Child car seat.

[darren9]

My little on is now 9 months old and we're looking to change his seat for a forward facing one which will grow with him. Does anyone have any recommendations for seats which will either match or go well with a mk2 octy vrs interior?

[Captain Scarlet]

Got a Recaro young sport seat for our son and they do a black and white coloured one although swmbo insisted on the petrol blue one lol. he loved it from day one. My parents went with a britax one, but try and few and see thst the fit against the seat nicely to reduce any chance of it sliding in the car.

[Nick P]

Another vote for Recaro. I noticed last weekend they were knocking out Young Experts for £70 (and Young Profi Plus for £60) at the Sheffield Mothercare next to Staples. I picked up two isofix bases for £42 a piece.

I tried a few brands and found the Recaros to be the most compact seats, front to back, which is useful when you're a 6'7" driver with hard backed Recaro front seats.

[Nick P]

Another tip if you want a Recaro seat, but fancy different colours is to take a look at German retailers.

I bought various bits from http://www.bambinokids.de/ and the shipping was reasonable. In Germany they sell the full range of Recaro colours but also sell the Recaro models under the Storchenmühle (aka STM) in totally different colours and fabrics.

[Samwise]

I've got a britax evolva 1-2-3 + car seat. Goes from 9 months up to 11/12yrs. There are a number of different colours/styles. Varying prices on t'internet.

[Guest]

Your first priority needs to be getting one that's approved and tested for your car.

[Chronicbint]

Ideally they should be in a rear facing seat until about 3 or 4 years old as its much safer but in this country you just cant get the seats.

Had a recaro youngsport(although they do poorly in Which reviews), got stolen, bought a Britax.

[KBPhoto]

We have a Bebe Confot one which works from about 9 months to about 4 years. It reclines, can be forward or backward facing, has double shoulder straps, the sides can be adjusted for width (useful in winter when wearing extra clothes) and fits in an Octavia estate very easily (front seat backwards or back seat forwards). Very similar to this one.

It is used but in good condition and free to you if you collect it from near Bromyard, Herefordshire.

It is black and dark blue which works well with the Octavia interior, but is not the best colour match out there.

PM me if interested.

[tuono01]

We have a Kiddi guardian pro, which my little girl loves. No five point harness, but a shaped middle section that the seat belt goes round. Also it will grow with her, as it can be used until she's about 12, depending on her size by that point.

Came back off holiday recently, where we hired a car for a week and had to use there car seat(5 point harness), when we got home asked her which seat she prefered and it was her own.

It can be a bit fiddly to start with, but once you get used to it it's a doddle. Plus it's light enough and easy enough to swap between cars, as we have done with the grand parents and friends cars.

[Inego]

You might want to check out the ADAC child seat tests here . Some small amount of German required, but should be OK. The UK Britax seats are branded Rohmer in Europe (Safe-n-sound here in Australia).

Agree rear facing is the safest, particularly up to 12 months, and the Scandinavians have options to keep kids rear facing into primary school.

[chr1staylor]

Maxicosi Priori here for our nearly-3 yr old, black + grey, matches interior nicely and very good seat.

[octimark]

Maxi-cosi Axiss is the main seat we use but I also have a cheaper Britax seat that I transfer between my car and the van.

http://www.maxicosiaxiss.co.uk/ Its a group 1 seat = 9-18kg or 9 months-3.5 years.

The best thing about the Axiss is that its very very secure when strapped in place (its not isofix). Much more secure then any other seats ive used and even better than the rear facing newborn isofix seat we first had.

The other advantage of the axiss is that it swivels to allow easier access. Fantastic when the kids start getting taller and heavier.

We went for the black one and it fits in perfectly with the interior.

[_Kenny_]

Maxicosi Priori here for our nearly-3 yr old, black + grey, matches interior nicely and very good seat.

Another Maxi Cosi Priori here

[hertsnminds]

Whichever seat you go for make sure there is enough adjustment for the seatbelt guide. One of the main reasons that children need a booster is so the seatbelt goes across their body at the right angle (without choking them).

[rob_e]

We had maxi-cosi prioriFIX (ie the ISOFIX version) for both of ours up to about 3yrs old. Its pretty bulky but a great seat, and relines too for in-car napping.

Both of them now have BRITAX KidFIX, again ISOFIX.

Both excellent seats.

HTH.

[rob_e]

Just to add - SWMBO chose both of those ^ based on ONLY the safety reviews. Colour and price were not a consideration, so it was just a nice coincidence that the black /silver matches the vRS interior.

[rob_e]

Me to, infact we have 2 one for each car

ha ha.. 4 here - two in each car.

[Davidsr20]

Just to add - SWMBO chose both of those ^ based on ONLY the safety reviews. Colour and price were not a consideration, so it was just a nice coincidence that the black /silver matches the vRS interior.

What the heck does swmbo mean?

[octimark]

SWMBO - She Who Must Be Obeyed

AKA the wife/Mrs/Girlfriend

[RainbowFire]

What the heck does swmbo mean?

S he

W ho

M ust

B e

O beyed

[chr1staylor]

Just to add - SWMBO chose both of those ^ based on ONLY the safety reviews. Colour and price were not a consideration, so it was just a nice coincidence that the black /silver matches the vRS interior.

Er yes, just for the avoidance of doubt ours was chosen in that order of priority also!

[London Les]

I went for Britax Duo Plus (toddler) and Britax Kidfix (4yrs plus) - I would recommend both - seem to fit well with the Octavia Isofix mounting, good comfort and safety ratings. Also a range of colours!

[rick_j]

maxi-cosi priori

We have two, one for my VRS and one in my wife's Impreza. Good quality and reasonably priced, and they match the interiors nicely! !

[doll]

We bought the Recaro Young Expert Plus with ISOFIX.

It's a big seat with all of the ISOFIX attachment, but solid and fits the Octavia fine.

Because it sits quite high, I had to remove the headrest though.

We just bought 2 bases and swap it between the 2 cars.

It was quite expensive by seat standards, especially when you have to factor in the base as well - but they are top quality seats with full side impace protection.

It does recline and you can use it with a seat belt in cars that you cannot use the ISOFIX base in (the back unclips from the seat to run a belt behind).

Matches the vRS interior in silver and black.

[catzi]

We've got a MaxiCosi Pearl on the ISOFix base. We also had to remove the head rest to fit the seat in comfortably. The Pearl also reclines, which is quite nice for longer journeys but our little one also likes sitting up so he can see out the window.

The only negative I have is that with the ISOFix base the seat is quite high which make getting out little boy out of the door a little awkward - we kind of have to lift him up then duck him under the door opening. This is one of the reasons we're moving to an estate - the rear doors are full height all the way along which should make accessing the child seat a bit easier.

We also have a Britax 'belted only' seat in our second vehicle which is truly a pain to install in comparison to the ISOFix base (unfortunately the second car doesn't have ISOFix).