Which child seat?

FlamencoAssassin

FlamencoAssassin

Well-known user
Sep 9, 2004
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Cambridgeshire
Our little Theo has almost grown out of his group 0 seat so the time has come to choose a group 1 seat (1 to 4 years).
Already been to Kiddicare and tried a few out. Unfortunately the bloke who served us was not very helpful, said we won't find a seat to fit before attempting to try any, he even suggested we change our car!
We tried a couple of Recaros, Maxi Cosy Tobi which all moved around too much and didn't make good contact with the seat base or the buckle fouled the seat. The best we tried was a Britax 'Evolva 1-2-3 Plus' * but it still wasn't perfect.

* EDIT - originally typed the wrong name of Eclipse not Evolva - sorry.

I have done a search and found that Dar recommends an ASDA Nania seat but which model as they all seem to be called Nania?
Bobster also suggested moulding a flat seat base out of expanding foam so most seats will fit. After my Kiddicare experience I'm tempted.

Anyway, can anyone give a recommendation of a seat that fits well?
 
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Quicksilver said:
Manos, I think Mothercare and Halfords both offer a service where they will take the seats out to the car and let you try them for fit. Britax have a Fit Finder to match particular seats with particular cars:
http://fitfinder.britax.co.uk/
Click to expand...
So do Kiddicare but their service fell a long way short. Unfortunately the mothercares and halfords near us don't have a big range of seats so that's why we went to kiddicare. Already checked the Britax site, that's how I knew which seat (evolva) to ask Kiddicare to try out.
 
Toys R Us will also take seats out to try ;)

I struggled like hell searching for a group 1. Luckily I bought the wagon around the time I needed one making it easy. I'd go the cushion route. I'm sure I read somewhere once that Ford made one??

In any case, unless you can get an expandable base unit with a snap in seat, you'll struggle.
 
We went to Mothercare and they checked their system. Said the only one they had was the Britax Eclipse but according to the Britax site it would have to be fitted in the front with airbag deactivated! We have a Britax one in the back now but not sure they model tbh
 
Manos, does this seat need to fit the Cougar?

If so, these are good. It's about the only thing that fits the Cerbera's bucket seats, and the impact cushions have tested well for protecting children in crashes too - spreading the deceleration loads across a larger area than traditional belts.





Penny was almost exactly 1 year old when this was taken.
 
Sorry should have said what they actually were - duh.

Jane Montecarlo R1 with Xtend impact cushions. They weren't even all that expensive - although we had little choice as the Cerbera back seats are a fair bit smaller than the comparatively generous Cougar rear seats.
 
Chrisd346 said:
We went to Mothercare and they checked their system. Said the only one they had was the Britax Eclipse but according to the Britax site it would have to be fitted in the front with airbag deactivated! We have a Britax one in the back now but not sure they model tbh
Click to expand...
Sorry, I got the Britax names mixed up. Indeed the Eclipse is listed for the Cougar front seat (the air bag warning being a generic one - not to be used with rear facing seat which this is not). The one listed for the rear which we tried and was a fairly good fit is the Evolva 1-2-3 plus. Is that the one you have Chris?
Here's a link. BTW the zebra print is not the only fabric available.
http://www.britax.co.uk/car-seats/car-seats/evolva-1-2-3-plus


jamie_duff said:
Manos, does this seat need to fit the Cougar?
Click to expand...

It does, plus the Mondeo. But most seats should fit the Mondie.

Thanks for the info Jamie. Are those not a bit awkward to use in such a small rear cabin?
The main problem with the Cougar seats is the deep dip on the seat base, do the Cerbera seats have a similar dip or are they fairly flat? Do you have a pic of an empty rear seat? (maybe I shall google for one).


Good luck with the impending arrival Gav.
We too changed one of our cars but my Cougar is staying and Theo will continue to travel in it after he's grown out of his group 0 seat.(y)
 
I didn't mention that I need to sort this fairly quickly due to working away again for 2 months (leaving on Sunday).

So all you proud fathers, any more recommended Cougar friendly child seats?


Thanks in advance.
 
They look like this:

DSCN0590.jpg


There's an example of the original TVR child seat shown in the NS side. Those, a discontinued Recaro Start and the Jane Montecarlo R1s are the only seats that fit this car. Personally I'm not a fan of second hand childseats unless I know who I'm getting it from so we went for the Montecarlos.

They're a little awkward in this car, but that's mostly because my front seats are the wrong way round and I haven't swapped them yet (i.e. spring loaded levers to tilt seat back are on the inboard side, not outboard where you need them). It's offset by the rear belts being backwards - fixed anchor and inertia reel inboard with buckle on the outboard. This makes it a little easier. It's not a problem with the seat, but the car being tiny.

We do use these seats in the saloon cars too and they are fine. They're easier to swap around than the Evolvas - being literally just a case of lifting it out and plonking it in the other car. The Evolvas are a little more convenient semi-permanently strapped in to the main car though.
 
Well, I had to get a seat quickly due to going away for 2 months. In the end I bought a Recaro Young Expert. This was primarily for the Mondeo which had already been for a trial fit. I was quite prepared to later get a different seat for the cat after my travels but I tried it when we got it home and it seems to be as sturdy a fit as in the Mondeo. You do have to push it firmy down while tightening the belt but otherwise it's secure.

8edemymu.jpg


yguvu9an.jpg
 
I've just upgraded from Roemer seats to a booster for Katy, who's three next month. No probs with the Roemer - very well designed and solidly built, though I did use a seperate ratchet seatbelt tensioner to keep it snug. My wife's car has iso-fix points, so the child-seat in her car was secured that way. The only issue was the size of it, which meant my wife had to sit with the passenger seat further forward than was comfortable. It didn't fit behind mine unless Katy rested her feet on the headrest...lol
The booster seat takes up much less space with Katy sitting further back and so the passenger seat can be returned to it's normal position and she can stretch her legs out again for short trips, or I can slide Katy to the seat behind me for longer journeys where my wife can access her more easily for drinks and snacks, which was difficult previously.
In both cases, I use a fleece blanket underneath and behind to fill the bucket seat and protect the leather.
 
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