Choosing Your Car Seat

Choosing your first car seat can be a confusing time for anyone.  Our staff at Bumps n Babies are fully trained in all aspects of car seat fitting and installation and are on hand to help with any queries you may have.

Here are a few tips which may help making this important safety choice a bit easier

What is I Size?

i-Size is part of the latest child car seat regulation ECE R129.

Phase 1, is for children up to 105cm (I Size car seats will be determined by a childs length as opposed to their weight as is the current standard) and includes an integral restraint, such as a five-point harness launched in 2013.

I Size car seats will have to fitted with a compatible Isofix Base to comply.

This regulation is running alongside the current child car seat regulation ECE R44.04 which is an older yet still valid car seat safety regulation.

 

Tips for choosing your car seat

1. Always choose an age appropriate car seat.

A Group 0+ will go from birth to approx 12 months or 75cm and can be carried.

A Group 0+/1 will go from birth to approx 4 years and remain in the car permanently

    2. Would you like the car seat to attach to your pram chassis?

Many brands offer a choice of either their own brand car seat or adaptors which will accept many different brands.

   3. We recommend purchasing a car seat which can be fitted onto a base in the car….heres why.

The bases offer many advantages, ease of fitting into the car with a “click and go” system,  safety indicators (lights and noise) will tell you if the base and seat are fitted correctly and also the option with some bases to go on to take the next stage car seat giving you more use from this item.

   4. Lie flat or not……

To be honest the lie flat option is a little bit gimmicky. There are many car seats on the market which offer a reclined position which can be used when in the car also, but this position is not enough to replace the lay flat position of a carrycot. They do give you the option to place your newborn in a better position when using the car seat.
The total lay flat car seats cannot be reclined when in use in the car as this gives way for the baby to shoot out in the case of an emergency stop or impact. You can pay a lot more money for a total lie flat when in reality 99% of parents purchase a carrycot for use, so this feature can be wasted as opposed to the recline position on other seats which can be used to enhance the babys position during the car journey.

  5.Weigh it up….

The weight of a car seat can influence a parent greatly….don’t let this be the case. The car seat is a safety item and needs to be able to do the job it is designed for. Would you want to be in a flimsy lightweight safety seat? 

The Coral from Maxi Cosi is an absolutely amazing option for those who really want the convenience of a car seat to attach to the chassis but not the heavy lugging of this every day…..thanks to the split design. The Coral by Maxi Cosi offers a superior I Size seat with an inlay which can be easily unclicked and carried out of the car with the baby in.

Our recommended car seats

These are the seats we love!

1 – Maxi Cosi Tinca – this is the long awaited upgraded seat to replace the cabrio….its gorgeous…its I Size and its the same price as the Cabrio. An absolutely fantastic I Size entry Car Seat with all the safety aspects you expect from the leading Car Seat manufacturer!  This seat rolls in at £139 before any site discounts or offers are applied.

2 – has to be the Coral by Maxi Cosi. the removable insert is absolute genius! I used to struggle carrying a baby in a car seat…..its no easy task! But with this just unclip the insert and carry baby in with ease. Plus all the other amazing features this I Size top of the range car seat has to offer!  At £239 its a no brainer for your new baby and you!

3 – Nuna Pipa Arra – this is a reclining I Size seat which comes with the base included for an amazing price of £350 before any site discounts or offers.

4 – Silver Cross Dream I Size is  an absolutely luxurious car seat if you are choosing the Silver Cross pram system….it wont fit any other brand sadly because it really is the bees knees £195

5 – Maxi Cosi Marble – this is anew seat to the family and is going to be very popular….the first to recline as a Group 0+ from this company. Thisseat has been years in the making due to getting the exact level of superior safety Maxi Cosi demand as a company.  

We will be writing about bases and next stage car seats shortly

If you need any advice on the purchase or fitting of your seat

please do not hesitate to contact us on 01656 725429

 

Thank you for reading

Amanda x