To have Safe Seats for Safe Kids; it is not just about the installation of the car seat but the actual baby car seats that mum and dad or grand parents purchase for their children. The baby car seats are safe, but the design of the baby seat make the adjustment easier difficult. This can mean that despite the government program the child will still not be safe after the initial installation
Below are the safe seats for children aged between newborn and 4 years of age for the year 2023, looking at features such as isofix, easy adjust harness, positioning of the top tether buckle, how many harness positions there are and the gap between harness positions and lastly the ease of installation.
The Best and Safe seats for safe kids in 2023
When Selecting the Best Safe seats (aged newborn to 4 years of age) for 2023, we are looking at ease of installation, ease of use, any design issues and any limitations of the particular baby seat.
- Britax B-Compaq ifix
- ?Britax Bfirst ifix
- Britax Bfirst click-tight
- Infa Secure Quattro
- Maxi Cosi Pria
- Infa Secure Momentum
- Britax Graphene
Britax B-Compaq ifix
RECOMMEDED. The Britax Compaq Ifix is an updated version of the Graphene with improved ease of installation, ease of adjustment, improved SICT and easier identification of the path for seat belt installation.
The Harness adjuster of the B-Compaq is moved from a push switch in front to using the harness adjuster on the top of the head rest, simplifying the ease of adjustment. This is now aligned with the top end seats such as the Bfirst.
The isofix has been improved so that when the isofix connectors as protruding on the car then it is possible to get a more secure connection. The path for the seat belt installation is more clear and larger, making installation easier.
The B-Compaq is a safe seat for safe kids and is a compaq design meaning that it is easier to get 3 across
Britax Bfirst ifix
RECOMMEDED. The Bfirst ifix is the top of the range, with very easy isofix installation,, active fabric to keep bubs cooler, and ventilated back. The easy adjust harness has increments of 15-17 mm, there is an extra longer top tether meaning you do not need to purchase a top tether extension. The Bfirst is a wide seat with low sides meaning it can be used for babies with hip dysplasia. Lastly the buckle is facing outward for rear facing making it easier for parents.
Britax Bfirst Click-tight
Recommended (Seat Belt Installation) – The Britax Bforst click-tight is justa seat belt installation with many of the same benefits as the Bfirst ifix, but with just Seat belt installation.
When the click-tight was first released there were a number of teething problems, with many professional baby car seat fitters trying to get a rock hard installation, which caused difficulties in removing the seat from the car to turn around or just to take the seat out. Some Fitters persisted in using locking clips despite information from the manufacturer not to use a locking clip.
The Bfirst Click-tight can be a harder installation than the isofix version due to potential .issues on locking the seat into the car. Contact a mobile baby car seat Professional Fitter to help get the Bfirst Click-tight installed initially, so yo u can understand how much tension you required to get a good installation.
Infa Secure Quattro
Recommended (Non-ISOFIX) – The Infa Secure Quattro is a safe seat for safe kids compact baby seat which has an easy adjust harness, and a single seat belt installation path. The safe grip clamp makes the seat belt installation easier (provided the parent reads the instructions). As with all safe seats for children the infa secure quattro has an easy adjust harness
The shop stopper for the infa secure quattro, is that it can be easily placed on either the passenger side or drivers side in rear facing mode without the need to re-thread the top tether to the outside of the shell.
Maxi Cosi Pria
Recommended (Non-ISOFIX) – The Maxi Cosi Pria is the newest seat in the Safe Seats for Safe kids (2023) and has 2 new interesting technologies. The first new technology is the top tether path pulls the top tether down so that there is no need to loosed off the top tether to put the baby into the baby seat. Additionally this new technology simplifies putting the baby seat onto the drivers side without needing to re-thread the top tether.
Unfortunately the installation is very cumbersome, due to the high sides on the seat. It is not obvious where or how you can get access to thread the seat belt through for the installation. Once you discover; that you need to remover the padding and then lift up the base; I have found it difficult to keep the base lifted while accessing the installation clamp. The high sides then make it hard to get the correct tensions for the Safe Installation.
Infa Secure Momentum
Recommended. The Infa Secure Momentum has many of the great features of the Infasecure Quattro, including the easy adjust harness both sofix and seat belt installation. Unfortunately it appears to be slightly wider in rear facing mode making 3 across more difficult.
Britax Graphene
Recommended (Isofix and seatbelt). The Graphene has been the seat of choice for many parents; due to its compact design and ease of installation using either isofix or seat belt installation. Due to the low profile of the seat; there cmay be problems when the isofix connectors are protruding and /or a long seat belt buckle making the installation harder. The Graphene top tether can be re-threaded; enabling a drivers side installation.
The largest drawback for the grap[hen is that the easy adjust is rather clunky and can be difficult to achieve.
Manual Re-threading
When-ever a carer needs to manually rethread a harness, there is a high chance that it will not be done on a regular basis. In many cases this may only be done when it comes time to change the seats or to turn the child to forward facing position. When you need to manually adjust the headrest at the same time then this causes additional issues.
Top Tether Buckle
The position of the top tether buckle and the length of the webbing between the seat and the buckle make it easier to use. Ideally you want at least 6-7 cm of webbing and the buckle to be positioned on the side for easy access. Many older style seats had the buckle around the back of the seat and very short webbing.
Isofix Connection
Isofix is not always safer, the safety comes from the design; and whether sufficient tension can be allied to the isofix connections. Until recently many isofix buckles, were simply too large and it was not possible to get a stable installation. This a key reason many seats have not appeared in this list.
Safe Seats Summary
The best baby seats for newborn to 4 years of age are predominately from Britax. This is due to the ease of use; unfortunately the cost is at the top end. This means many people go for either the Quattro or Graphene. Remember all seats are safe, just some are easier to use.