Best brands for Car seats and high chairs

[Biguili]

Hello,

I just moved to Perth from the US and just love it. I am quite unfamiliar with product brands here though and I need to get a highchair and a new convertible car seat for my six month old baby girl. Any recommendations? Which brands are highly recommended usually? Which store should I go to to purchase these items? I will also need a crib.

I saw a PedPerego highchair and a Mother's Choice Monza car seat on sale at Targer. Would these be good choices? I am not looking for anything fancy but I don't want anything low end to basic either. Thank you for your best picks/ wish list recommendations.

[oleander]

I did a lot of research for car seats and ended up getting the Safe n Sound AHR Meridian which is a convertible, as I found it to be the best one on the market at the moment. It exceeds all Australian safety standards (apparently tougher than US standards Ive heard, no offense) so Im happy with my choice. Of course I havent had my baby yet so I havent used it. I havent bought a high chair yet but will get one once bubs can sit up in one, so yeah that can wait. As for a crib/cot I went for a Boori because I like that theyre wider than regular cots and you put the side down with one hand. Must admit they are expensive but its so pretty! Go for items that are Australian Saftey standard and you should be fine.

[little mermaid]

Hi and welcome to Perth!! :smiliedance: I am also from Perth. Since you mentioned your child was 6 months old I would probably recommend you go for a Safe n Sound Maxi Rider car car seat they go from 6 months to 8 years old and change into a booster seat when your child is older. They are fantastic I just got one a few weeks ago and love it to death. They are on special at Baby on a Budget at the moment for $299 which is a great price. Otherwise the Royale is a good seat also that goes from newborn or as mentioned by the last member the Meridian AHR which is in the highest price range. I would pretty much steer clear of the mothers choice and go safe and those types of car seats as they are alot smaller and so your child will outgrow it way before they should be out of a seat.

As for high chairs there are some really good high chairs around like steelcraft and fisher price and many more, the Peg ones are a bit over rated I think although they do look really nice. My sister and 3 of my friends all bought them around the same time for their bubs and they all do not like them as they say they are a pain to clean and the trays are too high for the child to use until they are alot older.

Anyway sorry to ramble on and good luck.:ecomcity: If you have any other questions about brands or products or anything at all you need to ask about Perth please feel free to let me know.

[Biguili]

Well it seems that it is a consensus on the Safe N Sound car seats. I just realized that they are the same brand as the Britax car seats in the US (which also have the highest rating there in turn of safety). The Safe N Sounds just look a lot nicer. By the way, the Turn a Tot don't exist in the US at all.

For the highchairs, thanks for the practical advices, I will keep them in mind and check the two brands you recommended. Fisher-Price is always a sure bet. I don't know yet if I want a highchair or one of these little seats you can place onto a normal chair. Any thought on these?

I was also thinking about buying an inflatable bathtub for my daughter since I left her bathtub behind. Have you seen anything along these lines here? She doesn't enjoy the kitchen sink too much.:thumbsdown:

Any store to recommend in Perth for baby products? Thanks in advance.

[little mermaid]

I have sent you a PM :wave:

[Pices_79]

Safe n Sound have a great reputation!

[LucyE]

Another Safe'n'Sound fan here but I temper that with not all of their carseat range has performed well in carseat crash tests. Any of the ones from the Safe Guard to the Platinum range is good (they all have the same plastic moulding just different fabrics and extra non safety related features). We have the Meridian because it can be used rearward facing up to 12kgs and this is the safest way to transport a young child even if they do meet the weight requirement to be forward facing. If you do go for the Maxirider, look out for the new version and not the older one which was not rated very highly in the NRMA/NSW RTA crash tests.

As for high chairs, it's really personal preference. We have the Peg Perego but purchased on sale (for less than 1/2 price). I doubt I would have spent the full retail price on a high chair... I do like it for all the options (adjustable height, wheels, stability, removeable food tray etc) but have to say that it is a bit of a pain to clean. We still use it now as DS's dining chair and it's great because it's so stable that DS can climb up on it himself and do all the usual toddler antics without the chair budging even slightly. Another alternative is to get something like a Danish by Design Handysitt which is a portable booster seat. It probably won't suit for your bub now but once they are able to sit on their own, it's quite handy to have. Ours lives in the boot of our car so that we always have it on hand when dining out and don't have to use grotty public highchairs.

We also have a Boori cot. They are probably at the upper end of the market in terms of price but you do get what you pay for. They are very sturdy and slightly larger than normal cots so that it can convert to a toddler bed. Some people have trouble finding cot sheets to fit because the cheaper ones are usually too small. I just use one of our old flat sheets and fold it down to size and tuck it in.

[pebilz]

As for car seats I agree with everyone on the Safe-n-Sound.

For the high chair though we initially bought a Childcare brand one with the works - recline, heigh adjuster, removable tray etc. We have since sent that over to my in-laws and we have now bought the white Ikea highchair. Yes it's cheap as chips but it's soooo easy to clean. No folds in leather where food can get stuck etc. The tray can be taken off to clean and it looks stylish too (well it suits my household decor with white leather dining chairs!!) I can't recommend it enough. :thumbsup:

[MummyCharmzy]

I second the reccommendation of the maxi riders, I have my DD 12 months and DS 3.5yrs in maxiriders and they are brilliant.

I also have a peg perego highchair and think its wonderful, i think its very easy to clean and especially love the extra tray that snaps on tops. It folds up compactly too and is freestanding, all good features for me! The tray is a bit high but by the time they are starting to feed themselves they can easily reach it! :D

[jessgray]

we have a fisherprice convertable car seat for ds1 :) and we love it.
i know this is abit off track but with #2 on their way and DS still needing a car seat what brands would you recomend for a 18 month old? (he wont use it till october) and do they fit well next to another seat?

[LucyE]

jessgray Depending on your DS's weight, most Safe'n'Sound convertible carseats will go up to 18kgs and this is a safer option than the convertible booster seats such as the maxirider which, although can be used from 8kgs, isn't as safe.

As for how well they will fit into your car, go to a babystore and ask them to fit one in so you can see how well it will work for you. There are so many variations with cars and carseats that the best thing to do is to just see for yourself in real life. All the decent baby stores I've been to have been more than happy to allow this.

[Percy]

[QUOTE=Paris*mum]I did a lot of research for car seats and ended up getting the Safe n Sound AHR Meridian which is a convertible.

We have this one too and i love it! its 13 months old now and still in perfect condition.

Not too sure about the higchairs. My only advice is to get one that have the straps coming out of the back of the chair not the bottom, otherwise it seems to be really hard to get bubs in.

Good luck with choosing!

[Pixie]

I have a safe and sound Royale the only thing I don't like is the bit where the baby's head goes is a bit hard it does have a head rest bit but when baby is small it is below the head rest I ended up buying a kippotumus (sp) insert to make it snuggly

[little mermaid]

we have a fisherprice convertable car seat for ds1 :) and we love it.
i know this is abit off track but with #2 on their way and DS still needing a car seat what brands would you recomend for a 18 month old? (he wont use it till october) and do they fit well next to another seat?

I would say go with the Safe n sound maxi rider (but make sure it is the new model and style as it is heaps better and has a really high safety rating) It would just save you doubleing up on car seats plus what I love about mine is even when you use it as a booster seat it still is anchored in and you can add a harness to it.

[Elijahsmama]

Hello. i have the S&S maxi rider too and love it heaps, so does DS I wanted the S&S compaq but the store lady talked me out of it because my son was so big - he was 5&1/2mths at the time. I also have a peg highchair and find it really easy to clean as you can take the seat cover off and hose it down but the wheels dont work well on wooden floors.
I am from Perth and have bought my baby things from either Baby on a Budget or Babyland. They are both in Osborne Park and i compare prices at each then go to the cheapest. Good luck

[lindsay]

We have a Steelcraft highchair( the one that looks like a car seat) Its pretty rubbish in that, my little boy who's 14months sits too low, i need to put a cushion under his bum, so that he sits higher and can feed himself. Other than that its fine easy to clean.

[bigglet]

Regarding high chairs:
I have an Angelico highchair made by Swallow and it's great :thumbsup: The childcare centre that my DD goes to uses them too - and it is also recommended by Choice magazine.

It passed the stability, strength and finger trap tests, has a 5 point harness, able to recline into 4 positions (which is great especially for younger tots who can't sit upright and has a slight recline position for them), has adjustable seat/height positions and has brakes on its castors.

Retails about $189 (which is decent for a standard high chair).

Oh - just extra information -
The high chairs that Choice recommended (passed all their tests) are:
Standard Models:
- Angelico (Swallow)
- Arabella (Babylove)
- Eleganza Deluxe (Childcare)

Cheap but alright:
- Ikea Antilop

Expensive but versatile:
- Tripp Trapp 400 (Stokke)