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Toddler carseats

Is your little one ready to move into a booster seat? Here are our picks of the four safest, most well-researched toddler carseats on the market.

By law, any child under the age of five must be properly restrained in an approved child restraint. Children aged five to seven must use a child restraint if there's one available. And older children aren't tall enough to use an adult seat belt on its own until they are 148cm tall, which is usually between the ages of eight and 12. Booster seats serve as an important step between a restraint with harness and an adult lap/sash belt on its own (without a booster seat). Research has proven that using a belt-positioning booster seat instead of a seatbelt alone reduces the risk of severe injury in a crash by 60%. Child restraint specialist Bonnie Smith's website www.childrestraintsafety.com has some excellent information about carseats and booster seats in New Zealand. We reviewed four of the highest-quality, safest, and best-respected toddler carseats on the market.

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR
RRP $399 from Baby City, Dimples, Nature Baby, Baby Star, Milk Contemporary Store, Wobble
The Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR booster seat conforms with European and New Zealand safety standards. A forward-facing booster seat, it's suitable from approximately 3.5 years of age right up to 12 years of age (from 15 to 36kg, up to a maximum height of 1.5m). It installs via a regular three-point seatbelt, which threads through easy-to-see red belt clips on the headrest and under the armrests. The backrest grows with the child both in height and width (in the photo it's extended), and you can adjust these features easily without having to remove the seat from the car. The cover is removable and can be hand-washed.
The good bits: This booster seat comes in nine colours: Lily Pink, Picnic Ocean, Formula Black, Dutch Sky, Black Refection, Tango Red, Squirl, Chilli Pepper, and Frisbee, meaning there's definitely a colour out there to suit everyone's tastes. We found it lightweight and very easy to install and move from car to car, and we particularly liked the recline position, which made for a comfortable ride on long car trips where our toddler tester was inclined to fall asleep. (Just to clarify, when we say "recline", think of an airplane seat in economy class - it doesn't go too far back, just gives you a wee bit more comfort than sitting upright.) The backrest can be removed so that you can use just the base as the booster for children weighing more than 25kg. It's designed to provide optimal side crash protection for the head, lower back, and hips.
The tricky bits: This was the only seat we tested that didn't anchor into the car, relying almost totally on the three-point seatbelt to hold the child and seat in place. However, it does have a top anchor point in the back of the headrest, which threads through the bars of the headrest on the passenger seat in which it's installed, and serves to keep the seat stable. The manufacturer recommended that this seat would last for five to six years after the date of purchase, so you might not get as many years out of it as you'd like.
Bottom line: Providing good value for money, this seat was simple to use and comfortable for children to sit in.

BRIO Zento
RRP$569 from Baby on the Move www.babyonthemove.co.nz
The BRIO Zento is a unique and extremely high-quality combination Swedish-designed child restraint suitable for children from birth to 25kg, as well as the only seat on the market that rear-faces up to 25kg. Based on more than 20 years of research into child safety, the BRIO Zento fulfills European safety standards as well as holds Swedish T approval, which is only given to the few seats which show very low force on the head and neck in a collision. If used forward-facing, the seat can be used up to 18kg with the five-point harness, and up to 25kg as a full booster seat (with a regular three-point seatbelt). The instruction manual and installation DVD that come with it are conveniently located in the head pillow.
The good bits: Yes, there is plenty of leg room when used rear-facing, because the base of the seat doesn't get installed flush against the rear passenger seat back - it's hard o explain without showing you, but there is about a 15cm gap between the base of the seat and the passenger seat back. So if your child is rear-facing, their little legs won't be at all squished. The shell is manufactured from one piece of blow-moulded high-density plastic, which is designed to absorb the forces in a crash. It makes this seat very heavy, but also means it's extremely strong. Deep side wings provide excellent side-impact protection. The seat is mainly designed for extended rear-facing travel. The tethering system doesn't require you to drill holes in your car, as in the rear-facing position, it tethers to the front passenger seat.
The tricky bits: The importer of this seat believes so strongly that it should be used and installed correctly that you cannot buy it without visiting the retailer for installation and instruction. So you won't be able to buy this seat over the internet and have it shipped to your door. But after seeing it installed, I can see why. It looks complicated, although once you've seen it installed, you realise how clever it really is. While it is a great booster seat, it doesn't have an adjustable headrest, so it is unlikely to fit a child past the age of five or six.
Bottom line: Extremely safe and the only seat of its kind in New Zealand, if you want your child to rear-face for as long as possible.

Recaro Monza Seatfix
RRP$629 from Baby on the Move and Toyota Dealer Parts Departments nationwide
All Recaro child seats are tested like adult seats, in accordance with the stringent requirements of the automotive industry. The Recaro Monza Seatfix conforms with European safety standards. Suitable from 15-36kg (approximately three to 12 years), the Recaro Monza Seatfix includes integrated Seatfix arms that can be fixed to the Isofix mountings of your vehicle. This gives the seat stability, especially in the event of an accident. The adjustable headrest includes an inbuilt pneumatic cushion which you can "pump up" to provide further cushioning, and the fixed side wings provide optimal protection in the event of a side impact. It uses a regular three-point seatbelt, which threads through easy-to-see red belt clips on either side of the seat's base and headrest.
The good bits: One fun quirk of this seat is that it has an integrated sound system - speakers in the headrest and a pocket on the seat base for you to plug in an MP3 or portable DVD player so you don't have to have The Wiggles blasting throughout the whole car! The covers can be removed and machine-washed at 30°C. The seat includes ventilated foam of the same kind used in the automotive industry, which allows the seat to "breathe" and air to circulate - so your child won't get all hot and sweaty sitting in it. Installation was a breeze, and this seat moves easily between cars. The headrest can adjust 11 times, and the seat reclines, which gives your child options for safe and comfortable resting.
The tricky bits: None that we could find. We just wish it came in more colours, but we're willing to sacrifice fashion for safety, which this seat has in spades.
Bottom line: An excellent, top-of-the-line and well-designed seat with an impressive reputation.

Evenflo Symphony All-in-One
RRP$499 from Baby on the Move www.babyonthemove.co.nz
Brand new to the market, the Evenflo Symphony All-in-One is suitable from birth to 45kg and conforms to New Zealand safety standards. It is rear-facing up to 15.8kg, forward-facing with the five-point harness from 9kg to 18kg, and forward-facing as a booster seat (with the car's three-point seatbelt) from 13.6kg to 45kg. It features SureLATCH, with inbuilt connectors which are self-tightening and make the seat very stable and safe in the event of side impacts. It's shown here in the carseat configuration, but to use it as a booster, imagine it without the base, harness, or extra padding.
The good bits: Removable padding transforms this seat from an infant carseat into a baby seat and then a toddler booster - and its incredibly clever design means that the majority of the infant trappings easily store within the seat, behind the covers. Watching an expert convert the seat was mesmerising - its design is just so thoughtful and clever. It was roomy and comfortable without being "too big" - it looked a bit like a toddler-sized recliner installed in the backseat of our test car! The harness adjuster tightens very easily, but keep in mind that, unlike other seats, the Symphony pulls slack out of the lap portion of the harness, not the shoulder portion. The recline feature is easy to use, and there is a flip-out cup holder. The covers are removable and washable. The one-hand adjustable headrest is easy to use.
The tricky bits: Converting the seat from a rear-facing carseat to a forward-facing booster seat is a little bit tricky, but you're only going to do it once, so don't let it put you off! Also, the technicians at Baby on the Move are more than happy for you to return to them for help when you're ready to do this.
Bottom line: A great new addition to the market that will serve very well from birth to adolescence.