GrowWithMe i-Size Car Seat – Midnight Black, Birth to 12 Years

An i-Size car seat covering birth to around 12 years in one seat — the value option in the range, without the 360° rotation of the AllStage.

GrowWithMe or AllStage 360?

Both are R129 i-Size all-in-one seats covering birth to 36kg. The difference is rotation.

The AllStage 360 swivels to face the door, which makes loading a child far easier and lets you switch between rear and forward-facing without removing the seat.

The GrowWithMe is fixed. You turn the seat around manually when the time comes. For that you save around £22.

If you have a small car, a bad back, or you'll be moving the seat between vehicles, the rotation is worth the difference. If it's a second seat for occasional use — grandparents' car, for instance — this is the sensible buy.

Approval and rear-facing

Approved to UN R129 (i-Size), which requires enhanced side impact testing and mandates rearward-facing until at least 15 months.

Keep your child rear-facing for as long as they fit within the seat's limits, not just to the legal minimum. In a frontal impact a rear-facing seat spreads force across the child's whole back instead of loading their neck, and a young child's head is heavy relative to their neck strength.

The stages

• Birth to 18kg (roughly 0-4 years) — rear-facing, then forward-facing, with the 5-point harness
• 15-25kg (roughly 4-6 years) — forward-facing with harness
• 22-36kg (roughly 6-12 years) — high-back booster using the car's seat belt

Go by height and weight, not age.

Features

• 5-point harness that adjusts as your child grows
• Adjustable headrest
• Multiple recline positions
• Side impact protection
• Machine-washable removable covers

Important safety information

Read the manual before fitting. Incorrect installation is the biggest single cause of car seat failure, and a large proportion of seats on UK roads are fitted wrongly.

Check your vehicle handbook for compatibility before ordering. Never fit a rear-facing seat in a front passenger seat with an active airbag. The harness should have no more than two fingers' slack at the collarbone, and children should not be harnessed in over thick coats.

Replace after any collision, however minor — damage is often invisible. Never use a second-hand seat with unknown history.

Use only the supplied covers and inserts. Aftermarket padding is not crash-tested with this seat.

Free car seat fitting checks are available at many UK fire stations and retailers.