The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK
Safety in car seats is a top concern for all parents. There are a myriad of options when it comes to choosing the best car seat for your child.
Featuring a cosy baby-hugg inlay and enhanced side impact protection This Cybex Cloud T is the best newborn car seat UK. It also features a single-handed recline adjustment and more than 12 headrest positions that adapt to the growing body of your child.
1. Cybex Cloud T
The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the best choice for bringing your baby to the road from birth until they are toddlers. It’s the newest version of the legendary Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technology that lets your child a lie-flat ergonomic position in the car, or when used in conjunction with strollers as part of an entire travel system. It is also an ISOFIX vehicle seat, so it can easily be attached to your vehicle by using the base that comes with it. It can be rotated to help you get your baby into and out of the seat.
The car seat itself is constructed of top-quality materials. It comes in a variety of trendy colours such as Moon Black, Lava Grey, Beach Blue Plus and Seashell Beige Plus. It’s a sleek and sophisticated option that is seamlessly matched with the Cybex T line of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay, which is specifically designed for premature and newborn infants. This assists in maintaining the baby’s head in a flat position, decreasing the risk that their heads may be able to move forward during sleep, which can cause breathing issues. It can be removed once your child reaches 60 centimeters in height.
In terms of safety, the car seat offers superior protection for your child, achieving an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests conducted by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size features LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to safeguard your baby from being thrown around in the seat in the event of an accident and the revolutionary Flexi-Fix harness system that expands when your child grows to ensure they always have a secure fit.
If you’re planning to use the car seat as part of a travel set-up with a Cybex pushchair, the innovative 180deg rotation ensures that getting your baby out and in is super easy – no more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat can also be placed in a fully reclined configuration for added comfort during long car trips. It is priced at a somewhat higher price than some other cars seats for this age group, however the extensive list of features, including the option to recline and the excellent safety features make it well worth the money.
2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
Maxi-Cosi Foldable Car Seat: Compact & Lightweight Pebble Plus is among the most comfortable infant car seats around. It is easy to use and comfortable for babies. It’s suitable for babies from birth. It is compatible with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix, EasyFix base, or with your car seat belt system. The car seat is compatible with most pushchairs, including the Maxi-Cosi range and Quinny, iCandy and Bugaboo (using adapters). It comes with the Baby-Hugg infant headrest to allow for a better fit and the position of the child’s head and side impact protection.
The Pebble Plus is a Group 0+ car seat which means it can be used with babies from birth until 12 months old (45cm to 75cm). It is in compliance with the latest i-Size guidelines that requires children to be in the rear of the car for longer. It is compatible with the 2way family base, which allows you to switch between forward-facing and rear-facing on the same vehicle. It also features an excellent rotating feature.
It’s still a very comfy seat, but the new version has some improvements. It comes with a brand new, improved baby-hugging inlay that looks and feels great. The shoulder straps have been padded and the headrest is adjustable to fit your baby’s growth. You can take it off at any point, if you don’t want to use it again.
It is a little heavier at 4.5kg than some other newborn car seats, but this shouldn’t be a problem when your baby spends the majority of the day in it. You can use it with a handle for more comfortable transport, and it’s light enough to be able to lift it into and out of rideshare vehicles or taxis, too.
It’s also a stylish seat, and you can choose from a wide selection of colours and patterns to fit your car. It’s not the most cost-effective infant car seat, but it’s still a great investment and worth the extra money for your baby. It can be difficult to adjust the length and height but once you get the hang of it it’s fine. You can adjust the straps by pulling downwards on the back panel, pressing two buttons simultaneously.
3. Joie Calmi
Joie Calmi is the perfect infant car seat for a newborn baby. It’s simple to use and can be used as a cot for baby. This carrycot that doubles as a car seat is R129-certified, which means it’s made tough with a tough ventilated shell and plush cushioning to cradle your infant. It features a 3-point safety harness that is adjusted with a single pull and softly cushioned covers. It also has lateral positioning, which keeps your baby’s face in the most secure possible position in case of collision.
This seat’s base is compatible with Joie’s Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, which means you can take it off and on the frame easily. It’s easy to lift even if your baby is asleep, due to the adjustable handle bars. If you’re looking to make an entire travel set, the iBase Encore adapters will allow you to connect your Calmi up with a MaxiCosi or Britax stroller.
Joie has improved the design of its previous i-Spin 360, which earned a high test score in the crash tests of Which? and a Good rating from ADAC. The model we tested has an electronic lock that prevents the seat from rotating too quickly, ensuring that your child remains rear-facing as long as possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that is water-resistant, with 50+ UV protection as well as an open mesh that allows you to observe without disturbing the child.
If you’re looking for a car seat online, ensure you select a retailer that provides free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis offers a wide selection of car seats for newborns from top brands such as Maxi-Cosi, Silver Cross and Cybex. Click and collect is free to your local branch (or Sainsbury’s if you are near). With every purchase, you can also earn Nectar points. Argos is another option for a variety of car seats, starting at PS55. You can also enjoy free delivery, same-day collection in-store and free returns to any Argos or Sainsbury’s store that is participating.
4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360
Silver Cross Motion is a new vehicle seat that’s all-in-one from the trusted British brand that is known for its premium pushchairs and prams. Jasper the tester loved it. He said it was “the most fashionable of the bunch.” My baby seemed to be the most comfortable for long drives.”
This fully rotating R129 compliant car seat is suitable for infants all the way to 12 years old. It was awarded the ADAC 2022 Autumn Test’s award for the most effective child, baby and toddler car seat. It was also tested beyond the regulations to ensure your child is safe throughout every journey.
It is equipped with a removable, cosy cushioned insert for infants made of soft bamboo fabric. These are super comfortable and breathable, as well as antibacterial. The body insert and head support can be removed when your child gets older. You can also alter the headrest and recline positions to accommodate.
A distinctive feature is the built-in green light’ that indicates that the car seat is secured and ready to use which makes it a fantastic option for parents who aren’t familiar with the correct way to install and set up car seats. It also comes with a strap that can be used in a forward-facing or rear-facing position.
Another major selling point is that it’s a long-lasting vehicle fixture and you don’t need to wake up your sleeping newborn to get out for longer journeys. It’s not compatible with travel systems such as the Britax Romer Dualfix plus iSize, or Joie iSpin 360 iSize. You’ll need to purchase a separate travel bag.
The Axkid One is a permanently fixed car seat that is permanently fixed. They are not as easy to transport between cars. If you choose to purchase a separate travel bag choose one that is sturdy and can withstand the wear and tears of daily use. It’s worth spending a little more to get a bag that will last as long as the car seat of your child.