The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK
Car seat safety is a top priority for any parent. There’s a wealth of options when it comes to finding the most suitable car seat for your baby.
With a cozy baby-hugg insert and enhanced side impact protection The Cybex Cloud T is the best newborn car seat UK. It has a one handed recline and 12 headrest positions to adjust to your child’s changing body.
1. Cybex Cloud T
The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the most popular choice for taking your newborn along on trips from the moment they are born until they become toddlers. It is the latest addition to the iconic Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technologies that allow your child a flat, comfortable position in the car or when used with a stroller as part of a complete travel system. It’s also an ISOFIX car seat so it can be attached to your vehicle using the base provided, it can also be rotated 360 degrees to aid in getting your baby out and in.
The car seat itself is constructed of top-quality materials. It comes in a variety of trendy colors that include Moon Black, Lava Grey, Beach Blue Plus and Seashell Beige Plus. It’s a chic and sophisticated option that matches perfectly with the Cybex T range of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay for newborns and premature babies to ensure a safe, near-flat position that reduces the risk of their heads flopping forward during sleep, which can cause breathing difficulties. It can be removed when your child reaches 60 cm in height.
When it comes to safety the car seat offers excellent protection for your child, achieving an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests from ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size comes with LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to prevent your baby from being thrown around in the seat in the event of an accident and the innovative Flexi-Fix harness system that expands when your child grows, ensuring 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 means that getting your baby in and out is super easy – no more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat is able to be fully reclined for extra comfort on long journeys in the car. The price is slightly higher than other car seats of this age group, but the features it offers including the reclining feature and excellent safety features makes it well worth the cost.
2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus is among the most popular infant car seats on the market. It is simple to use and comfortable for babies. It’s suitable from birth and can be used with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix or EasyFix base or with the seat belt system in your car. The car seat is compatible with most pushchairs including the Maxi-Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy and Bugaboo (using adapters). The Baby-Hugg infant support is included to ensure the best fit, better laying position, and side impact protection.
The Pebble Plus is a Group 0+ car seat which means it can be used with infants from birth to 12 months old (45cm between 45cm and 75cm). It’s in line with the new iSize regulations that requires children to be in the rear of the car for longer. It’s compatible with the 2way Family base that allows you to change between forward and rear facing on the same car and also has a handy rotating feature.
Similar to the previous version, it’s a really comfy seat and the new version has some improvements. It now comes with a more refined baby-hugg that is super comfortable and stylish. The shoulder straps have been covered in padding and the headrest can be adjusted to fit your baby’s growth. You can remove it at any point, when you do not want to use it again.
It’s a little heavier at 4.5kg than other newborn carseats, but this shouldn’t be an issue if your infant spends most of the day in it. It has a handle to make it easier to carry and is lightweight enough to be carried to and from taxis or rideshare vehicles.
It’s also a stylish seat and you can select from a wide selection of colors and patterns to suit your car. It’s not the most affordable car seat for infants, but it’s still affordable and is worth the investment for your baby. It can be difficult to adjust the harness’s height and length, but once you’ve mastered the art of it it’s fine. You simply pull down on the back panel, and squeeze together two buttons to move up or down the straps without having to rethread them.
3. Joie Calmi
Joie Calmi is the ideal baby car seat for your newborn. It’s simple to use and cradles baby like a cot. This dual-use Nania REVO 360° Swivel Car Seat – French Craftsmanship seat and carrycot is certified R129. It’s built to last with a tough ventilated outer shell and soft padding to cradle you baby. It comes with three-point harnesses that are easily accessible with one-pull tightening and pushchairsandprams softly cushioned covers. It also has lateral positioning, which keeps your baby’s face in the safest possible position in case of collision.
The base of this seat is compatible with Joie Aeria and Finiti strollers, so it’s easy to pop it onto and off the frame. Additionally, with the adjustable handle bars, it’s also easy to lift, even when your baby is asleep. If you want to create an entire travel system, the i-Base Encore adapters let you to pair Calmi with Maxi-Cosi or Britax pushchair, too.
Joie has improved the design of its earlier i-Spin 360, which earned the highest test score in the crash tests of Which? and a Good rating from ADAC. The model we tested comes with locks to stop the seat from rotating too fast, ensuring that your child remains rear-facing for as long as is possible. It also has a large sun canopy that is water-resistant, with 50+ UV protection as well as a mesh peekaboo to allow you to observe without disturbing the child.
If you’re shopping 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 has a great selection of infant car seats from top brands, including Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross and offers free click and collect to your local store (or to a Sainsbury’s branch if you’re nearby). For all purchases you can also earn Nectar points. Argos is another great option for a variety of car seats, with prices starting at PS55. You can also avail 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
The most trusted British brand is best known for its high-end prams and pushchairs however, the Silver Cross Motion all-in-one car seat is making waves in the market with its. Our tester Jasper loved it, describing it “the best-looking of the bunch and the one that my child seemed to be most comfortable on long rides.”
This fully rotating R129-compliant vehicle seat can take your newborn all the way to 12 years of age, and won the best baby toddler, child and car seat in the ADAC’s autumn test in 2022. It’s also been tested above and beyond the regulations to ensure that your child is safe throughout every trip.
It includes an adjustable, comfortable cushioned insert for infants composed of soft bamboo fabrics. These bamboo fabrics are extremely comfortable and breathable, as well as antibacterial. The body insert and head support can be removed as your child grows. You can also alter the headrest and recline positions to suit.
The green light that indicates that the car seat is properly installed and is ready for use is an exclusive feature. This makes it a great option for new parents, who may not be familiar with the proper installation and fitting of car seats. It also comes with a handy strap that can be used in the forward or rear-facing position.
Another reason to buy it is that it’s a permanent vehicle fixture and you don’t need to wake up your sleeping newborn to get them out for long trips. It is not compatible with travel systems such as the Britax Romer Dualfix plus iSize or the 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’re not as easy to transport between cars. If you decide to purchase an additional travel bag for your car seat for newborn seat, be sure it’s a sturdy one that can keep up with the wear and tear of frequent use. It’s worth paying a little more for a bag that will last longer than your child’s car seat does.
