Recommend me a kiddie seat

[arbs]

Our octavia is coming in about 4 weeks and our one year old will need a new car seat at about this time. She is 13 months but small for her age so is still in a rear facing jobbie in our existing car.

She will need a Group 1 seat although I know you can buy group 1-3 seats that adjust etc as the child gets bigger.

Any recommendations on what works/fit//doesnt break etc?

I'd like an ISO fix as my thinking as it would be easier to transfer between cars, however open to buying one for each car if you guys think it would be a better option?!

[prolfe]

If she is still rear facing and will be in the new seat then the safest and best available is the Maxi Cosi with the Cabrio fix base.

plonk in and out with no seatbelts

[arbs]

no sorry to confuse - the new seat will beforward facing

[prolfe]

Ah in that case you need something like a Britax First Class.

As for ISOFIX seats, they are very expesive and have been proven to be no safer when forward facing. So unless you change the seat in and out of the car often then just go for a normal seat. Once its in then you only have to fit the seatbelt once.

We have one for each car to save swapping around.

Hope this helps.

[Guest westallc]

recaro mate the nuts

[prolfe]

recaro mate the nuts

They look great but don't do as well as the big brands in terms of safety.

[Niall]

Sounds like a similar brief to the decision we had to make back in Nov for our now 11 month old daughter who was getting too big for her Maxi-Cosi Cabro Fix.

We went to Halfords for a poke around the various types, ideally looking for ISOFIX. In the end got the non-ISOFIX Maxi-Cosi Tobi rather than the ISOFIX Maxi Cosi Priorifix.

The main reasoning was the outfitting on the Tobi was much better, the straps are sprung so that when you undo the buckle they lift out the way, and stay out the way (especially useful when "reloading"!!) and have a simple tightening system - pull strap when buckled in, flip buckle forward when unbuckled to release so you can pull out strap.

Compared to a baby seat, not being ISOFIX is not the end of the world as you're not taking the seat out all the time to put it in a travel system, carry to the house, etc. in which case admittedly a solid base to simply click in and out makes life so much easier.

The Tobi is solid off the seatbelt when installed and easy to fit. We quite often move it from the Leon to the Octavia for the weekend and back again on Sunday evening and it doesn't take any longer than when I used to swap the Easyfix base between cars.

If you're desperate for ISOFIX I see that Maxi-Cosi now do the Pearl (released in 2010 godamnit!) which looks very much like Tobi fittings in a seat for the "Familyfix" Base which also works with a Cabrio Fix baby seat, probably worth bearing in mind if you're starting out with a wee one now, but given that the seat is £135 from Kiddicare and you still need to buy base it's pretty pricey (£279 for both if buying at the same time!) All the more annoying when it doesn't look like the Pearl will fit the preceding Easyfix base that we have, which in itself wasn't cheap! (not that the Pearl was available when we were looking......)

So a seatbelt based seat it was!

Went down a treat though!

Niall

[Jonny5ive]

Another vote for

Maxi-Cosi Tobi

Got one of these for Jonny5ive jr. Really comfortable, reclines for sleeping, easliy adjustable, very sturdy fitting, and has a handy coloured tab to indicate when the belts are pulled tight enough.

My advice would be to go along to Halfords and Mothercare ask for their advice and talk to them about fitting, ease of use, etc let them demonstrate it all to you. Pick the one you like and then fid the cheapest place on the net to buy one!!

Dammit Niall. Beat me to it!!

Edited 17 February, 2010 by Jonny5ive

[Vanguard]

Another vote for maxi-cosi, but this time the axiss. It swivels 90 degrees so you can 'load' and 'unload' with the nipper facing you. Our daughter was also a small 14 months when we put her in it but is adjusts well to suit. Only downside is that the straps are not as clever as the tobi. But it is great if you have a bad back or are short of room between the back and front seats.

[Wet Kipper]

For just a size 1 (age 1-4) the Which? favourite is the Kiddy InfinityPro which is non-Isofix

top iso-fix one is the priorifix which has been mentioned already.

They say "don't buy" to quite a few well known names, like the Britax multi-tech and the Mamas & papas pro tour

[partyboy1101]

recaro mate the nuts

I agree all day every day, both of my babies are in Recaro Young Sport's and the seats are fabulous quality and hold them so wonderfly snuggly. Still using them and the kids are 5 and 3 now.

[Captain Scarlet]

Our little one has been in his Recaro young sport for a good while now and has loved it ever since he first sat in it. Used to fall asleep within miles, but less so now he's a bit older....and nosier. Looks super comfy and well made.

Here he is, enjoying the ride I think.

[Pickings01]

Britax Duo Plus ISOFIX Car Seat - We bought this and has withstood everything. Easy to fit and remove.

Can't go wrong

[paperbo1]

The Recaro is excellent. The reason it did not do so well in the safety test is because they only used it with the belts not the "bumper" that you can get to go with it that makes it incredibly safe. The seat itself is very robust and will last as long as your kid(s) need to be in a seat. My wife has the kids in the car more than me so has 2 Recaros. I got an end of the line Maxi Cosi for a good price for our youngest and a BMW isofix seat for our 4 year old.

We reckoned it was better for us both to have seats to save the hassle of taking them in and out when dropping off at nursery etc. Although the Recaro comes out fairly easily.

I highly recommend going to a specialist independent - you might be able to save a few quid on the internet but they have the knowledge and will make sure it's fitted correctly.

[VRSyme]

Maxi cosi Priori XP all the way I had this for my son and it was great even to the point where he broke his heart when we told him he could no longer fit in it. He still gets upset when we use it for my wifes childminding business and he is also in the car.

[Captain Scarlet]

Yeah have some advice from a specialist, making sure it fits the seat it will be mounted on properly. I'm happy with how the Recaro fits, and is easy to take in and out, when belted in it barely moves, and needs a good bit of force to move it at all. If that makes sense.

[Guest westallc]

i have a recaro seat in mine black and white baby loves it falls asleep really fast lol

its easy to clean easy to work quick removal solid build and the materials and seat base are soft unlike alot.

and as i had recaro black leather lol

but remeber the most expensive dont mean its the best

[rob_e]

We've got a Maxicosi Priorifix isofix. Excellent piece of kit, in fact we ended up buying another for the other car.. these did very well in the test (can't quote them as SWMBO did the research) much cheaper than recaro and better test results.

[veedub210]

Whilst we are talking about baby car seats I have a question. Is it possible to put a non-ISOFIX car seat in the middle seat? I rather loose that space there than the windows seats which can be occupied by full size adults.

Our little one spends most of the time in the wife's Corsa which has an ISOFIX seat in the back. But we have second non-ISOFIX which is currently in my Astra which she sits maybe once a week. Any thoughts?

[foo]

We have one of these for Jnr. He is 10 Months and loves it.

I know you said it would be 'front facing' but there are rear facing options that can take you to 4 years.

It can always be mounted front facing (but without the ISOfix) if needs be. It does leave the front passenger seat a little too forward for me to stomach long journeys (lanky 6ft) but is fine for the missus.

I also put one of these on the seat so once he can walk and get his feet mucky the alcantara wont suffer.

If we could fit the same set into the wife's car we would have two of them.

[skomaz]

And yet another vote for Maxi-Cosi here. We're working our way through the lot - Cabrio (belt fixing) x 1, Priory XP x 1 (belt fixing again) and Rodi XR x 2. We also have a Britax Elite but that was because it was the only thng I could find to fit the MX5.

The Maxi Cosi's seem far better made than other seats we've looked at (no sharp edges for example and, as mentioned above hooks or mechanisms to hold the belst out of the way whilst "loading". They are also very solid once in regardless of the fact that they only use the seatbelt. The also have the added bonus that they fit both our Octavia and Fabia and the Cabrio and Rodi also fit the MX5!

[skomaz]

Whilst we are talking about baby car seats I have a question. Is it possible to put a non-ISOFIX car seat in the middle seat? I rather loose that space there than the windows seats which can be occupied by full size adults.

Our little one spends most of the time in the wife's Corsa which has an ISOFIX seat in the back. But we have second non-ISOFIX which is currently in my Astra which she sits maybe once a week. Any thoughts?

Depends - if it's a three point belt then yes potentially provided it fits OK. I have done it in the past for short journeys and with my parent-in-law's Civic and Laguna but we always found that the shape of the middle seat meant they needed some additional support underneath from something and were never as solid as in the outer position.

[Bogwoppit]

We have one of these for Jnr. He is 10 Months and loves it.

I know you said it would be 'front facing' but there are rear facing options that can take you to 4 years.

It can always be mounted front facing (but without the ISOfix) if needs be. It does leave the front passenger seat a little too forward for me to stomach long journeys (lanky 6ft) but is fine for the missus.

I also put one of these on the seat so once he can walk and get his feet mucky the alcantara wont suffer.

If we could fit the same set into the wife's car we would have two of them.

Foo,

I am looking at this same seat at the moment for our next seat as they are supposed to be 4 times safer than forward facing, my daughter is 8 months old so it won't be long before she gets to big for her Britax baby safe SHR. The seat will hopefully fit in our other car, a Mk2 Focus, just need to get round to trying one to see if it fits without the passengers legs being in the glovebox.

How do you get on with the seat? What car does the wife have that it won't fit in?

[sheepmonkey]

We have two seats that we have swapped in an out which are the Maxi Cosi Priory XP and the Britax Duo XP. I have to say that I hate the Maxi Cosi for a number of little reasons

1. The straps always seem to twist and get stuck.

2. when trying to tighten one day it wouldn't budge. then had to get child and seat out of the car to get inside the seat finding the piece of metal that joins the two shoulder straps together had got caught on a piece of plastic inside.

Fits fine but would buy again.

The Britax - no problem at all. Has been wee'd on and the cover came off so easily, washed and dryed within a few hours. Its made from a material that has lots of holes in so seems to dry quickly.

We have borrowed the Maxi Cosi Toby before and although it straps in very tightly it does seem to be a lot higher because of the base. Need to be careful as you have to do an exagerated down, up, down movement. Its really not a big issue but remember that you are doing this several times a day and after a year an a half there are easier options.

[foo]

Foo,

I am looking at this same seat at the moment for our next seat as they are supposed to be 4 times safer than forward facing, my daughter is 8 months old so it won't be long before she gets to big for her Britax baby safe SHR. The seat will hopefully fit in our other car, a Mk2 Focus, just need to get round to trying one to see if it fits without the passengers legs being in the glovebox.

How do you get on with the seat? What car does the wife have that it won't fit in?

The wife has a Mini Clubman. By the time the seat is in the back, the suicide door leaves an aperture about the size of a pint pot to squeeze the baby through.

TBH anything with 2 passenger doors would be hopeless. anything with 4 passenger doors should be fine (front legroom aside), we are looking to change her car since even a forward facer in the rear would be quite awkward.

I would imagine it would fit into a focus, we have the seat fully reclined still, as it gets more upright it liberates maybe another inch of front legroom.

The seat is beautifully made and incredibly secure once fitted, it braces against the seat back and the rear foortwell, no front tethers are required. It is a lump to fit or move, but that does not happen very often. It elevates Jnr enough to be able to see out the window.

One thing I like is that the shoulder pads are 'captive' so they always stay where they should be, the one thing I think could be improved would be some clips to keep the belts aside while Jnr is lifted in - but that is a small complaint really.

If you are anywhere near Bath you are welcome to come and have a look and try.