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Kiddicare Essentials Traffic SP Car Seat
by MsTricia
I first got my car in September 2010 and my daughter was just over a year old. Wanting a good car seat on a budget I bought the Kiddicare Midi SP Car Seat for a decent £39.99 and it was a fabulous buy as it could be used for 9 months up to 4 years. My daughter isn't the biggest of 3 year olds, but she is rather tall for her age and I ... could see there was a bit of difficulty with doing up the straps. They were adjusted to as far as possible and it was a stretch to do up so of course even though she wasn't 4 years yet she had reached her capacity so it was definitely time to find the next one up! Having had such a great experience with Kiddicare.com before I went straight back on the website to find a Car Seat suitable for her and I found this Essentials Traffic SP Car seat for a steal at £25 and knew I had to buy it!
- Purchasing -
I purchased this product on kiddicare.com for £25 and even was a bit cheeky to use Quidco for 5% cashback! Result! As free delivery is only applicable on purchases over £29.99 I paid £4.95 which I didn't mind too much. I ordered the car seat at around 7pm on a saturday night and by Sunday I was informed that the car seat was despatched and would be with me on monday! I was impressed again by the impeccable service and on monday I got a text that it would arrive between 2.45pm and 3.45pm and by 3.25 my doorbell rang and with glee I went to get my new package! I have to give kiddicare 10/10 for service in this respect as the payment was swift and easy and the delivery was simple and straightforward.
- Packaging -
The car seat came in a large cardboard box with a picture of the item on the outside and compared to previously when inside it was stuffed with polystyrene which of course would protect it from damage throughout transportation it was actually bare inside! Luckily though the car seat was all still intact. Inside the box was simple instructions which were perfectly straightforward (and in plain English as I have had some instructions in every other language except English and seems to be a nightmare!) and I found I could easily understand them myself! The box was easy for me to recycle and throw away so this wasn't any kind of hassle.
- Assembly -
To be honest the product requires almost no assembly at all! The car seat arrives as a whole in the box, and putting the car seat in the car was simple enough, The website is excellent so on clicking on the car to add into the basket it also has a 10 minute commentary explaining the features and benefits ofd the car seat and how it fits into the car using the vehicle seatbelt. I am no genius and of course the video is explained in clear laymens terms and is extremely easy to follow. I simply watched the demo and then trotted off outside to put it in and found it straightforward and simple to do. At first it looked rather bulky and seemed to sit awkwardly in the back seat but with a little adjusting it sat well and I was happy to rock about and get using it!
- Specifications of the car seat -
The main reason I purchased this car seat was the fact it had a lot of multi-purposes and for the price I paid it has a lot of features which I could benefit from.
1. It is suitable from 9 months to 11 years. As my daughter is only 3 years old and I do intend to continue to drive for as the forseeable future it means this car seat has a lot of practicality and value for money in that it offers a lot more use and growing room. It is suitable for children who weigh from 9 - 36kg giving a very clear guideline for buying parents.
2. The car seat does not require an isofix belt but can be done so really easily via a seatbelt fitting which is already installed in the car. This allows it to be put in place securely and easily but also allows it to be really flexible and moved from car to car without lots of fiddling and hassle.
3. This car seat has a removable cover for washing, shoulder pad protectors and padded head and back support cushion. I like this feature as I wanted my daughter to feel snug and cushioned so to protect from any impact should the worse happen. I asked my daughter if she found this car seat comfortable as on first inspection it didn't seem as padded on the seat base but she has not complained and so it has been good. I have found removing the covers necessary only on one occasion when my little one spilt a drink and I found it held up well in the washing machine and was really easy to wash and put back on.
- Features and Safety -
1. This car seat comes in 2 colours; a mixture of black and red. I think this is actually quite a good balance as it is rather unisex so although I have a daughter if I had a son I would have had no issue with the colour of this car seat as it is quite balanced. My daughter had a previous car seat in grey anyway so the red actually seemed quite girly for her!
2. The seat weighs 4.7kg which is slightly heavier than my previous car seat but not immensely so.
3. The car seat has a removable harness and back which leaves a booster seat so the seat is almost like 2 seats in one. When in use as a complete seat it uses the 5 point safety harness and when this is taken apart to leave the booster seat it can use the usual vehicles 3 point seat belt.
4. This car seat has a 5 point safety harness, extremely important for any children's car seat. The five-point harness is preferred as a safety mechanism for its high amount of safety compared to other designs. The five-point harness consists of five straps, Two are located at the shoulders, two at the hips, and one at the crotch that all come to connect to a buckle release mechanism. This way of buckling up holds the driver's body tight in the seat, which in turn protects the upper body from injury. After reading this safety perspective, it made me feel at ease to buy this for my daughter as I knew that as a young and newly qualified driver I wanted to take all kinds of precaution necessary and touch wood, we haven't run into any incidents yet :)
- My personal opinion and personal use -
At first installment the car seat stayed in absolutely perfectly and was an amazing addition to my car! My daughter now loves to sit in it, and feels like a proper big girl sitting up and alone when we go for a little joy ride! (Not literally of course!)
Installing the car seat was a little bit tricky at first as I was so used to the old one but I think with this car seat, practice makes perfect and it is a lot more straightforward than other car seats I have seen out there! It's really easy to take apart as my other half decided he wanted to see how it would be as a booster seat but he did it in 30 seconds flat. Again, putting it back together was an absolute doddle so for a fuss free and easy to use car seat I love it.
In terms of the 5 point harness it is safe but slightly fiddly. To extend the straps there is a little grey clip on the seat straps which need pressing and I have found I really have to press quite hard to get this to do so. In the video online it looked like a really easy job, but of course with most things nothing is as easy it it appears! This isn't enough to put me off using it though.
One thing I am not too sure about is how this seat can be used from 9 months! When I think to how fragile and delicate I still was with my little one at that age I can't even begin to fathom driving her around in this car seat! What you see in the picture of this one is what you get, an upright, slightly stiff but padded seat which does not adjust other than taking the back and head rest of to make it into a booster. When my daughter was smaller I had a different car seat from Kiddicare which could recline and give a lot more comfort, especially when she was asleep so I think that is far better. This of course is my personal opinion and preference but I definitely would not have opted to use this car seat from before the age my daughter is now (3 and a half) but I can definitely see it lasting her up until she is 11.
For the price of a mere £25 and the fact that my daughter is probably going to get another 8 years service out of this I can't fault this product one bit! It is stylish, comfortable and most importantly it is safe. I would 100% recommend it, but probably more so for a more 3 or 4 year old than a little one as it may be slightly uncomfortable.
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BabyStart Group 1 Car Seat
by miwa
I don't actually have children, so it may seem odd to be reviewing a car seat, but never fear, I do have a niece who is pushing 18 months and thus don't use this product myself. As the first (and currently only) grandchildren of the family she does receive a lot of attention and spends a fair amount of time in the care of my parents and ... me. As such, it seemed a natural progression to buy a car seat. The one in my sister-in-law's car is an Isofix model (which we don't have) and buying this Babystart model means we can take her to playgroup and out and about safely and comfortably.
The seat is designed in conjunction with three-point seat-belts, which I believe most cars have, and fits both in the front and back seat. However, it is recommended for the back seat primarily, because front-facing car-seats should never be combined with airbags. My dad fit the car-seat by threading the seat-belt through the contraption on the back of the car seat and securing it. This doesn't lock into an Isofix system, so it is ideal for sharing between cars that don't have that fixture. When fitted the car seat doesn't - or shouldn't - move about, even on slippery seats such as ones covered with leather.
This particular seat is Group 1, meaning it is suitable for children aged 9 months onward, or children weighing 9kg or more. As well as not being intended for newborns due to size, it is also unsuitable for them because neck support is flimsy. We started using this when Baby Niece was 11 months old and at time of writing is still in use. In fact despite it looking very roomy when Baby Niece was 11 months old, a few months later she seems to be pushing it - if your child wears bulky coats or is wrapped in blankets it is often difficult to get the harness over and clasp together. The pads on the harness - one between the legs and one each shoulder - are meant to stop the harness cutting into your child, but really they just bulk up the seat even more, and twist easily making the harness more uncomfortable and harder to fasten.
The harness is adjustable, made of the same material as a seat belt. Even so, the harness bits, that come across the baby's body in a V, are very stiff even after months of use. The two parts come together and two metal 'teeth' slot into the bottom half of the harness that comes through the legs. There is a 'lip' on the bottom part to release the teeth to take the baby out. It is VERY important to make sure you push the two teeth into the bottom bit until you hear an audible click. It can be difficult when my niece is struggling or upset at being placed in the car, the engine is running and I'm bent uncomfortably to try and clasp the harness properly while my mother tap the steering wheel wondering why it is taking so long, but during a trip in the car my niece somehow managed to unclasp the harness and we had to pull over to refasten it. So take it from me: do it right the first time - wait for the click.
When undoing the harness it is something of a struggle, especially if my niece falls asleep during the journey and wakes up crying. She often kicks up a fuss and tries to push against the harness, which only makes it more difficult to take her out. The 'lip' on the bottom bit is sometimes very stiff and difficult to release. For 'yummy mummies' this is something to take into account, I think, as I have broken several nails trying to undo this in the past. I think the harness design could be improved by adding clasps in the middle of the over-arm parts, to make it easier to take a baby out, rather like on her highchair.
Speaking of sleeping - there are supposedly 5 recline positions this seat can change into, but we have only tried "upright" "slouching" and "very slouching". This is performed by pulling the seat's base forward. However the chair is just over 4 kilograms in weight, and that, combined with at least 9kgs of a child, means it is quite difficult to change the position - and it does wake my niece up when I try. If you are going on a long journey it is worth adjusting the seat position before you put your child in. Otherwise, falling asleep with the chair upright makes my niece's head loll forward alarmingly. You can also buy neck supports, some of which have cute patterns on.
Maybe those cute patterns would clash with the pretty generic design of the car seat, though. I appreciate that it is gender neutral, but the grey and black colours are too similar to many budget car seats. The padded 'flaps' (for lack of a better word) on the sides make the overall design look a bit flabby. However, these do add side-swipe protection - thankfully we have never had to test them out.
The material used, despite being padded, is also surprisingly rough to the touch - maybe not to the extent of sandpaper, but certainly similar in texture to sports bags or camera cases meant for outdoor use. However, as long as your child is fully clothed it shouldn't chafe them, as we have had no problems, but for the overcautious lying a blanket down if your child has bare legs and has particularly sensitive skin is the best way around it.
When in my mum's car, it doesn't look especially large. If you have multiple passengers it can be quite a squeeze though. Likewise, when transferring from car to car the seat is actually surprisingly bulky. It is 60cm, width 45cm and depth 57cm, and 4.3kg in weight. Once my sister in law was carrying it in after borrowing it, and it was almost half her size (2ft - at only 4ft tall, she is a petite lady).
As there is no bar on the top for ferrying it place to place, it can be difficult to move it around, and as such there is nowhere to hang any mobiles or toys to entertain your child during journeys. We always take some toys in the car with her, a toy snake and a doll, which seem to amuse her. The fabric itself is machine washable, but we have never had to clean it, when the baby eats and drinks in the car because of the tight weave of the fabric crumbs tend not to cake, and can be either wiped or brushed off. However, if there is some staining, according to the manufacturer it is fine to just chuck the fabric cover in the washing machine.
This car-seat was a cheap buy, and is tolerable for semi-frequent use. However, for something a buyer intends to use several times a day I think it is worth spending more money on a more comfortable and easy to use car-seat. I feel that the seat is safe, which is the most important aspect of a car-seat, but I do dread taking my niece in and out of it as it is so fiddly - even more so if your child is a wriggler or dislikes being constrained. Especially considering how uncomfortable it could be for a larger child, as well as the uninspired design, the cheap feeling material, the general unwieldiness in installing and transferring car-to-car and the difficulty fastening and unfastening the harness, means I am taking a fair few stars off the rating.
This product is currently available from Argos at £29.99.
Manufacturer's helpline number 0116 284 4910.
EAN/MPN/UPC/ISBN: 9072541.
EDIT: In originally posted review, I mentioned that this transforms into a booster seat - that was a misunderstanding on my part! This model doesn't do that :)
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Nania Teamtex Trio Car Seat
by womble1985
My Mum bought this car seat for their car as my son quickly got too heavy for me to lug him around in his infant car seat and soon after was big enough for his bigger car seat which stays permanently in our car.
I believe this car seat is from birth to 4 years. You use it from birth rear facing, and then it can be turned ... around when you baby reaches the recommended weight and age, which I think is about 9 months and 19-20lbs.
Compared to the car seat we have in our car this one does look quite simple and not as safe, but it is only used in my parents car for around town driving and we never go more than a few miles with them. It is very lightweight and it is easy to fix in to the car using the car seatbelt. The straps have height adjustment there is a slightly padded headrest. The straps have shoulder pads and are adjustable so they fit your child well. There is also a small padded bit around the bottom clip for more comfort on the legs.
This car seat looks good, it is plain black with a patterned headrest and smart red straps. The straps are wide and feel good quality. They are very easily adjusted and you simply pull them down to tighten them which is far easier than many seats I have used.
My son started using this from around a few months old when he was still rear facing. Once he was old enough to have it forward facing he seemed very comfortable and loved being able to look around, although I did find that when he fell asleep his head flopped around alot and I had to use a small cushion to support it, however by the time he was around a year old and he had grown more he stopped doing it and when he was asleep he looked far more comfortable. I hadn't come across this before as our other car seat is one that fits from 9 months to 11 years and is a completely different shape and there is very little room for his head to roll around.
The seat doesn't have much padding, and I am not sure I would be very confident about its safety in a crash, but my son is very happy in it so for short trips it does the job well. It is easy to get him in and out of (our other seat is very padded and tight and with a coat on is very difficult to get him in).
This seat was £25 from Asda, this is a good price as it does last for a few years, it is easy to use and simple to get in and out of the car if you need to take it out regularly. It is particularly good as a second seat, but I would stick with our more padded bigger seat for everyday use.
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