Britax-Roemer KidFix2 S Highback Booster Car Seat

Reviewed by Helen Baron

Shop for a new car seat and you enter a minefield of competing claims and scientific stats. Just marshalling the vast amount of data is a job in itself. So when we were looking for a new seat for our daughter, who at nearly four was starting to complain that her existing seat was no longer comfortable, we hewed towards a select few brands with an excellent track record of safety and performance.

Britax-Roemer is arguably the leader in its field, with a product range built in Germany to reliably exacting standards and the test results to back up its marketing. What’s more, in its innovative new KidFix2 S seat, it has solved problems we didn’t even know we had.

The seat is a highback group 2/3 booster chair for kids aged approximately 3.5 to 12 years (15-36kg). This means it looks and feels less enclosed than a Group 1 chair, something our daughter loved straight away. Importantly, however, it retains all the safety features you could wish for – including isofix connectors (meaning it stays firmly in place in your car) and brilliant screw-out side impact protectors. Another plus is the way the seat adapts to your child, with a one-touch adjustable headrest and cool integrated guides that ensure the belt always sits in the correct position on your little one’s shoulder and across their waist. You can even remove the back and use the base as a standalone booster seat once your child is over 135cm tall.

And of course, it’s stylishly designed – ours is a lovely, soft salt and pepper grey with red detailing. It was set up and installed in minutes and our daughter hasn’t had a complaint since. A real win.

£195; babys-mart.co.uk

Ickle Bubba Mercury iSize Car Seat

Reviewed by Chloe Valiente

The first time you drive with a newborn is a dependably tremulous experience, and the best way to offset those new-mama nerves is to source a car seat you can rely on.

The Ickle Bubba Mercury is just such a seat, designed to cater to children from their very first road trip to the age of 15 months or so – and its firm focus on this key age range means it’s specially tailored to protect the tiniest of tinies.

That protection takes the form of a shock-absorbing shell that shields your child in the event of a side, front or rear collision, absorbing the energy of any impact. There’s also the stability provided by the isofix base, which not only keeps the seat securely fastened to your car but makes it easier to remove and reinsert as needed.
Other great features include a UPF50+ sun-deflecting canopy, a removable and breathable memory foam newborn insert and a headrest that can be adjusted to six different positions with one hand. Maximum comfort is only ever a gesture away.

Last but not least, the seat is travel system-compatible, easily fitted to most big-brand strollers using the Stomp universal car seat connectors (supplied separately). All of which makes for a comfortable ride for your new baby.

£319; icklebubba.com

Check out all of our Tried and Tested to get the best of all parenting products in 2019.