[TorqueyTechie]

I am in need to buy 2 booster seats for my kids and was looking at options in Amazon (Luvlap, R for rabbit) but apprehensive to buy looking at the negative reviews. Any suggestions folks?

[samyakmodi]

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

I am in need to buy 2 booster seats for my kids and was looking at options in Amazon (Luvlap, R for rabbit) but apprehensive to buy looking at the negative reviews. Any suggestions folks?

Are booster seats really safe?

On a different note - although I am not 100% sure but Graco India has winded up it's operations and the dealers/distributors are getting rid of their earlier stock, hence you will not find anything new in their stocks.
Since they are winding up - the warranty even if for 10 years wouldn't really matter - would it?

[07CR]

My niece is 1.25 years old. My sister drives a Tata Tiago, which does not have the isofix child seat mount. I have no information on the child seats, can you all please recommend me some good one's. Thanks !

[sreerknair]

Originally Posted by 07CR

My niece is 1.25 years old. My sister drives a Tata Tiago, which does not have the isofix child seat mount. I have no information on the child seats, can you all please recommend me some good one's. Thanks !

Checkout Graco 4EverDLX or Chicco Nextfit Zip. Both are costly ones but comfortable and can be fixed using seat belts.

[PrasadS]

Originally Posted by any23

After going through this long and informative thread decided to buy Graco Extend2fit 3in1 car seat.
The user manual says it can be installed either with 3-point seat belt or lap seat belt, so I decided to install the seat in the middle of the back seat and happy to report that two people can sit in back seat with the child seat installed. The lap belt is holding good and there is no front-back or sideways movement of the seat.
The next task is to habituate our 3-months old in the car seat..

Hi how is the seat holding up? Do you think it's suitable for a newborn infant too? For very rare rides from home to doctor's etc initially.

Originally Posted by Motorhead23

Thanks drive2eternity !! Coincidently, I happened to visit a mothercare store in a nearby center after posting my query here. They showcased this Joie travel system as a solution to my requirement but I didn't checked it out in detail as it was a new brand name for me. I will definitely revisit to check it out in detail.

Thanks any23, Even I am strongly considering Graco as an option , but I will finalize once we are near to our baby's arrival.

I will keep this place updated on my final purchase . Thank you all once again for your valuable inputs.

Did you get to check out Joie? How would you compare that vs Graco?

Originally Posted by dhruvwali

Hey I have 2 Graco 4everDLX for both my kids (3.5y & 14mo).

One uses it in rear facing and the other in front facing.

However after buying the 4everDLX I'm very happy. I bought each for 23k from Amazon.

It's cushioning is relatively lesser than Chicco nxtfit but can be used much longer and kids don't have any complaints at all.

Any cushioning complaints after using it this far?

Originally Posted by sreerknair

Checkout Graco 4EverDLX or Chicco Nextfit Zip. Both are costly ones but comfortable and can be fixed using seat belts.

I have a Skoda Rapid and Innova 2nd Gen. Both don't have Isofix so the seat will be belted on using normal seatbelts.
For my Rapid would it be safe to latch it on the centre of the back seat? It's a 2 point seat belt.
My future upgrade might have Isofix too so I'm assuming Graco/Chicco has that option too.

I want a seat right from newborn to as long as possible. Considering Graco 4everDLX as i don't want the hassle of upgrading every stage.
Extend2fit 3in1 seems good and cheaper but idk if the child will be interested to sit rear facing for long. Need to checkout Chicco models which might be parallel to 4everDLX.
Let me know if any specific discounts are running anywhere for these specific models
We're due by mid of March, so i have an option to get a Graco delivered from UK where my sister stays, hopefully it should be cheaper and with fresh stock since Graco seems to be winding up business here(how to tackle warranty issues then?)

Also, are there any sites where i might get a used child seat?

[NG_EV]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

For my Rapid would it be safe to latch it on the centre of the back seat? It's a 2 point seat belt.
My future upgrade might have Isofix too so I'm assuming Graco/Chicco has that option too.

Also, are there any sites where i might get a used child seat?

The child seats are designed to be held in place by the 3 point seat belt and not the 2 point one. The seat models with isofix have that mentioned in specifications (Graco4ever DLX has that).

Regarding used child seats, you should know the complete history of the child seat. The seats also have an expiration date (For Graco 4everDLX, its 10 years).

Britax-Roemer is also a very good brand and used to be available at First Cry physical stores. I'm not sure about their availability now.

[govigov]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

I have a Skoda Rapid and Innova 2nd Gen. Both don't have Isofix so the seat will be belted on using normal seatbelts.
For my Rapid would it be safe to latch it on the centre of the back seat? It's a 2 point seat belt.
My future upgrade might have Isofix too so I'm assuming Graco/Chicco has that option too.

What I did was to go to the graco website and get a hold of the manual of the seat. The ISOFIX is not well understood in India. It has a weight limit. Once your child hits that weight limit, ISOFIX wont work and you have to use seatbelts.

That being said, once you get a hang of installing child car seats via seat belts, it is not too bad.

I read about you looking at installing car seats in the middle of the back seat. Kudos for the research, that is the safest position. But, unfortunately, many cars dont feature three point seat belts in the rear seat. The newer Taigun, Fronx, etc do feature three point seatbelts in the rear middle seat.

Please consider i-size car seats instead of r-44 car seats, if you intended to keep the child in the rearward facing position for longer.

That being said, chicco nextfit is by far the best available in the market right now and you wont find any major issues with it.

PS: I initially used a carry cot from r for rabbit for the infant stage and it still helps when we go to the restaurant etc to keep the baby safe, that was our primary purpose. It helped that it had rocking function. At 1 year, we moved over to a dedicated car seat, again the one from r for rabbit, a copy of the more expensive ones, with a movable and protected head piece, i forgot the name, but you can find pics of the car seat installed in my scross and the issues that I faced with it, in this thread. Basically, in rearward facing position, the seat belt would come at such an angle that we were not able to ingress and egress the baby out that door and we had do go through the other side. While the chicco would route the seatbelt in a different way that was more convenient to ingress and egress the baby through the door. The pics explain it better.

[sreerknair]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

I have a Skoda Rapid and Innova 2nd Gen. Both don't have Isofix so the seat will be belted on using normal seatbelts.
For my Rapid would it be safe to latch it on the centre of the back seat? It's a 2 point seat belt.
My future upgrade might have Isofix too so I'm assuming Graco/Chicco has that option too.

Also, are there any sites where i might get a used child seat?

Rear middle seat is the safest option for Child seat provided it has a 3 point seat belt, and not a lap belt.

The isofix latch will help with seat installation only till the baby reaches the weight limit of isofix mounts. Usually 15 to 16 Kgs. Beyond that the child seat has to be secured using a 3 point seat belt. So buy a seat that has an easier mechanism to route the seat belts than one with isofix mounts but a difficult seat belt routing.

I have a Chicco Nextfit Zip that I bought via Amazon India and it fits well in a Honda City. So it will easily fit inside a Rapid or Innova. Also suggest buying a new Child seat and consider it an investment.

[Motorhead23]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Did you get to check out Joie? How would you compare that vs Graco ?

Hi PrasadS, first of all many congratulations to you !! I can totally relate what state you will be in since we are also due soon in Apr.

Coming back to carseat, I couldn't find a comparable seat from Joie to Graco Extend2Fit 3in1, primarily because of the rear facing weight capacity and also there was some influence of the forum with everyone praising Graco.

It is listed for 26,999 at 10% discount on amazon but last week itself I bought it for 22199 @26% discount which according to me was the best price I could buy at before my baby arrives.

I am yet to try installing it and see how practical it will be later.

[dhruvwali]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Any cushioning complaints after using it this far?

No complaints at all

[any23]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Hi how is the seat holding up? Do you think it's suitable for a newborn infant too? For very rare rides from home to doctor's etc initially.

The seat is pretty good, the baby is getting used to it slowly, as already mentioned it takes time for babies to adapt to car seats instead of mother's lap.

In my opinion the seat recline will be to upright for a new born, as per my review these seats are more suitable once the baby is able to have control on his neck. However, for occasional hospital visits it will do the work. As already suggested on this thread we have slowly introduced the seat to the baby by short 5-10 minute rides and then slowly increasing the duration, still i felt the recline to be upright for new borns, and when researched i get to know that convertible seats provides more head and neck protection to babies because of a little more upright position.

I would suggest a carry cot cum car seat for initial 3-4 months if the budget permits, as the travel in car will mostly be for short hospital visits.

I drive a Skoda Rapid too and as per the car seat manual it is safe to install the car seat using rear middle 2-point seat belt and it does hold it's place if installed properly.

[PrasadS]

The prices of Graco seats seems to have gone up on Amazon. Is it because these are newly manufactured models? As per the threads earlier Graco seems to be winding up so i was expecting more discounts but it's seems to have gone north instead.

Can anyone who's recently bought 4ever DLXor extend2fit 3in1 confirm the manufacturing date? They're 45k and 27k on Amazon as of now so i might have to start looking for other options as they're not looking VFM right now.
4ever DLX seemed to fit my intention of buy and forget for 10 years criteria.

[any23]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Can anyone who's recently bought 4ever DLXor extend2fit 3in1 confirm the manufacturing date? They're 45k and 27k on Amazon as of now so i might have to start looking for other options as they're not looking VFM right now.
4ever DLX seemed to fit my intention of buy and forget for 10 years criteria.

I got a June 2020 manufactured seat (accepted it with a pinch of salt), and as seen on amazon reviews one other customer got 2020 manufactured car seat in January-2023.

Unless and until you can physically check the car seat don't buy it, I opinioned so because I might have got a car seat which is in good condition even after being manufactured in 2020, but it is not worth taking the risk when you are paying a decent amount for the product. As I can see you are based out of Mumbai, it will be better to get in touch with the seller (who is based in Mumbai too).

Best case scenario is to search a suitable product in other brands, as already opinioned by other members you can never go wrong with products from other brands (Graco, Chicco, Britax, Joie, LuvLap, RforRabit etc.) too.

[PrasadS]

Graco has a different product range for UK. My sister is flying down in a week so i am thinking of asking her to get a seat from there.
Would the seat be allowed as a check-in luggage or we'll need to pay seperately for it? If anyone has gone this route of flying a seat in, please do let me know the financials.

I went to the UK top 100 rated seats and found some with good review which almost match my requirements:

1:Reecle 360 Swivel Baby Car Seat with ISOFIX, Group 0+1/2/3 (0-36 kg)
Link here

2:Jovikids Safety Baby Car Seat with Isofix and Top Tether, 360 Degree Swivel Child Car Seat for Group 0/1/2/3, 0-12 Years Old, ECE R44/04, Black
Link here

3:Graco SlimFit LX Car Seat with ISOCATCH Connectors, Group 0+/1/2/3 (Birth to 12 Years Approx, 0-36 kg), Black

Link here

Reecle seems to have a good rating and has 360 Swivel too.
Graco slim-fit seems to be what i was expecting from 4ever DLX model but 4ever has the option of deattachment option which slim-fot doesn't have.

I'm leaning a bit more towards Reecle as of now if carrying it via Air with my sister is not a big issue. waiting for someone to clear my doubt as i just have a weeks time to order and get it to her place in London.

[any23]

Originally Posted by any23

We have to travel to Hyderabad airport by cab with our 5 months old, the distance is 40km from our home to the airport. Upon reaching to our home town we will be using car for local travels to meet relatives, the question is how to manage all these road travel to-and-fro from airports etc. without a car seat.

Options I am considering -

1) Buy a secondary car seat of budget range for such travels.(Do airlines(Indigo) allow carseat-cum-carrycot in cabin)
2) No car seat, carry the baby in lap.
3) Your suggestions.

Request anyone to share their views if they had such experience.

We considered option 1 for our travel needs but instead of buying a new infant car seat we explored and ordered one on rent from "Baby Gear On Rent" site. The overall experience was smooth and once connected over chat with their customer support they helped placing the order with ease. The total landed cost was INR 2100/- (800 rent for 1month + 500 Shipping$ return charges + 800 refundable deposit), after INR 800/- refundable deposit the final cost is INR 1300/- which is justifiable, as new infant seats is priced from INR 3500 to 4000/- range.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

When I did a similar journey when the kid was small, I checked in the car seat (forgot if they allowed it as cabin baggage or not) and marked it as fragile, nothing happened to the seat, so maybe you can explore that as an option

Thank you for your advice. The infant car seats are allowed inside the cabin, but we handed over the seat to the airline staff at gate before boarding and they carried it separately as fragile item, after landing these items are handed over separately by airline staff at baggage claims.

Definitely carrying a infant carry cot cum car seat was like increasing your luggage, but we both agreed that it was a wiser decision to have one, as it helped a lot while travelling by road, the bay sat on the seat whenever in a car, sparing a few instances when we have to take him out of the seat for feeding.