baby_reviews

My first impressions when I opened the box was how nice and smart the colour of the carseat was- although will probably show dirt up quite easily! I also loved how incredibly well padded the carseat was! After giving it a good prod I had no doubt that Sebastian would be more than comfortable sitting in it. I've never had a car seat with an isofix base before so was also shocked at how heavy the base was!

The instruction manual was pretty straightforward once I could decipher what each image meant and installation went smoother than I anticipated. I can not for the life of me find the isofix points in my car so installed using the seatbelts, which it said i could do, instead. I gave the base a good shake and it seemed sturdy so proceeded to grab the car seat and i absolutely LOVE how easy it was to put in! A simple click and away you go- once you strap your child in, of course!

Adjusting the straps/headrest was insanely easy once you know where to do it! I've always struggled with straps with previous carseats so usually delegate the task to my other half who has a fair bit more patience than I do!

I believe Sebastian was extremely comfortable in the car seat. I had to remove the baby insert and the extra padding because he is too big for them. He was very happy with being able to see better out of the window! I tried him reclining on both 1 and 7 and could honestly see very little difference between them. I guess maybe it is more obvious when a younger baby is sat in it as they would benefit more from the different angle?

I also had an issue with how wobbly the carseat seemed to be once clicked in! I couldn't understand why this was because the base was pretty hard to wobble before the carseat was in. It's a side to side wobble rather than it feeling completely loose. I had a quick look online and found that its a pretty common issue with isofix carseats. When driving, the carseat did jiggle slightly but then previous carseats were never completely rock solid. I think I would need to get an expert carseat fitter to take a look before I took a long journey, just to be safe!

I tried Sebastian in the rear facing position but he was unhappy with this as he barely had any leg room (he's always measured average height and weight for his age) and couldn't see as much out of the window. I've always thought that I like to keep baby rear facing for as long as possible- I've always bought travel systems and used the car seat that comes with the buggy then purchased the next size up when needed. So by aged 12months they're usually always forward facing. I'm not sure if I like the idea of keeping them rear facing after 12 months of age, though. I felt bad that Sebastian didn't have any leg room and how upset he seemed that he couldn't see out the window.

I certainly regret not getting an isofix carseat before! How simple it is to put in and go- i've wasted so much time fighting with seatbelts! I think the price for the base and carseat individually is quite breathtaking considering just how much us mums have to buy for babies/toddlers/kids so if the two items could be put together at a friendlier price then that would be ideal but then again this is suitable from birth til 4 so you're getting a wondeful, long term product for your money! I would definitely recommend this to everyone looking at carseats. I've really enjoyed testing the car seat out and Sebastian has too!

And some pictures of Sebastian in the car seat!

I've since picked up a pair of Diono Radian R100's. They are very much a pain to get a tight fit. First time I tried, I could not for the life of me get it tight. Next day, I wasn't satisfied, so I redid the install (this is LATCH BTW). Had one foot on the seat, one foot on the ground, and just gave her. Pulling as hard as I possibly could, it finally gave in and tightened. It's now as tight, if not tighter than my Britax'es. Definitely wasn't easy. Uninstalling it might also be another issue as well.

I might add, if you're using a seat belt, be prepared to twist the belt at the buckle a few times to get it tight.

A downside to rear facing (I have one front and rear): this seat takes up a TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ROOM when rear facing. I've got my front passenger seat all the way to the front just to accommodate the seat; that seat is now useless. This was NOT a problem with my Britax Roundabout . Lucky for me, this works out as I don't usually have a front passenger anyway, and my dog sits in the rear footwell. But be prepared and I would honestly give it a try at the store before trying. It's just crazy how much room the seat takes. On the bright side, because of this, my 2 year old toddler now has MUCH more leg room than she did with the Britax.

One other complaint about the seats: they rattle, likely due to the way they're built. It is an annoyance but whatever. I also couldn't believe how heavy they are!!!

As indicated previously, the federal requirements dictate a standard spacing of anchors. In many vehicles, "borrowing" the innermost anchors to use in the center would result in a non-standard spacing. It's possible that some auto makers simply state not to do this, just so they don't have to test it that way. Or, perhaps they are concerned that people would be more likely to attach two adjacent carseats to the same anchor. Or maybe they actually tested it and found a problem? Unless Toyota is forthcoming, which is unlikely, you could essentially be playing roulette with your child. Most likely, it would work fine, but is even a small chance worth the risk when you could simply use a seatbelt for a secure installation instead, as zhenya and delrey suggested?

Starting in 2014, the NHTSA is moving away from the LATCH system anyway, in part because many automakers have refused to make the anchors strong enough to allow their use with heavier children and carseats. Every carseat that meets 2014 updated federal standards will now include a label with a maximum weight limit for use with the LATCH system. This limit will essentially be 65 pounds, less the weight of the carseat itself. This won't affect many seats when used rear-facing, with the exception of some very heavy models like the Graco SmartSeat. It will affect most forward-facing models, however, like the one mentioned in the original post. The quick summary is that if your child is over 2 years old and ready to be forward-facing, you might as well just get used to installing their carseat with the seatbelt system anyway.

Even for now, you may well decide you prefer your infant carseat in an outboard seating position. While some older studies did indicate a lower risk in the center seat, the reality is that children who are riding in correctly installed and used rear-facing child restraints are extremely safe in any appropriate rear seating position. Most notably, rear-facing seats have been shown to provide exceptional protection in side impacts. In addition, since the studies on center vs. side locations were conducted many years ago, side impact protection on both vehicles and carseats has improved considerably.

I would have no problem placing a rear-facing child in an outboard seating position. This can offer much easier loading and unloading of an infant carrier. Plus, many moms and dads like that they can see the infant better at a stop, particularly if no one else is riding along in back to monitor a tiny infant. This can be important for newborns, especially low birth weight infants that may have breathing issues. In the event that the carseat was installed too upright and causes the baby's head to flop forward, it could lead to a breathing obstruction if it is not observed. The downside is that installation in the outboard seat can take up legroom from the front seat passenger if a tall occupant regularly rides there. Especially in a compact car like Prius!

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