend them for children in the lower centiles.

Is it the Joie every stage you have? We’re seriously looking at one of those for when #2 arrives next month.

jlm29 wrote: »

It’s ages since I researched this. Are there any new 25kg forward facing car seats? I can remember the joie bold, the diono and the cosy and safe one. Think I need to turn my 3.5 yr old, he’s wedged in his rf seat!

What seat is he in and what weight is he? Lots of the 25kg seats last up to some children until they are 6 or 7 so you should have plenty of room in a 25kg rearfacing seat. The Axkid seats are great or the Britax TWE is a more budget friendly rear facing seat until 25kg and should have plenty more leg room than what he's in now.

Have you joined the rear facing fb page? They are a wealth of knowledge for seats and cars for your child depending on centiles. It really is much safer to rear face until at least 4 years of age or longer if they still haven't hit 25kg by that age.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/456353881062172