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Car seats and bases

I know I’ve asked about this before but I can’t find my thread. I think my questions are slightly different now anyway.

So we have our pushchair, we went with the Quinny Buzz. This means I would like to stick with maxi cosi for the first seat (Pebble or cabriofix, is there much difference?).

Originally we were thinking of getting the family fix base as my mum wants her own base too, and we were thinking it would save some money, but after what I was told in the last thread about being rear facing for longer I have looked into it and now quite worried as the baby will need to move into the 2nd seat long before the recommended rear facing period (and in the pearl they have to be forward facing). 

So, my questions this time are if we buy a newborn seat and base, say the pebble and the easybase2, what happens when we need the next size seat?

Will we have to buy another seat and base or are there seats that are safe without being isofix? Can you get isofix rear facing once the baby is out of the first stage seat?

Sorry for all the questions but I find the whole thing very overwhelming!

Cost is a factor to be honest, so is going with maxi cosi for the first stage going to cost us more overall? 

Thanks. 

Replies

  • I don't know the answer but am following because we have easybase and pebble from 1st time around ..... But switched to forward facing seat at 9ish months as didn't know any different at the time ....

  • www.maxi-cosi.com/.../2wayfix.aspx

    Is this the answer? Can I stick to my original plan and swop the familyfix for this one?

  • The minimum recommended age for rear facing is 15 months now I believe. We had the family fix base and cabrio fix car seat and kept Isla in it til she was 14 months. She was 50th percentile and we could have kept her in it a bit longer. We then moved to the pearl. Lots of people think they need to move their child when their legs start to touch the seat in front when in fact they don't you only have to move them to the next stage when they either reach maximum weight limit or their heads extend over the top of the seat

  • Just looked at this link OB it looks good. It must be new to the market didn't look at the price. I bet the original pearl doesn't fit on it though. Otherwise I might have thought about this base for number 2

  • John Lewis has it at £175 available from the end of October. Not sure about the original pearl MrsB.

  • I'm not sure about second stage rear facing but I bought isofix second and third stage car seats (forward facing), the isofix is part of the seat as obviously those seats don't need moved out the car regularly like a infant carrier would so you wouldn't need a separate base

  • You don't need a base for the next stage car seats, they either for by isofix (as in the actual seat has isofix, not a base and separate seat) or by seatbelt. With the next stage seats you don't tend to lift them in and out as the seat and toddler is too heavy. I think our car seat (Britax 2 way Elite) has only been out of the car half a dozen times.

    You may be best to buy a second car seat for your mum's car when you get onto the next stage, I wouldn't be persuaded one way or the other by the pebble base being useable with another seat.

    I have the cabriofix and isofix base, the pebble does seem about bigger so if I were buying now I'd probably go for that.

  • I would get a bse that fits the 1st stage infant carrier seat.  Then don't bother about a base for the next seat,  The base is useful for the infant carriers as you are more likely to be getting the seat in and out of the car so being able to snap it in quickly is great.  Once they are in the next stage seats, the seats tend to stay in the car so you don't need the ease of being able to clip it quickly on to a base.  I don't know about rear facing next stage seats but certainly forward facing ones have plently of choice of isofix and it's built in to the seat rather than needing a seperate base.

  • I was exactly the same as you, I have a quinny buzz (don't use it much as I prefer my sling) & thought it would cheaper in the long run to buy the family fix base for the cabrio infant seat, but didn't look into the next stage seats. As it turned out I didn't need to move her up until she was 18 months & then it was into an extended rear facing seat which came complete with base so I wouldn't bother with the family fix, just buy the base that works with the infant seat you choose.

  • Thanks everyone!

    I’m now having a massive rethink. While the baby is in the infant seat I’ll be off on mat leave so my mum won’t really need to have the baby in her car. It would make more sense to have her own seat as that is when I’ll be back at work and she’ll be looking after the baby.

    I didn’t realise the easybase2 wasn’t isofix, so if I want the pebble and isofix I'll have to get the familyfix, but I’m thinking now we’ll just get one, then for the next stage we’ll have a seat each (us and my mum).

    By price matching in kiddicare with precious little one I can get the familyfix base and pebble seat for under £200, which I don’t think is too bad, then we can worry about the next stage in a years time, when hopefully there will be more rear facing options. I’m happy that you don’t need a separate base for the bigger seats but can still have it with isofix.

    Ahh yay, I’m so happy I’ve made a decision! Thank you all for your help!!

  • No probs glad to help x

  • OB

    John Lewis has it at £175 available from the end of October. Not sure about the original pearl MrsB.



    The original Pearl won't fit on that base. Just the the 2Way Pear is Maxi Cosi's new ERF seat. Oh and the Pebble.


    I have to admit we had a base for our car seat and I hated it. I found belt fitting just as easy if not easier. I wish I'd saved my £110! 
  • Why did you hate it stripey?  We have the pebble and the family fix and I hate having to use a seat belt.  It's such a tight fit in my dads Honda civic and the seat is getting pushed and pulled all over with baby inside!

    I'd do as you've decided. Well we have done. Gone with family fix as it's the same price. Well keep rear facing probably until E is 15/6 months then go to the maxi cosy that can beused front or rear.

  • Why are you so keen on isofix ?  In reality if you are using a base, if you get the seatbelt one you strap it in and it stays there.  It isn't as if you are taking it in and out. Isofix in itself isn't safer, it is safer because it reduces the risk of incorrectly fitting the seat.  So if you are confident you can strap the base in properly then isofix isn't really a necessity.  As for the next stage seats, if you are going for isofix then it comes built in to the seat rather than as a seperate base.  You can get isofix and non-isofix versions of the extended RF seats.

    I would buy what is most suitable for you now.  If your mum is only going to be having LO occasionally why not get something like the Britax First Class which is fitted into the car and can be both rear facing and forward facing.  She's not really going to need to be taking the baby out and about in the carseat too much I would have thought.  This is what my mum had for Zoe and it lasted until she was 3 yrs old.  

  • The base is only useful when you are getting the car seat in and out of the car a lot i.e. when baby is still light enough to carry around in the seat. I never get the car seat out of the car now unless he's fast asleep, I really struggle to carry him in it, especially with the walk from our car to the house (which yours is similar). So with that in mind, I really, really wouldn't think about the base too much, You'll only use to for the first stag car seat, and rarely after 9m if you're anything like me.

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