DaveBeck

iTrader: (12)

My little boy is closing in on max weight for his first car seat.

I have read that they should remain rear facing until 1yo. He is only just 6 months and 17lbs I know i have a bit of time before he reaches 20lbs but i like to be prepared for this sought of thing.

Can people please recommend me a car seat that you have/are using.

I have upto £250 as i think once you get to this price you are paying for names. I think ive seen ones more than capable for a £100

Any input appreciated

corradoboy

We had a good look at Britax and Mothercare seats and simply couldn't find any reason not to buy THIS ONE. They are all just injection moulded plastic with a thin foam backed fabric cover. The Britax ones labelled as class 1-2-3 for up to 36kg weren't able to be converted to a booster seat only, so are only really good up to 18kg and class 1-2.

DaveBeck

iTrader: (12)

Cheers mate. Was actually looking at that site

Trout

iTrader: (1)

We have Maxi-Cosis for both of ours. They are very good.

There are a lot of variations but they will do until your kid is at least 4.

corradoboy

The one I posted above is class 1-2-3, so is good from 9-36kg, or from about 9 months to 11 years, depending on the individual childs growth of course. It has harnesses to comply with class 1, then they come off to allow use of the normal seatbelt for class 2, and finally the back clips off leaving just a booster seat to be used again with the seatbelt for class 3. The only problem I found was the angle it sits on our Octavia seats left my lad a little lolled forwards when he sleeps, which is often in the car. I simply padded the bottom of the seat out with 2-3" of dense foam from an old cot mattress to move his bum and legs forward whilst leaving the shoulders pulled against the seat. It's still secure in the car with the belt pulled tight through the fixings, but he is slightly reclined back meaning his head tends to be dropped back a little instead. This might not be an issue on other cars depending on the angle of the seat back to the base.

michaelro

If you have isofix this one

Maxi Cosi Priorifix Isofix car seat - Cappuccino Reflection : mothercare- Nursery Equipment, Maternity Clothes & Baby Shop

You can get it without for about £100 less.
It tilts so is similar to a rear facing seat anyway.

Our first has been in this one since 8 months and judging by how much our second one weighs now he'll be in one well before that.

Our first preferred to be facing forward and allowed a lot more interaction, especially on longer journeys which is invaluable...

They do seats that can switch from rear to forward facing.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

If you get a seat that does up to 4 - then they usually have pretty decent recline options still - and up to 4 your kids may still want to sleep in the car a lot. The seats that cover the wider age group are more of a compromise the at least the ones we looked at did not have the recline capability (as noted above). I don't think it is simply an issue with squab angle in the Skoda.

We have one Isofix and one belt fix. Maxi-Cosi belt fix is very good and you can get a very solid fit if you do it right.

DaveBeck

iTrader: (12)

Dont think my bugeye wrx has the isofix

Quite like the idea of the base with supporting leg

Trout

iTrader: (1)

The best seats do fit extremely well with a belt.

The trick we found was to put your weight on the seat (to compress the squab foam) and then do up the belt fitting. At least with the seats we have this gives a very solid fit in all the cars we have tried it in. The BMW is the best but that is probably due to the higher quality of foam fitted.

DaveBeck

iTrader: (12)

Cheers for input on that

going to go look and see if i have the isofix but not holding my breath

Hysteria1983

My daughter has this one

RECARO Young Expert Plus.

My son has this

RECARO Young Sport.

However, they both also have a standard one that you can use with a seatbelt.

Many people have said I am stupid, and have paid for the name, however the quality is amazing.

It might be if interest that the baby carrier
that recaro manufacture is adjustable, so it accomodates your growing child up to aprox 18 months. I had one for my daughter and she stayed rear facing unt she reached the wright limit. Her head didn't excess the length if the seat, so it was good value for money,and allowed her to stay in the safest position for longer than standard non adjustable seats.

RECARO Young Profi Plus.

shop about and see how long you want the seat to last.
The second stage we bought for my daughter seemed great at the time, however the young profi plus only lasts up to 4 years / 18kg or until thechds head protrudes from the top. Unfortunatly her head is almost out of the top at 2 1/2 years of age! She didn't go in it until she was about 17 months!!
The young sport is suitable from 9 months and converts in several ways right down to a booster seat. It is far more compact and comfortable for a child than the young profi plus.

You still have a fair bit of time before it is necessary to move to a second stage seat, especially as little ones weight gain wi slow down a bit at thus stage (crawling/walking burns more calories so they gain weight slower). Take this time to find the right seat.

DaveBeck

iTrader: (12)

I appreciate your in depth answer there mate.

I have the isofix but the wifes car doesnt. Im liking the young sport as well

Hysteria1983

No problem. I only used an isofix base with the baby carrier. Not with any of the others.

Adidas

We've got the Maxi Cosie Prioryfix too. At present it's secured with a seltbelt, but when we get the new car we'll be using the Isofix.

One thing though, it is VERY heavy. The way it was described on one website is 'Built like a tank, weighs the same as a tank, but protects like a tank'

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Like most of the above - you wouldn't skimp on the safety of your kids.

A tank is a good idea!

Hysteria1983

I agree, my daughters is pretty heavy duty, thats why we have bought another set, as lugging them from car to car was getting a bit annoying.

Disco Boy 2

Bugeye's should have Isofix. Lift the rear seats and have a look.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Why would you need to lift the seat to see if it has Isofix?

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Now you are paying for the brand...

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

We've got this one

Bebe Confort Iseos TT Car Seat - Oxygen Black : mothercare- Nursery Equipment, Maternity Clothes & Baby Shop

Can't fault it although my mum struggles if she has to fit it, purely due to the weight of these things.

Best thing is the recliner adjustment, you can do it from the drivers seat just by reaching your arm back (if baby seat is behind passenger), very handy.

DaveBeck

iTrader: (12)

Yes mate, as post 12. Should of looked in my manual first lol

Cheers for all the input lads.

Its good to have a wide range

ahar

iTrader: (3)

Pay for a trial on the Which? website - they have a large range of indepth tests (including their own crash tests) of baby seats. Pretty enlightening with Maxi-cosi doing very well in crashes across the range.

baz995

iTrader: (8)

Hi Dave I bought this one

Maxi Cosi Priori XP - Compare Prices

its great

corradoboy

All these comments about the seat being built like a tank, remember that in a crash, being hit or crushed under something heavy might not be as desirable as something lightweight. As long as the child remains restrained and the seat keeps its integrity, additional weight could become a negative factor in the chaos of an impact, putting more strain on the retaining seat-belts and possibly exaggerating injury caused by impact. I recall a TVR designer telling me how one of their cars was the first to remain in a good enough condition after the NCAP frontal impact test, that the same vehicle was submitted for the side impact test. The strong aluminium chassis and fibreglass body meant that its light weight resulted in the car being punted out of the way instead of horribly deformed.

michaelro

Agreed. That's the non-isofix version of the one I have (Posted Above)

Comes 1st or 2nd in the Which Guide for it's type.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

To counter that though if the seat is using the seatbelts as the fixing point then that belt has been designed to restrain the weight of a fully grown adult, so a 'tank' seat weighing 10kg won't be a problem. Another point is the decelleration forces that can cause injury - if baby is strapped to a heavier mass then the belts will have to work harder, hence decelleration forces will be less.

Anyway lets face it, these things are designed to give maximum protection to baby, if the result is xx kg or yy kg its fine by me, even if they are cumbersome for Gran!

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

We ahve the Young Sport. Our boy was in it from 9 months, as soon as he reached the weight because he's a tall one and the rear facing was squashing him up.

It doesn't recline much but it fitted the Scoob and the Ford Fusion we have. Fits very well with the seatbelts (only used isofix with the rear facing as you need a new isofix base for it and the Fusion doesn't have it).

Best to nip down Halfords and try them in various cars but the Recaro will go in the Scoob no worries.

Also, in our case the mrsd picked the Recaro not me. She liked the head protection on it as some don't seem to offer too much on that front.

You can of course go fancy for swivel etc but up to you and again, even if you buy online, check it in the car first. Not all seats fit all cars.

5t.