Choosing a car seat and review of the Kiddy guardian fix Pro

There is so much choice on the market for children's car seats.  Rear Facing or Forward Facing? what group do I buy? Harness or impact shield?  These are just a few of the questions I have asked myself whilst purchasing seats for my girls.  It is such a tough choice.    

One of the sites I often use is Which? as they are independent and purchase the seats to test.  As an example I have embedded the video from their site on the difference of a good seat Vs bad seat,  The video is a little upsetting even though crash dummies are used


Which? test their car seats beyond the tests required for the ECE R44/04 which is compulsory for all UK car seats.  They test to 40mph, 10mph more than the ECE R44/04 test and use a full car instead of a mock up of the back seat.  They test both rear collisions and side impacts.  This element of the test accounts for 60% of the Which? rating with the other 40% down to ease of installation of the seat.  As a correctly fitted seat is key to the seat performing correctly in a crash.  Although I appreciate there are other sites and reviews Which? is the one I personally value most for its Independence and thoroughness.

For the question of Harness Vs impact shield.  I personally prefer Impact shield.  From 6 months of age my eldest daughter worked out how to get out of her harness.  It did not matter if it was in the pushchair, car seat or high chair she could get out of them.  No matter how tight or what gadget I used, she would work out a way to get out.  At one point I had to do an emergency pull over and stop as she had climbed completely out of her seat.  With the impact shield I have never experienced this.  I know in some instances some children don't like the feel of the shield and so its always better to try a seat before you buy it but for us the impact shield is much safer.  

An impact shield, I have found removes the element of the child being unable to climb out of the seat or undo the harness.  I find it easier to get the impact shield on my daughter and fasten her in if she she is having a tantrum.  With a harness I really struggle to fasten her in correctly if she is having a tantrum and generally not wanting to sit in the seat.  I also personally feel reassured, as I often worry I have not done the harness up correctly.

When researching a car seat for my youngest I decided to go for rear facing after watching this video


However, I then encountered a problem.  The only car seat I could find which was rear facing had harness and not an impact shield.  I decided to go with it as the video had convinced me to go for rear facing.  The car seat arrived and to this day I am not 100% convinced it is installed correctly.  It was difficult to install, incredibly heavy so we cannot transport it between cars and my daughter can escape from the harness, which leads me wondering how effective it would be in a crash?  It also is one of the smallest on the market but it still takes up a lot of space.

Having bought a Kiddy Energy Pro for my eldest I turned once again to Kiddy for a solution.  They have the impact shield I prefer and also a Which? best buy.  


Kiddy Guardian Fix Pro 2

There are several points I love about our Kiddy car seats, the first is how incredibly light weight they are.  I can lift it one handed whilst carrying my daughter in the other arm.  This makes it easy to transport between vehicles, and would be ideal to use on an aircraft.  The second is how easy it is to fit.  The Energy Pro is simply placed on the seat, whereas the Guardian Fix pro 2 has isofix bars.  It took me less than 2 minutes to install using isofix.  This leaves me confident it is installed correctly.  

isofix














The third is that Kiddy really do love kids, so much so they put it on the tag


Kiddy loves kids







Kiddy really have thought of everything when they designed their seats.  From Easy one touch recline, to adjustable footrests and to the Side impact protection.  The covers come off and are machine washable which is great for me, as my kids love to make a mess.  There is a wide range of colours to choose from too, meaning there should be something to suit all tastes.


side absorber




This will be a seat that will last and grow with my daughters right up until they are 12 years old.  My daughter loves her Kiddy car seat and after a hard day at nursery can have a place to rest her head whilst she naps.

Sleeping in the Kiddy

Kiddy loves my kids and my kids love Kiddy.

Kiddy very kindly provided me with a Guardian Fix pro2.  All words thoughts and opinions are my own.

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7 comments

  1. I found choosing a car seat such a hard decision with my first child. I am sure lots of folks will find this really useful. Thanks so much for sharing with Mondays Parenting Pin It Party. Have pinned :)

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  2. Really useful post - good old Which!

    I have pinned this - http://pinterest.com/mumsmakelists/boards/

    Alice @ Mums Make Lists x

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  3. "The video is a little upsetting even though crash dummies are used"

    Please...

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  4. In stark contrast to what has been said above, I found choosing a car seat for my Son very simple. I simplified the research and with 35 years as a critical care nurse, the choice was simple and completely correct. I rear faced my boy in a BeSafe Izi Combi X1 then swopped over to the X3 Isofix. When he was 18kg+, he rear faced in an Extened Rear Facing Axkid Mini Kid and Kidzone. He is now 8.5 years old and not yet 25kgs [small but perfect boy[. His height is within the seat capacity. No matter what people think, it is so much safer in a front ans side impact. A rear impact is safe too. If I rolled my car [Volvo S60 2003 and Honda CRV 2003], the bracing stands and the tether straps would keep him and the seat in one place. The leg room issue is not an issue. He sits in a normal leg position. If I have people in the car, I tell them that my Son's safety is more important and the can sit in the back if need be. Truth is, they have enought room in the front. Seeing my Son? That'll be a rear facing mirror. Heavy seats? Good, I'm paying for safety, not convenience. It's about your child and not you. If you want a wishy washy seat that performs like a transformer and can be carried out the car with one hand, then that's up to you. When it hits the fan and all goes wrong, I want to know I did my best. I want to know that I paid for a seat to perform one purpose, nothing else, just that one thing. Have I cursed the seats? Oh yes, many times. Packing them at airports, fitting them in terrible weather and lugging them round. Keep the big picture in mind and it may help. I find in the UK people will find any excuse to not rear face their kids. I can't see him [use a mirror], they get sick [no research to suggest rf makes it happen, it's usually adults], no leg room [never been an issue if you angle the seat and move the front foward- rather broken legs than snapped spine, head contusions, decelleration injuries] and even his feet will mess up the seat [don't have kids]. Having to be harsh because lazy, small minded people who put so many things before their kids have taken their toll on me. Whether the kids "like/love their seat" is completely irrelevant nonsense. You are their parent....start parenting them.

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  5. Layla Brook
    How can you even think that your little Daughter taking a nap, as pictured, is an acceptable and favourable aspect of the seat. Look at her position! Look at her clothing! Big, thick clothes on a kid in a car seat are a massive no no no. Kids sleep on clothes lines. What about the side impact at just 35mph in this position??? What are you thinknig? Yes, kids fall asleep in cars but you don't put a picture like that out and think its ok, even if you did get a free seat. If I was Kiddy, I would bin that picture ASAP. Take a look at the Scandinavian safety records, this is a people who adore their kids and prove it in just about everything they do with them.

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  6. Sorry, I have to say it...Kiddy doesn't love your kids because it is an inanimate object. It gets worse!

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  7. Sorry, I have to say it...Kiddy doesn't love your kids because it is an inanimate object. It gets worse!

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