Choosing your car seat is both important and difficult. On the one hand your baby needs to be safe but on the other hand, everybody has a budget. How do you choose your car seat and what are all these groups about?
Car seat groups and weights
What makes car seat shopping even more confusing is that they are split into groups. What are these car seat groups? See the table below.
Group |
Weight |
Approximate Age of Child |
0+ |
Birth to 13 kg (29 lb) |
Birth to 12 months |
0+/1 |
Birth to 18 kg (40 lb) |
Birth to around 4 years |
1 |
9 kg to 18 kg (20-40 lb) |
9 months to around 4 years |
1/2/3 |
9 kg to 36 kg (20-79 lb) |
9 months to around 12 years |
2/3 |
15 kg to 36 kg (33-79 lb) |
4 years to 12 years |
For more info about choosing your car seat you could check out the Which guide.
As a new born you will be looking at group 0 car seats but a lot of them stretch across a couple different groups. There are lots of car seats on the market so which one do you choose? Well below we have chosen ten of the best new born car seats currently available. These were chosen because of their popularity, usability, size and price.
Fisherprice safe voyage
Group 0/1, up to 18kg
The safe voyage car seat from fisherprice can be converted from rear to front facing. It has a removable, washable cover and has deep sides for impact protection. The seat itself can be reclined without having to remove from the vehicle.
Pros
Cons
Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix Car Seat
Group 0+, up to 13kg
Maxi-cosi is perhaps one of the better known car seat manufacturers. The cabriofix car seat is a compact unit that fits perfectly onto the maxi-cosi base unit. You can use the unit on its own but this setup allows you to carry around a much smaller car seat than other brands and still maintain the same safety and protection. The cabriofix car seat is available in lots of colours and patterns.
Pros
Cons
Graco Logico S HP
Group 0+, up to 13kg
Graco is another huge manufacturer of baby products. The logico S HP is a reclining car seat with a 2 position canopy and 3 position harness. it is lightweight and small in construction and has a five point harness to hold baby safely in position. it has a recliner indicator and side impact protection.
Pros
Cons
Graco Junior Baby
Group 0+, up to 13kg
The Graco range of car seats is phenomenal! This is a budget car seat that offers some great benefits. If you already have a graco push chair and a base then this unit will slot onto either of them with ease. It has side impact protection and a three point harness. The canopy is adjustable and the cover is machine washable.
Pros
Cons
Maxi-Cosi Pebble
Group 0+, up to 13kg
The pebble is one of maxi-cosi’s best selling car seats. It comes in a number of different colours and when used with the maxi cosi base offers a very easy to use product. A major feature of the pebble is the harness which is one of the easiest to install on the market. The pebble includes a support pillow and headhugger for younger babies.
Pros
Cons
Even though we have listed these here, don’t take our word for it. Get out there and have a play with them. Another important point to note is that not all car seats will fit in all cars, its important to check with measurements. We would also suggest that you try and actually install the car seat in your vehicle before you buy, this sounds ridiculous but a lot of stores will let you do this.