The Best Car Seats For Newborns
A good car seat is an essential buy for newborns. Suitable from birth to 13kg, they usually combine with a pushchair for an entire travel system. They also have an easy-to-lay flat design to provide the best infant car seat sleeping position for newborns.
The law stipulates that your baby must be rear-facing from the age of nine months or 135cm. We recommend choosing an i-Size (also known as R129) or ECE R44-approved child seat that is fitted with ISOFIX and side impact protection.
Maxi-Cosi Pebble Pro i-Size
This Silver Cross model is worth taking a closer look when you’re looking for an iSize infant car seat that will protect your child right from birth until when they’re ready to upgrade to a booster. It’s one of one or two R129-approved car seats that are able to be used from birth, and provides full protection when rear-facing up to the age of 7. This makes it an excellent investment for your child.
It’s worth checking whether a car is i-Size approved. This includes side tests for impact as well as front impact tests. It’s also important to consider other aspects, like the ease of installation and whether it’s compatible with your car. Brilliant safety features won’t function properly if they aren’t fitted correctly.
The design of the Pebble Pro is sleek and elegant with soft fabric covers that are machine washable to make cleaning easy. There’s soft padding for your baby and a the seat liner is reversible to ensure comfort. It features an ergonomic handle with a shaped grip that makes it easy to lift and carry.
The base of the car seat can be attached to your vehicle using Isofix connectors, or by using the seatbelt. However, it’s best to use the FamilyFix i-Size base for a simpler installation and to maintain i-Size compliance. The base can be used with Maxi Cosi accessories such as seat covers, footmuffs, and sun shades to keep your child warm or shield your child from the sun.
Apart from the i-Size certification and the excellent crash test results that ensure it gets top marks across all categories, this is an extremely well-designed car seat that comes with a host of other features that make it worth a look. These include its compact fold that takes up little space in the boot and a 5-point harness, an ergonomic carry handle and 10 headrest positions, including memory foam for your infant. The seat can also be used with most travel systems and pushchairs, including the FamilyFix 360 base.
Silver Cross Dream iSize
Silver Cross Dream i-Size, one of the most recent products in the company’s line-up it is a luxurious choice with a newborn insert. This car seat is approved by iSize and will provide the longest life span for your baby from birth. It can be used rear-facing until 18kg and it offers superior side impact protection with its unique Motion Safe System. Its rotating seat design makes it easy to get your baby out and in, while the built-in easy lock ISOFIX ensures that it is secure in its place.
This model is suitable for babies until 12 months old (85cm) and is designed to be comfortable. It is made of soft bamboo fabrics with premium branding from Silver Cross. The infant insert will keep your baby snug and secure. It has sections that are removable and can be adjusted to the growth of your child and a five-position headrest which will ensure a comfortable fit. The seat is awarded the AGR 2022 certification of approval – a top accolade for infant car seats and is compatible with Silver Cross prams and pushchairs to create an entire travel system (adapters are sold separately).
Like the Nuna PIPA Urbn, the Dream i-Size is also baseless that means you can use it with ISOFIX connectors or your vehicle’s seat belt. The unique ISOFIX installation method is easy to use and takes only a few minutes to install. The seat is ideal for parents who have to change cars frequently and travel in a family vehicle, or share a car with taxi drivers and drivers.
This seat is also a little more expensive than maxicosi’s cabriofix, but it’s one of our top picks due to its design. It looks fantastic and comes with a 360-degree swivel feature. It also has a three-level gentle recline function as well as an inlay for infants that is removable. It’s also iSize-approved, has an excellent crash-test rating and is a top safety pick by Which? (they base their recommendations on safety, including the ease of assembly and if it’s fitted correctly). It’s important to remember though that even the best car seats will only provide the best infant carrier car seat protection if properly installed.
Axkid One i-Size
The Axkid One i-Size ISOFIX seat is the only seat we’ve tested that allows children to rear-face until they reach 23kg and 125cm. (roughly four years old). It has the highest maximum height for rear-facing of any seat we’ve tested. It’s a unique feature, and it’s worth taking into consideration if you want your child to remain rear-facing for as long as you can.
The seat is sturdy and durable It has plenty of room to grow for your child’s head and torso. It is designed for comfort and features a one-handed reclining mechanism with 12 headrest positions and soft belt padding. It’s designed to last and withstand everyday use. However the mechanism and button to release and tighten straps are a bit fiddly. We’re concerned that it may be snagged or break in time.
It’s also lightweight at just under 10kg, which makes it easy to get into and out of your car. It comes with a pocket that can keep small items in the back, and an integrated sun shade that has Velcro strips. It can be attached to strollers that are compatible and is ideal if you need to take multiple trips.
The seat’s base is Isofix compatible and snaps into place quickly. The seat also comes with an adjustable support foot that can be adjusted by a small gray button in the back. It also comes with an indicator light to let you can see when it’s secure. The seat slides onto the top, and it has an easy-to-use handle for lifting it out of your car.
This seat comes with a fantastic feature: it can be shifted forward and backwards along the base to alter the legroom. This means that you can adjust the legroom as your child grows, so they can still comfortably cross their legs, even if they’re quite tall. This is a great feature and it works well – I found that with a little practice, it took me just 30 seconds to get the seat and make the legroom.
George at Asda
Whether you’re looking for your first car seat for infants or a second to use in conjunction with your existing pushchair you’ll find an array of options at George at ASDA. This well-known supermarket chain is well-known for its cheap clothing and homeware and is particularly popular during Christmas and other shopping events.
Like all parenting products price can vary widely. You can purchase a newborn infant car seat that doesn’t need an additional base for as low as PS100, or a full infant carrier for as low as PS725 if you want one with an integrated base. If you intend to use the pushchair you already have, buying an extra seat will save you money compared to buying a separate pram or travel system.
If you’re considering purchasing a car seat for your infant, it’s important to choose one that meets the latest guidelines. This includes a recommended recline position to prevent infants from sitting in an unnatural and unsafe position. The seat should also have removable padding to keep the infant car seat in front seat cozy and comfortable.
Infants and newborns can outgrow their car seats quickly therefore it is important to select a car seat that will grow with them. Many parents choose a car seat that falls in the group 1+, group 1/2/3 or group 3/4 that can be adjusted to fit the size of their child. This type of seat is suitable for babies to around 12 years old.
The best car seats for newborns are secure and safe therefore you should avoid second-hand models unless they’ve been professionally cleaned and tested. Car safety experts Damon Marriott and Claire Waterhouse strongly recommend against purchasing a second-hand car seat through relatives or friends, as it’s hard to discern its history. They recommend buying a used seat purchased from a reputable seller or even on eBay. It’s recommended to verify the warranty prior to making any purchases. The warranty should cover all repairs or replacements. Depending on the manufacturer, warranties can range from two to six years. The longer the warranty, the better. The most comprehensive warranties provide replacement parts and free repairs for the first three to five years.
