Responsible For The Best Car Seat Newborn Budget? 10 Ways To Waste Your Money
The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK
Safety of your car seat is a top concern for every parent. There are a variety of options when it comes to selecting the most suitable car seat for your newborn for your child.
Featuring a cosy baby-hugg inlay and enhanced side impact protection This Cybex Cloud T is the best newborn car seat UK. It also features a single-handed recline setting and no less than 12 headrest positions that can be adjusted to the growing body of your child.
1. Cybex Cloud T
The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the premium option for taking your newborn to the road from the moment they are born until they become toddlers. It's the latest version of the legendary Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technology that lets your child a flat, comfortable position in the car, or when used with a stroller as part of the complete travel system. It is also an ISOFIX vehicle seat, meaning that it can be easily affixed to your car by using the base that comes with it. It can even be rotated to help you get your baby into and out of the seat.
The car seat is made of top-quality materials and is available in a range of fashionable colors, including Moon Black, Lava Grey and Beach Blue Plus. It's a stylish and elegant option that works seamlessly with the Cybex T range of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay, which is specifically designed for premature infants. This helps to maintain a near-flat position, reducing the chance that their heads may be able to move forward during sleep, causing breathing issues. This can be removed once your child is at least 60 cm in height.
The car seat is an excellent choice for safety, as it has scored an impressive 1.7 in crash tests by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V.). The Cloud T i-Size features LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to safeguard your baby from being thrown around the seat in the case of an accident. Also, it has the unique Flexi-Fix harness system that expands when your child grows to ensure that they will always have a safe fit.
The innovative 180deg rotation system makes it easy to get your baby in and out of the car seat when you are using it as part of a travel system that includes a Cybex stroller. There is no more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat is also able to be fully reclined for added comfort on long car journeys. It is priced at a slightly higher cost than other car seats for this age group, but the wide array of features including the reclining option and the excellent safety features make it worth the money.
2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus is one of the most popular infant car seats available. It is comfortable for infants and easy to use. It is suitable for babies from birth. It is compatible with Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix, EasyFix base, or your car seat belt system. The car seat is compatible with most pushchairs, including the Maxi-Cosi range as well as Quinny, iCandy and Bugaboo (using adapters). The Baby-Hugg infant seat is included to ensure the best fit, better laying in a more upright position, and also side impact protection.
The Pebble Plus car seat is a member of Group 0+ which means it can be used for babies as young as 12 months (45cm to 75cm). It is in line with the new iSize regulations, which require that children be rear-facing for a greater length of time. It is compatible with the 2way Family base that allows you to change between forward and rear facing on the same car and also has a handy rotating feature.
It's still a very comfy seat, but the new version has a few improvements. It has a new, improved baby-hugging inlay that is both beautiful and comfortable. The shoulder straps have been cushioned and the headrest can be adjusted to accommodate the growth of your baby. You can remove it at any time, if you don't want to use it anymore.
It's heavier than some of the other newborn carseats at 4.5kg, but that isn't a problem if your baby is in it for most of the time. It has a handle that can make it easier to carry and is light enough to lift to and from taxis or rideshare vehicles.
It's also a nice-looking seat and you can select from a wide selection of patterns and colours to fit your car. It's not the most cost-effective infant car seat, but it's still a great investment that is worth the money for your baby. It can be tricky to adjust the height and length but once you've got the hang of it, it's easy. You can adjust the straps by pulling downwards on the back panel, pressing two buttons at the same time.
3. Joie Calmi
If you're looking for a baby car seat that is user-friendly and can be used by your baby like a cot then look no further than Joie Calmi. This dual-use car seat and carrycot is certified R129. It's built tough with a tough ventilated outer shell and a plush padding to hold your baby. It has an easy 3-point harness that is reachable with a single-pull tightening device and softly padded covers. It also features lateral positioning, which helps keep your baby's face in the most secure possible position in the event of an impact.
The base of this seat is compatible with Joie Aeria and Finiti strollers, so it's easy to pop it on and off the frame. And, thanks to adjustable handle bars, it's also easy to lift even when your bundle of joy is asleep. If you're planning to create an entire travel system, the i-Base Encore adapters let you to connect Calmi with Maxi-Cosi or Britax pushchair too.
Joie has improved on the design of its previous i-Spin 360, which earned a high test score in the crash tests of Which? and a good rating from ADAC. The model we tested comes with locks to stop you from rotating the seat too quickly, ensuring that your baby remains rearward-facing as long as possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that's water resistant and offers 50+ UV protection, and has a mesh peekaboo window to let you check in without disturbing your child.
If you're shopping for a car seat online, ensure you pick a retailer that provides free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis has a great selection of infant car seats with top brands like Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross and also provides free click and collect to your nearest store (or to the nearest Sainsbury's branch if you're close to one). You can also collect Nectar points on all purchases. Argos is another good choice for a broad selection of car seats, starting at PS55. You can also avail free delivery, same-day collection at the store and free returns to any Argos or participating Sainsbury's store.
4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360
The most trusted British brand is best known for its premium prams and pushchairs but the Silver Cross Motion all-in-one car seat is making its mark on the market. Our test subject Jasper loved it, describing it "the most stylish of the bunch and also the one my daughter seemed to be most comfortable in during long journeys."
This fully-rotating R129-compliant car seat is able to carry your infant all the way to 12 years of age and was awarded the top baby toddler, child and child car seat award at the ADAC's 2022 autumn test. It was also tested above the rules to ensure your child is protected during every trip.
For rotating infant car seat , it features a removable and cosy cushioned insert made of soft bamboo fabrics that's super comfortable and breathable. It's also antibacterial. The head and body inserts as well as the support can be removed as your child gets older. You can also adjust the recline and headrest positions to accommodate.
The 'green' light that indicates when the car seat is properly installed and is now ready to use is an exclusive feature. This makes it an ideal choice for parents who might not be aware of the proper installation and fitting of car seats. It also comes with a stowable harness which can be used in either rear or forward facing position.
Another big selling point is that it's a constant fixture in the car which means you don't have to wake up your sleeping baby to take out for longer journeys. It is not compatible with travel systems such as the Britax Romer Dualfix plus iSize, or Joie iSpin 360 iSize. You will need to purchase an additional travel bag.
The drawback to permanent fixed car seats such as the Axkid One i-size is that they aren't as easy to carry around when you're required to move them between vehicles. If you decide to purchase an additional travel bag to carry your car seat, make sure it's a sturdy bag that can withstand the wear and tear that comes with frequent use. It's worth paying a bit more to get a bag that will last as long as the car seat of your child.