It's a cliché to say that time flies, but it really does. It feels like only yesterday that I was writing Noah's birth story on this blog, yet in a few months we will celebrate his fifth birthday. He is so tall now and on Saturday evening I carried him in from the car after he had fallen asleep, and was surprised at how heavy he is.
Noah had had an extended rear-facing car seat, and when he exceeded the height limit we turned it forward-facing. He quickly reached the weight limit for using the five-point harness, so we began using it as a high backed booster. I soon decided that I would much prefer him to have a seat that is fitted using the ISOFIX anchors in our car so began looking for a suitable one online, and at the same time Kiddy got in touch about trying their Guardianfix 3 seat. It looked ideal for our needs, so we were sent one to review.
ABOUT KIDDY
Kiddy operate globally, manufacturing child safety seats, strollers and accessories. They take the safety of children very seriously and are constantly looking for new ways and finding new materials to keep children safe in cars. Their car seats have achieved some of the highest test results ever awarded by Which?, ADAC, Stiftung Warentest, TCS, and ÖAMTC and they have also won several consumer test awards.
I was interested to learn that, beyond their infant carrier, Kiddy car seats use impact shields instead of a five-point harness. They do this because there are some tests that show that use of an impact shield can significantly reduce the risk of spinal injuries in a head on collision. Kiddy car seats have come top in many European independent consumer testing laboratories. You can read more about the safety of Kiddy car seats and impact shields here.
KIDDY GUARDIANFIX 3
The Kiddy Guardianfix 3 is the latest in the Guardianfix series and is a Group 1,2,3 car seat. The weight range is 9-36kg with an age range of 9 months - 12 years. It can be used with the impact shield for children weighing between 9-18kg and without the impact shield, as a high backed booster, for children weighing between 15-36kg.
The seat can be adjusted easily to ensure that the child using it is comfortable and safe. There is a handle at the back of the seat so the backrest can be raised or lowered depending on how tall your child is. The sides of the seat move outwards and inwards as you raise and lower the backrest, and there is a removable cushion to use with smaller children. I've taken photos of the seat in its smallest position, with the impact shield attached, as well as its tallest position and the setting we have for Noah, so that you can see how much it can be changed. I found it really easy to adjust to fit Noah, and the eye level guide makes it very straightforward to know exactly how high the backrest needs to be.
Noah is over 18kg so he has been using the Guardianfix 3 without the impact shield or the cushion under the seat. He currently has the backrest raised a couple of notches - I used the eye level indicator to ensure it is the right level for his height. The indicator is a great visual aid for checking that the seat is still at the right level for him; he is growing so quickly but the indicator means that I can see at a glance whether the seat needs to be adjusted.
The Kiddy Guardianfix 3 can be used in cars with or without ISOFIX. We have ISOFIX anchors in our car which is why I wanted to change Noah's seat to one with connectors, for added peace of mind. The Guardianfix 3 uses Kiddy's K-fix+ system and the long connectors make it so easy to put the seat in and remove, especially with the green indicators to show that it has been correctly installed. This is the third seat I have used with ISOFIX and it has been by far the easiest to install and remove. The long connectors also allow the seat to recline and they also have a clever sideways movement. This movement is another safety feature; in the event of a side impact it would allow the seat to slide away from the impact zone.
The sideways movement also makes it easier to reach the buckle of the car seat and the red indicators on the seat guide you to ensure that the belt is routed correctly. My car has three full seats in the back so can easily accommodate three child safety seats, but it is quite snug in there now that I do actually have three! The sideways movement of the K-fix+ connectors is a real plus for us as it makes it much easier to reach down to do up or release the seat belt buckle. The connectors are easy to retract so if we ever need to put Noah in a car that doesn't have ISOFIX we would still be able to use this seat.
The seat comes in eight modern colours, the colour we have is Ocean Petrol which is a lovely bright teal shade. All of the colour choices have reflective panels so that the seat can be spotted if we were in an accident. The seat covers can be removed and washed on a gentle 30 degree cycle - this is a must-have feature for me, from a totally mumsy point of view, as my children very quickly make a mess of their seats!
I think the Guardianfix 3 is a great Group 1,2,3 car seat and Noah certainly loves it. It costs £279.00 and you can find it here.
With thanks to Kiddy for sending us the Guardianfix 3 car seat.
This looks so much more comfortable and secure than the cheap versions so many of us opt for. I need to look into this for my two x
ReplyDelete