Car Seat Buying Guide

Recently we have had to purchase a new car seat.

Blake outgrew his Silvercross 0+ car seat which I am surprised that he lasted up to

13 months in. After some research online we knew we wanted to go with one of two brands

Britax or Joie. 

We had looked into go refacing for longer originally however when it comes to car seats I am a novice to be honest.  One thing I knew we had to do was get a car seat fitted as 

I didn't want to get a car seat for Blake that didn't fit the cars we needed it to go in properly. 

So we went to our local In car safety center this was after a recommendation from

one of my mummy friends who got her son's new car seat from there.  

When we arrived the lady who was helping us was very helpful and

we looked a quite a few car seats before deciding on the one that we went for. 

One of the ones that we were interested in which was a Joie wasn't suitable for the car 

as it kept slipping. Blake also hated it and he just didn't look comfortable. 

After a discussion with Stuart we both agreed that we wanted to try out the Britax Duo Plus forward facing seat.

Before I go into talking about the car seat we purchased  I recently came across the

Good Egg buying guide to help you feel safe when making such an important purchase. 

The six points are : 

1. Is the car seat right for my child?

2. Will it fit my car?

3. Is the seat of the correct standard?

4. Are fitting instructions easily understandable

5. Is it a problem if my car has a passenger seat air bag

6. Which make should I buy? 

Now onto the car seat we purchased. 

The Britax DUO PLUS is ideal for our needs and Blake is happy and comfortable in it.

It is a stage 1 car seat which last from approx 9 months to 4 years 9lkg-18kg.

The DUO PLUS combines installation flexibility with a unique innovation from Britax. Compatible with ISOFIX or 3-point seat belt installation the seat caters to any car. While its pioneering Pivot Link System ensures reduced frontal movement in the event of an accident.

Highlights of the car seat: 

1. Comfort without compromise - deep, padded side wings, multi-position recline

2. Perfect fit - height-adjustable headrest and harness with easy single-handed adjustment

3. Lightweight – easy to transfer between cars

4.Practicality in mind - removable, padded cover

5. Easy access - harness retainers

We like that this car seat is suitable to be used with ISOFIX and also with a seat belt as we need

it to fit in 2 cars one which has ISOFIX and one that doesn't. 

There are also 6 rules of safety when it comes to car seats to follow. 

1. avoid buckle crunch

2. be aware of correct harness height

3. seat belt routing must be correct

4. avoid twisted harnesses

5. avoid bulky clothes

6. remove interfering head rests

I hope this guide has been helpful as I know i needed something like this and 

now know a bit more for future car seat purchases.