Can anyone recommend a good baby seat? Expecting our first baby this year, one of the reasons for upsizing from my old Ibiza to a more family-friendly sized VRS.

I've seen this one on the Skoda Accessories site. Anyone have that/any comments on it?

Or any other recommendations/tips based on your experiences?

A bit overwhelming knowing what to go for/what is a good price etc, so any help much appreciated.

britax, recaro etc etc all good best thing to do is go to your loca lothercare world and trail fit them all and see which one you like

they all offer very good safety these days

Price seems to be in the right ball park for a decent seat. My ex and I (yes, you read that right, my ex and I) are getting ones from Mamas and Papas as she's ordered one of their travel systems for the bump that's due to arrive next month.

I can't see who makes the Skoda one from that picture, but I hope they switched the passenger airbag off

Had a Britax one for my daughter (who's now 12) and was very happy with it, would assume they're still a good brand

I would recommend Maxicosi. There ISOFix seat fitts very well into my VRS. I would also recommend getting one of the rubber seat protectors you can get in Mothercare for around £20. I have used one under all the car seats I have owned for the last 4 years and not one mark/impression on any of my seats.

Got mine in Mamas & Papas, it's Italian made (not maxicosi or britax) together with ISOFIX base, each cost around 130 quid, for 0+ size. Fits nicely in wifes Auris.

Argh baby seats over here are mostly made in Australia where they ignore ISOFIX and expect you to drill a hole in your boot floor for a bolt and washer - WTF!

ISOFIX seats start at over $500 (220 quid)

Argh baby seats over here are mostly made in Australia where they ignore ISOFIX and expect you to drill a hole in your boot floor for a bolt and washer - WTF!

It's more than dumb that Australia continues to exclude ISOFIX from its standards - the Standards authority's argument seems to be "not all cars have ISOFIX, so noone should use ISOFIX" (seats which do not meet the published standard are illegal across Australia). The fact that no Australian manufactured vehicle has it has no influence on this decision, I'm sure. It is also argued that there is no difference in safety between a correctly fitted ISOFIX seat and it's non ISOFIX equivalent - ignoring that ISOFIX is significantly more likely to be correctly fitted...

Re. the bolt, it must be different with an '04. My FL Scout has the fixing points on the back of the rear seat?

That said, our vehicle licensing authorities undertake independent testing of child restraints, with the latest results here. Britax is marketed as Safe-n-Sound in Australia - you may be able to work out UK equivalents for the others.

Edited 15 April, 201016 yr by Inego

Oo that's a useful PDF, thanks

Would recomend Britax og MaxiCosi like others here.

But you shold check for Isofix. norwegian tests show that they are the better ones (of course some because of easy installation).

This is an pdf over all tested new-born seats by norwegian cunsumer org.

http://forbrukerportalen.no/filearchive/Babystoler%20v2.pdf

You could consider a travel system - the seat is a combined infant seat/carrier and can be put in and lifted out without removing the baby from the seat - very useful when they are asleep!

We used a Silver Cross 3D travel system that includes the Ventura Plus seat. This worked very well and did for the first five months or so before he moved into a forward facing seat. Now in the attic (the seat, not the boy!) but about to be brought out again for no.2 due in a few months! It's a matter of finding one that fits securely - you need to try them in the car, Mothercare etc do test fits - if you need it fit in more than one car, it needs to fit both.

Ease of cover removal for washing is also something to consider........

Isofix adds a lot to the cost.

I can recommend the Maxicosi Cabriofix - we've got the non-ISOFIX model and it fits perfectly in the rear of our Octavia (and our VW Bora too, although less clearance in that), nice and easy to install with the seatbelt too. About £125, although Mothercare do have specials (esp on odd colours) and we got ours for £95 in the sale. If you want to go ISOFIX, it's another £85 for the base. ISOFIX makes correct installation easier, however it doesn't offer any safety advantages over a properly installed non-ISOFIX seat.

Major advantage of the Maxicosi is that you have lots of options for compatible pram systems - Mothercare, Quinny etc all allow you to plonk the seat straight onto the pram base. We opted for the Mothercare 3 in 1 system and have been very happy with it.

We're just starting to look at group 1 seats and plan to go for a rear facing one, which are bloody hard to find in the UK. Made by UK manufacturers and aknowledged as being safer, but they don't sell them here, only in Skandinavia, madness!

http://www.rearfacing.co.uk/facts.php

Edited 15 April, 201016 yr by Gadget_

Thanks all, plenty of helpful comments there and food for thought

Our Octavia arrived 2 days after our first born (well actually the Octavia arrived first but Mum-to-be thought I should be with her rather than at a Skoda dealer - must of been her hormones.....). Like Gadget_:, I can recommend the Maxicosi Cabriofix (with ISOFIX in our case), which fits no bother at all and also drops straight on to our Quinny. In our case we bought the Cabriofix as it was the best buy when "Which?" reviewed car seats (although Britax, Graco and Mamas & Papas also scored well).

We went for a Silvercross travel system Nice to have a baby carrier that fits on the pram chassis and in the car. Saves having to get them in and out of seats all the time. Be aware though that it is advised not to leave them in those car seats for too long, around a maximum of 2 hours, after this time they should be out for a stretch.

Maxi Cosi Cabriofix plus easyfix ISOFIX base. Expensive but worth it. Fits perfectly, no need to use seatbelt at all. A quick pull of one lever seperates the seat from the base. Generally most of the 'premium' pram manufacturers sell adaptors so that the seat unit fits straight onto their own pram base, think Bugaboo, iCandy, Bebe Confort and Maxi Cosi prams obviously too. Very good when you don't want to wake a sleeping baby, but need to get out and about !!

we have a Jane Nomad system with a Strata car seat and the Capazo Pro carrycot. Comes with clips which can then be attached to the seat belts either end, then your bubba can lie down and travel for as long as you like, whereas current guidelines say babies shouldn't be in a car seat for longer than 1 and a half hours at a time.

Have a look at the recent Which Car? mag. There is a review of all baby seat in there.

We went for a Britax Elite. About 5 years ago now and still going strong for our kids 6-4. They are non Isofix but as said if you fit them properly they are every bit as good. The best bit of advice is to go to an independent baby shop where you can get proper instruction on fitting the seat. I'd never listen to a word from some slack jawed Mothercare or Halfords employee (apologies where neccessary). We got ours from a shop where the guy demonstrating it looked lke John Major and was every bit as boring - but his advice was second to none. If fitting a seatbelt type seat then putting your whole weight into the seat with your knee and tensioning the seatbelt will give you a rock solid fastening.

HTH

Nick

Vote for Recaro here, excellent ISOFIX based system.

Maxicosi Cabrio-fix set is looking good - after having a shifty round Mothercare, we really like them. Just got to splash the cash at some point now!

Maxicosi Cabrio-fix set is looking good - after having a shifty round Mothercare, we really like them. Just got to splash the cash at some point now!

Add me to the list had maxicosi cabrio with isofix base very good system and if you get a quinny pram you can stick the seat onto the pram base. Quinny and maxicosi are same company. Then got the next size up for forward facing. I think it's called Maxicosi Tobi this is also very good. I've also got the recaro Sport in the CLK which I can't fault very well made and the head restrant things stop her head moving to much when I start getting the back end out. Just kidding, when she falls asleep it looks quite comfy.

Mother in law brought one of the £25 quid ones from Argos for her car which I promptly took down the tip as it looked about as safe and comfortable as sticking her in the boot.

0-12 months

9months - 3.5 years. Swivles so you can have it facing you when your putting them into it saves doing your back in.

I would say 9 months is a bit younge for this seat I didn't get this untill she was 2 as it's fairly upright.

ECE-Group: I - III

9 - 38 kg ( 20 - 84 lbs approx )

approx. 9 months - 12 years

Another vote for the Maxicosi. Brilliant system, like others said to, get a pram/buggy that the seat attaches too. Makes it all that bit quicker to get out and about

We used a Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix with the EasyFix base and now have a Maxi-Cosi Priorifix. We've been very happy with them and would always recommend getting an isofix seat. Maxi-Cosi have now introduced the Pebble and Pearl seats which share a common isofix base. This might work out as a cheaper solution as your baby grows.

Edited 19 April, 201016 yr by Phil Lee